Keith Marshall Thomas

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1½"", *Weight 195 lb.
• School Kansas State University
• Debut April 19, 1952
• Final Game September 27, 1953
• Born April 27, 1923 in Kansas City, KS USA
• Died January 7, 1995 in Rocky Mount, NC USA

Biographical Information

Kite Thomas was an outfielder eight years (1947-1954), one in college (1947); two in the Majors (1952-1953) and six in the minors (1947-1951;1954). Thomas was born on Friday, April 27, 1923, in Kansas City, KS. He graduated from High School, where he starred in baseball and basketball, in 1941 at age 18. He married Rosemary Harmon on June 25, 1942. Thomas served in the U.S. Navy during World War II (BN). He then attended Kansas State University (1947).

Signed by scout Lee MacPhail before the 1947 Season for the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent, he broke into Organized Baseball in 1947 at age 23 with Joplin in the Western Association. That winter, he played guard (and refereed some) for Kansas City in the PBLA. He played for Quincy in the Three-I League (1948); Kansas City in the American Association (AA) (1949); Beaumont in the Texas League (1949-1950) and Kansas City (AA) (1951).

On November 19, 1951 he was drafted by the Philadelphia Athletics from the Yankees in the 1951 rule V draft. Thomas was 28 years old when he broke into the big leagues on April 19, 1952, with Philadelphia. He played for Philadelphia (1952-1953) and on June 30, 1953 he was selected off waivers by the Washington Senators from the Athletics. He played for Washington (1953) where he played his final MLB game on September 27, 1953 at age 30. On March 27, 1954 he was traded by the Senators to the Chicago White Sox for Tom Wright and returned to the minors with Memphis in the Southern Association (1954); ending his baseball playing career at age 31.

In the 1961-62 basketball season, he was a referee in the ABL

In 1952, his best year in MLB, he had 29 hits, 24 runs, 6 doubles, 1 triples, 6 home runs, 18 RBI and 0 stolen bases at (.250/.365/.474) in 75 games. In 1950, his best year in the minors, he had 156 hits, 109 runs, 42 doubles, 8 triples, 16 home runs and 111 RBI at (.283/~.372/.475) in 149 games.

Overall in MLB, he had 52 hits, 35 runs, 9 doubles, 3 triples, 7 home runs, 32 RBI and 0 stolen bases at (.233/.340/.395) in 137 games. Overall in the minors, he had 89 home runs and 506 RBI.

During the 1950s he owned the popular Kite's tavern in Manhattan, KS and was said to dispense more beer than any other tavern in Kansas. After moving to North Carolina he owned the franchise for 37 Pizza Huts in the Eastern Carolinas. He had blond hair and blue eyes, his ancestry was English-Irish and his principal hobby was all sports. He died at age 71 at Rocky Mount, NC from cancer on January 7, 1995 and is buried at Abilene Cemetery in Abilene, KS.

Notable Achievements

• Led Three-I League in RBI (99), 1948