Inaugural 1962, New York Mets outfielder Frank Thomas passed away today; he was 93. Thomas came up at the age of 22 for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1951 and became a mainstay in the Pirates lineup by 1953. He was a three time all-star sharing the outfield with Roberto Clemente, including a six year span where he got MVP votes in all but one of them, finishing as high as fourth in 1958. After a couple of seasons bouncing around from Cincinnati, Chicago, and Milwaukee, in 1962, he landed with the New York Mets and played their inaugural season. Frank Thomas became the first star in their franchise’s history. Although the Mets finished a league worse 40-120 in their first season, it was no fault of Thomas. He slashed .266/.329/.496 with 34 home runs and 94 RBI, playing in 156 of the Mets 160 games that season. His time in New York didn’t last long, as he was shipped off to Philadelphia in 1964, which should not take away from his accomplishments as the first great Met. Thomas returned to Queens this past August for Old Timers Day as the fans in attendance for the game against Colorado were in for a treat, getting to watch all of the great Mets on the field beforehand. It was a great day filled with New York Mets legends, from sluggers like Mike Piazza and Darryl Strawberry to aces like Dwight Gooden and Al Leiter. Also, there was the great Frank Thomas, who got to take the field one last time in a Mets uniform nearly 60 years after his Mets career ended, and he will be remembered as the first great New York Met.
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