Tom Burgess signed with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1946. In his first professional season, he belted 16 home runs with the Class D Hamilton Cardinals, earning himself a promotion to Allentown (Class B) the following campaign, where he would hit .350 in 106 games. Following the 1948 campaign, he returned to London to complete his education for three years, before resuming his pro career in 1952. His finest minor league season was with the Triple A Rochester Red Wings in 1953 when he hit .346 with 22 homers and 93 RBIs.
His career year would earn a roster spot with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1954, before he returned to the minors for the next seven seasons. He would enjoy his longest major league stint with the Los Angeles Angels in 1962.
After retiring as a player, he started managing with the Cardinals’ Gulf Coast League team at Sarasota in 1969. He piloted first-place minor league clubs at Modesto (1972), Johnson City (1975), Tulsa (1982) and Bristol (1985) and was a major league coach for the New York Mets (1977) and Atlanta Braves (1978). He was also a minor league hitting instructor for the Kansas City Royals from 1988 to 1995. Following his professional career, he served as a coach on the Canadian national teams and helped hone the skills of big leaguers Jason Bay and Justin Morneau. He was inducted into the Rochester Red Wings Hall of Fame in 1992 and the London Sports Hall of Fame in 2003.
Career Major League Stats
| G | AB | R | H | D | T | HR | RBI | TB | BB | SO | SB | OBP | SLG | AVG |
| 104 | 164 | 19 | 29 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 14 | 45 | 39 | 29 | 2 | .332 | .274 | .177 |
To view season by season career statistics click HERE.
