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Dave Thomas
First baseman
Born: (1905-03-22)March 22, 1905 Mobile, Alabama
Died: July 27, 1968(1968-07-27) (aged 63) Mobile, Alabama
Batted: LeftThrew: Left
Negro league baseball debut
1929, for the Birmingham Black Barons
Last appearance
1946, for the New York Cubans
Teams
Birmingham Black Barons (1929) Baltimore Black Sox (1930–1932) New York Black Yankees (1932–1935) New York Cubans (1935–1936) Washington Black Senators (1938) Brooklyn Royal Giants (1940) New York Cubans (1942–1946)

David Thomas (March 22, 1905 – July 27, 1968), nicknamed "Showboat", was an American first baseman in the Negro leagues from 1929 to 1946.

A native of Mobile, Alabama, Thomas is considered one of the greatest defensive first basemen in Negro leagues history. In 1945 at age 40, he and Terris McDuffie were given a tryout by Branch Rickey and the Brooklyn Dodgers, two years prior to Jackie Robinson's breaking of the baseball color line.

Thomas died in Mobile in 1968 at age 63.

References

1. Dan Tylicki (November 11, 2011). "25 Greatest Showmen in MLB History". bleacherreport.com. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
2. Chris Lamb (April 14, 2015). "Two who tried out before Jackie Robinson". espn.com. Retrieved August 4, 2020.

External links

• Career statistics from MLB, or Baseball Reference and Baseball-Reference Black Baseball stats and Seamheads

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• 1905 births
• 1968 deaths
• Baltimore Black Sox players
• Birmingham Black Barons players
• Brooklyn Royal Giants players
• New York Black Yankees players
• New York Cubans players
• Washington Black Senators players
• Baseball first basemen
• Baseball players from Mobile, Alabama
• Negro league baseball infielder stubs