Athletes - Andre Thornton

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	Athletes - Andre Thornton

Andre Thornton (born August 13, 1949 in Tuskegee, Alabama) was a first baseman and designated hitter who played for the Chicago Cubs, Montreal Expos, and Cleveland Indians during a 14-year career in Major League Baseball.

In 1967, a week before Thornton's 18th birthday, the Philadelphia Phillies signed Thornton as an amateur free agent. In 1972, the Phillies traded Thornton to the Atlanta Braves, who traded him to the Cubs the following year. Thornton, playing first base, made his major-league debut with the Cubs on July 28, 1973 and played for the Cubs until May 1976. Thornton had one of his best seasons in 1975; although his 18 home runs were only the 7th-best season total of his career, Thornton hit .293 with a .428 on-base percentage and a slugging percentage of .516. It was the first of six seasons in which Thornton walked more than he struck out.

After a relatively disappointing 1976 season, in which Thornton battled injuries and split time between the Cubs and the Montreal Expos, the Expos traded Thornton to the Cleveland Indians. Thornton sustained high levels of production through much of his Cleveland career. After hitting 28 home runs in his debut season in Cleveland, Thornton hit a career-high 33 home runs in 1978 and matched that total in 1984. In 1982, Thornton hit 32 home runs and batted in 116 runs, a career high. From 1980 to 1984, Thornton played primarily as a designated hitter; he won a Silver Slugger award as a designated hitter in 1984. Thornton played exclusively as a designated hitter from 1985 to 1987.

Thornton finished his career with 244 doubles, 253 home runs, a batting average of .254, an on-base percentage of .360, and a slugging percentage of .452. For three seasons, he was in the top 5 in home runs in his league, and he was in his league's top 5 in walks four times. Thornton finished his career with more bases on balls (876) than strikeouts (851).

Teams

Chicago Cubs (1973-1976)
Montreal Expos (1976)
Cleveland Indians (1977-1987)

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