About: Jason Thompson (first baseman, born 1971)

Jason Michael Thompson (born June 13, 1971) is an American former professional baseball player who played first base in Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball. Thompson attended Laguna Hills High School in Laguna Hills, California, the University of Southern California (USC), Saddleback College, Pepperdine University and the University of Arizona. He was not a starter on his high school's baseball team until his senior year and did not receive any attention from college recruiters. After high school, he enrolled at USC and failed at an attempt to walk onto the USC Trojans baseball team. He transferred to Saddleback College after his former high school coach was named head coach of Saddleback's baseball team. He was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the ninth round of the 1