The worst kept secret on the south side of Chicago was revealed on Friday when DH Frank Thomas officially announced his retirement from baseball.
Blue Jays fans would be quick to point out that the ‘Big Hurt’ had already checked out a year earlier in 2009, when he was unceremoniously cut after hitting .167 through just 16 games.
it's a Safe Bet Thomas won't go in as a Jay
Despite Thomas’ desire to play for perhaps one year too many (at age 40, he was still given 9 million reasons to keep playing. Thanks, JP.), his overall accomplishments during his 19-year career speak for themselves. A lifetime .301 Batting Average, with 521 Home Runs and 1704 RBI. Back-to-back MVP Awards in ‘93 & ‘94 (although the latter was achieved in the strike-shortened season).
To get a real understanding of the impact of the Big Hurt, you need to read between the stat lines. If you were fortunate enough to watch Thomas during his prime in the 90’s, he was unquestionably the most feared hitter in the American League not named Junior. Chicago sports writer’s are making a case that Thomas is arguably the greatest White Sox hitter of all-time, while some even feel Frank’s final career statistics compare to those of the legendary Ted Williams, arguably the greatest hitter who ever lived.
Now, the one knock against Frank is the fact that he accumulated most of his numbers as a Designated Hitter, rather than as a positional player (he played 1,311 career games as DH, 971 as 1B). But the fact of the matter remains this – Thomas was a pure hitter. In his era, he was as pure as they come. And I’m not just talking about god-given ability, if you know what I mean.
In addition to those gaudy numbers, what also will undoubtedly tip the scales in favour of the 260-pound slugger securing his place in Baseball’s Hall of Fame is this – he was always great with the media. Let’s not forget they’re the ones who are voting.
You can fully expect come 2014, in his first year of eligibility, that Thomas will rightfully be selected as the first DH ever inducted into Cooperstown.
What does ESPN’s Buster Olney think about Thomas’ chances of making the Hall?
Baseball is a team game. Does Frank have a championship? I’m from the camp no championship, no hall. Extreme cases like Thomas and a Dan Marino are always worth debating though. But is the hall about being the best individual or should we remember this is a team game and judge the accomplishments accordingly.
if he has one I’ll eat my words… I just can’t remember and i’m too lazy to look right now
Feel free to make me look stupid here Dan if it’s called for.
Frank was a member of the 2005 Sox – who won it all. But he only played in 34 games for Chicago that season and was not active on their World Series Roster. They subsequently bought him out after the season.
i need some time to think about this one. that’s quite the technicality. If I remember correctly you are not a “need a championship” kind of guy like I am.
Mike I believe you have your facts a bit skewed. When was the HOF a “team thing?” I always thought individuals got HOF billing…thus ruling out Frank because he has no rings is out of line.
I agree with Dan. FT will be a first ballot inductee in 2014. When looking at his numbers most will be shocked to see how many times he got on base. Not only did FT lead the American League in hitting (a couple of years I believe) he also led the curcuit in OBP.
Without having “elias” in front of me, I will still say Frank has to be one of a select few who perennially hit .300, drove in 100+ and received a 100+ walks.
The Big Hurt did it on 8 separate occasions during his soon to be HOF career.
We’re not talking about a tennis player. What good are those stats if they don’t help your team win it all. Which is the goal of your team every season. By that mark he never accomplished a “team goal”. How can you say you are a complete player in a team game without accomplishing a team goal.
Resume is incomplete to me. I understand what you guys are saying but I respectfully disagree.
That video isn’t working anymore either. What’s going on around here?
Let’s not do Marino here either
There’s really no debate – Thomas is clearly one of the 10 greatest righthanded hitters of all time. He was a complete package – hit for average and power and had great plate discipline. Not only was he productive for a very long period of time, like and Eddie Murrary, but his peak seasons were absolutely spectacular. He was a key cog in a number of playoff clubs and won a ring in 2005. I think he’ll be an easy first-ballot selection
Not getting into the hall because of not winning the World Series is the dumbest thing I have ever heard. Ted Williams? Ernie Banks? Carlton Fisk? Are you saying that none of these players deserve to be in the HOF because they never won the World Series? Bolderdash!
Incidentlly, Frank does have a ring from the 2005 White Sox – he was injured most of the year but he was very productive when he played. Not that it would have mattered – he was already a HOFer.
Mike,
Your ctiterion of having to have won a WS is just plain stupid.
By your logic, Pat Zachary, Jack Billingham and Don Gullett are more worthy of being enshrined in the HOF than Frank Thomas, because they were a part of 1 or 2 WS winning teams. That’s just silly.
Additionally, your logic is flawed. The HOF exists to honor individual achievement within a team sport. One player, regardless of how great, can exist on a 100 loss team. Cal Ripken once played on such a team, but he also played on a great team in 1983 that won the WS. While his value to that 1983 team was great, the victory was made possibly because his team also had a very good pitching staff, including a good bullpen.
The last time I checked, Thomas never pitched in relief, so you really cannot hold the lack of a WS championship against him (2005 notwithstanding).