Richard William Thon (born June 20, 1958) is a Puerto Rican-American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a shortstop, most prominently as a member of the Houston Astros where he first established himself as an All-Star player in 1983. Thon's promising career was severely impacted in 1984 when he was struck by a baseball in his left eye. After a lengthy recovery period, he tenaciously resumed his baseball career and played for another 10 years, but he had to contend with headaches and blurred vision and was never able to recapture the form that had made him an All-Star player. He also played for the California Angels, San Diego Padres, Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers, and Milwaukee Brewers, during the course of his 15-year Major League career. After his playing career, Thon served as a minor league instructor for the Houston Astros. His career was permanently altered on April 8, 1984, when he was hit in the face by Mike Torrez's fastball. Bill James thinks Thon might have been a Hall of Famer had the injury not occurred. The pitch broke the orbital bone around his left eye and ended his 1984 season. He returned in 1985, but had problems with depth perception that permanently hampered his potential. In 1991, Thon received the Tony Conigliaro Award in recognition of his recovery from this severe injury.
In 2013, Thon said, "I couldn't see the ball very well after I got hit in my left eye. I had to make adjustments, and open up a little bit and see the ball better. It's tough to do that in the big leagues, but I did manage to play 10 [more] years." Thon joined the Astros coaching staff in 2021, and in 2022, the junior Thon was named manager for the Fayetteville Woodpeckers, the Low-A club for the Astros. For the 2025 season, Joe will be on the coaching staff of the Los Angeles Dodgers triple-A Oklahoma City Comets team.
Thon was inducted into the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame on September 13, 2003.
As of 2013, Thon owned a Puerto Rican Winter League team in Santurce.