Lee Thomas obit

Lee Thomas, architect of the 1993 Phillies, dies at 86

 

He was not on the list.

Lee Thomas, an All-Star player who eventually became the architect of the 1993 NL champion Philadelphia Phillies, has died. He was 86.

Thomas died Wednesday at his home in St. Louis, the Phillies announced. No details about the cause were given.

Thomas was Philadelphia's general manger from 1988-97, and he spent the early portion of his tenure acquiring players who helped lead the Phillies on their improbable run to the World Series. Thomas acquired John Kruk, Terry Mulholland, Curt Schilling, Lenny Dykstra, Milt Thompson, Danny Jackson and others who played on the team that lost to the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1993 World Series. Joe Carter hit the winning home run off Mitch Williams in Game 6 to clinch the championship.

"Lee was a great man and will be missed incredibly," Phillies Chairman Emeritus Bill Giles said. "I will never forget all the fun we had watching the 1993 Phillies National League championship team that he put together. Through his leadership, Lee has left an indelible mark on Phillies history. My love goes out to his wife, Susie, and his entire family."

A former All-Star who played both outfield and first base, Thomas hit 106 home runs in 1,027 career games. In 1962, he was named an American League All-Star, batting .290 with 26 home runs and 104 RBIs. He played parts of eight seasons with the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Angels, Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros.

He started his front-office career with the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1970s before he joined the Phillies in 1988. Thomas also spent six seasons with the Red Sox as a special assistant to the general manager. He then served as a scout for the Milwaukee Brewers until 2006, and from 2011-18 was with the Baltimore Orioles as a special assistant.

Thomas worked in the front office of the St. Louis Cardinals and was hired as general manager of the Philadelphia Phillies in 1988. He rebuilt the Phillies roster, leading them to the 1993 World Series. He served in the role until 1997.

Thomas was born in Peoria, Illinois, on February 5, 1936, and moved to St. Louis, Missouri, with his family as a child. He graduated from Beaumont High School in St. Louis. New York Yankees scout Lou Maguolo signed Thomas shortly after he graduated from high school in 1954. Thomas could not break into the Yankees lineup despite putting up good offensive statistics in minor league baseball. He had two at bats for the Yankees in 1961, garnering one hit.

The Yankees traded Thomas, Ryne Duren, and Johnny James to the Los Angeles Angels for Bob Cerv and Tex Clevenger. The Angels traded Thomas to the Boston Red Sox for Lou Clinton on June 4, 1964. As an everyday player with the Angels and Red Sox from 1961 to 1965, Thomas topped the 20 home run mark three times, and drove in 104 runs batted in for the Angels in 1962. On September 5, 1961, Thomas collected nine hits in 11 at bats in a doubleheader against the Kansas City Athletics, hitting three home runs and driving in eight runs in the nightcap. He became one of eight players with nine hits in a doubleheader. He was selected to the 1962 American League All-Star team, and popped out as a pinch hitter in that year's first All-Star game, played at DC Stadium on July 10. In the year's second All-Star game, played July 30 at Wrigley Field, he appeared as a defensive replacement in left field for the game's final two innings and did not bat.

After the 1965 season, the Red Sox traded Thomas, Arnold Earley, and a player to be named later to the Atlanta Braves for Dan Osinski and Bob Sadowski. The Red Sox sent Jay Ritchie to the Braves to complete the trade. On May 28, 1966, the Braves traded Thomas to the Chicago Cubs for Ted Abernathy. The Houston Astros acquired Thomas from the Cubs for two minor league players before the 1968 season.[9] He served as a part-time player and pinch hitter with the Braves, Cubs, and Astros. He played in Nippon Professional Baseball for the Nankai Hawks in 1969. He signed a minor league contract with the St. Louis Cardinals organization for the 1970 season, and they assigned him to the Tulsa Oilers of the American Association. In Major League Baseball, Thomas compiled a career batting average of .255 in 1,027 games played with 847 hits and 106 home runs.

When four straight losing seasons followed the 1993 pennant, Thomas was fired and replaced as general manager by Ed Wade, his assistant. He then returned to the Red Sox as a special assistant to Dan Duquette, Boston's general manager, in 1998. He played a key role in Boston's signing of free agent outfielders Manny Ramírez in December 2000 and Johnny Damon one year later.

Thomas is survived by his wife, Susie, and his sons Matthew, Scott, Deron and Daryl.