Thompson was born in
Swepsonville, North Carolina. In 1943, he signed with the
Boston Red Sox organization as a
pitcher. He pitched in the minor leagues for a few years but then hurt his arm. He converted into an outfielder, and in 1947 he hit .328 for the Class D Milford Red Sox. Thompson made his Major League debut in 1949 for the Braves. After the season, he was traded to the Dodgers and spent 1950 with their top minor league club, the
International League's
Montreal Royals. He led the Royals in all three triple crown categories and was promoted to the Major League team in 1951. As a backup outfielder in 1951, Thompson hit just .229. He had the lowest
batting average and
OPS of any Dodger player with over 100 at-bats, and Brooklyn lost the pennant by one game. In 1952, Thompson returned to Montreal and batted .345. He was Brooklyn's
left fielder in 1953. His career highlight came in game 4 of that year's
World Series, when he threw out the
New York Yankees'
Billy Martin at home plate to end the game. In 1954, Thompson hit just .040 in 34 games and was again sent down to Montreal. He retired after the season. ==Later life==