Thompson was born in West Palm Beach, Florida. He attended Forest Hill Community High School in West Palm Beach, where he played high school baseball for the Forest Hill Falcons. Thompson received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in 1983 where he played for coach Jack Rhine\'s Florida Gators baseball team. He was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the first round of the 1983 Major League Baseball draft, and decided to forgo his remaining NCAA eligibility. In 1985, while playing for the Shreveport Captains in the Texas League, he posted a .261 batting average along with 9 home runs and was named to the league All-Star team.\n', '

Thompson made his major league debut with the Giants on April 8, 1986, at the age of 24. In June, he became the first player in major league history to be caught stealing four times in one game (three occurred during attempted hit and run plays). Despite his rocky start, Thompson ended the season with a .271 batting average as the Giants leadoff hitter and provided steady defense. He won the Sporting News Rookie of the Year Award and finished second to Todd Worrell in the 1986 National League Rookie of the Year Award. Thompson had to undergo surgery at the end of the season to have cartilage removed from his right knee.\n', '

Thompson continued to perform well defensively in 1987, teaming up with Giants shortstop José Uribe to form one of the best double play combinations in baseball, and helped the Giants lead the major leagues with 183 double plays. The Giants clinched the National League Western Division title by six games over the Cincinnati Reds. In the 1987 National League Championship Series, Thompson played in pain with a bulging disc but still played well defensively helping the Giants set a playoff record with 10 double plays. He also hit 1 home run and had 2 runs batted in as the Giants were defeated by the St. Louis Cardinals in a seven-game series.\n', '

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