Every week, we like to catch up with a former Waterloo Buck and this week’s honor goes to Curtis Thigpen.  Curtis played for the Bucks in the 2002 season in the year the Bucks won the championship. Curtis was born in Dallas, Texas and played high school ball at Forney High School.  After High School ball in Forney, he attended the University of Texas at Austin.   Curtis was mainly a catcher and first basemen who stood 5’11" and weighed 190 lbs while batting and throwing right handed.

Thigpen played in 20 games for the Bucks during the 2002 season.  He had 51 at bats with 11 hits, 3 doubles, 0 home runs, 4 runs batted in, 20 strike outs and 7 walks.  

After playing for the Bucks, Thigpen went on to get drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2004 draft (2nd round, #57 overall).  In his first year in the Toronto system, he played single A ball for the Auburn Doubledays and the Lansing Lugnuts.  He put up strong numbers, and continued to rise through the system until making his professional debut on June 6, 2007 for the Blue Jays. Curtis played 47 games with the Blue Jays that season as he split time between the Majors and the triple A Syracuse Chiefs. 

In his final year of his career, he played 10 games in the majors and 96 games with the Syracuse Chiefs before hanging up the glove.  Overall, he had strong stats during his time in the system. In 409 games in the minors, Curtis had a .266 batting average in 1502 at bats with 96 doubles, 9 triples, 28 home runs, 185 runs batted in, 14 stolen bases, 236 strike outs, and 178 walks.

In 57 total Major League Baseball games with the Toronto Blue Jays, Curtis had a .229 batting average in 118 at bats with 5 doubles, 1 home run, 12 runs batted in, 2 stolen bases, 25 strike outs, and 9 walks.

Curtis will always be remembered as a Waterloo Buck, and we wish him the best in his futu