Frank Thomas

At 55 years old, Frank Thomas has this physical status:

Frank Edward Thomas Jr. (born May 27, 1968), also known as "The Big Hurt," is an American former Hall of Fame first baseman and designated hitter in Major League Baseball who competed for three American League (AL) clubs from 1990 to 2008, with only three years with the Chicago White Sox.

He is the only player in major league history to have seven seasons (1991–1997) with at least a.300 batting average, 100 runs batted in (RBI), 100 runs scored, 100 walks, and 20 home runs.

Thomas also won the AL batting title in 1997 with a.347 average. By a majority vote in 1993, Thomas was named the AL's Most Valuable Player.

He made the team's first White Sox player to reach 40 home runs and led the team to a division championship this year.

He returned as MVP in the 1994 strike-shortened 1994 season, batting.353 and leading the league in slugging average and runs.

Thomas lost a close MVP poll in 2000 after two sub-parity seasons, despite career highs of 43 home runs and 143 RBI.

Despite that, he was named AL Comeback Player of the Year and Chicago finished with the AL's best record.

A variety of foot injuries and minor illnesses reduced his efficiency during Thomas' career, and he was often limited to a designated hitter position.

Since starting the year on the disabled list and then breaking a bone in his foot near where it was surgically repaired the previous off-season, he was limited to only 34 games in 2005.

Although the White Sox won the World Series that year, he was unable to participate in the post-season. Thomas finished eighth in AL history for home runs (521), ninth for RBI (1,704), and sixth for walks (1,667).

He ranked eighth in slugging average (.555) and ninth in on-base percentage (.419) among AL players with at least 7,000 at bats.

With a 301 lifetime batting average, he was the seventh player in history to retire with at least a.300 average and 500 home runs.

He holds the White Sox franchise records for career home runs (448), RBI (1,465), doubles (447), extra base hits, walks (1,466), and on-base percentage (.427).

Thomas' uniform number 35 was retired in 2010 and a statue of him was unveiled at Cellular Field in 2011.

Thomas was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014, the first White Sox player to win the award in his first year of eligibility.

He was the only current player to be interviewed for the Mitchell Report in 2007. He was an advocate for drug testing as early as 1995.

Early life and college

Thomas was born and raised in Columbus, Georgia, and graduated from Columbus High School, where he was a standout in both football and baseball. He started volunteering for the baseball team, which won the state championship as a sophomore. He not only hit.440, but also was named an All-State tight end in football and played forward with the basketball team as a senior. In the 1986 amateur draft, he needed desperately to win a contract to play professional baseball but wasn't selected. In the Chicago Tribune, Thomas described his expulsion and sadness. "I saw a lot of guys I played against being drafted, but I knew they couldn't do what I could do." But I've heard people all my life that you can't do this, so you can't do this. It scares you. No matter how well I've done. For some reason, people have mistook me for certain reasons. "I was always one of the most athletic kids around."

Thomas was granted a scholarship to play football at Auburn University in the fall of 1986. His love of baseball led him to him joining the school's baseball team, where the coach immediately recognized his potential. "We loved him," Auburn baseball coach Hal Baird told Sports Illustrated. "He was fun to be around—always smiling, always smiling." As a freshman, he was also a dangerous hitter, with a.359 batting average and leading the Tigers in RBI. He competed for the United States Pan American Team in 1987, winning a spot on the final roster in the Pan American Games. The Games were scheduled at the start of football season at Auburn, so he joined the Pan Am team and returned to college, but only to be hurt twice in early-season football games. Thomas played for the Orleans Cardinals of the Cape Cod Baseball League in 1988. At Eldredge Park in Orleans, the highlight included a three-homer game in Wareham as well as a home run over the 434' sign in center field. Thomas was inducted into the Cape Cod Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000.

Despite the fact that he may have stifled his football scholarship, Auburn boosted his funding, and baseball became his sole sport. He was accepted for the US National Team, training for the 1988 Summer Olympics, but he was barred from the final squad. With a slugging percentage of.801. By the end of his junior baseball season, he had hit 19 home runs, 19 doubles, and batted.403 with a slugging percentage of.801. Thomas attained 49 home runs in his college career, a school record. In May 2011, he was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.

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Professional career

Thomas was selected by the Chicago White Sox with the seventh pick in the first round of the 1989 Major League Baseball draft. He made his minor league debut against the Milwaukee Brewers at County Stadium on August 2, 1990; he went 0-for-4, but the White Sox won the game 4-3, with Iván Calderón scoring. Thomas played his first home run of his career against the Minnesota Twins at the Metrodome on August 28, which also happened to be the site of his 500th home run. Gary Wayne, a home run off pitcher, was off the field in the top of the ninth inning as his team lost 12–6. Thomas played in 60 games for the White Sox in 1990, batting.330 with seven home runs and 31 runs batted in (RBI).

Thomas began to be renowned for his menacing home run power; in the on-deck circle, he swung a rusted piece of rebar that he allegedly found during a renovation project in Old Comiskey Park. Thomas proved himself as a multi-talented hitter, combining strength with hitting for average, drawing walks, and driving in runs in his first full season. Thomas finished third in MVP voting in 1991 with a 3.218 batting average, 32 home runs, and 109 RBI, as well as 138 walks. He received the first of four Silver Slugger Awards and led the league in on-base percentage, something he would do four times throughout his career.

Thomas batted.317 with a club-record 41 homers, 128 RBI, 106 runs scored, and 112 walks in 1993. In three seasons, he was part of a quartet of Hall of Fame members (Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, and Ted Williams) as the only players in baseball history to beat.300 with more than 20 home runs and more than 100 RBI, runs, and walks. Thomas earned all 28 votes from baseball analysts for a unanimous AL Most Valuable Player award, the first by a White Sox player since Dick Allen in 1972, while the White Sox won their first AL West crown in ten years. Bill James, a forensic analyst, expected career figures of 480 homers and a.311 lifetime average at the time. Gene Lamont, Thomas' manager, was lauded for his abilities: "I've only been around for two years now, but I'm positive that there isn't a pitch he can't hit." Ken Harrelson, the Sox's president, echoed the praise, "I've never seen anyone like Big Hurt in the 30 years in the game [Thomas]. We may be discussing Frank Thomas in the same way we talk about Ted Williams in another 30 years." Harrelson is credited with inventing the word "Big Hurt" in Thomas's book.

Thomas again put up big offensive numbers, batting.353 with 38 home runs and 101 RBI, in 1994, leading the league in runs scored (106), walks (109), and slugging percentage with a whopping.729 average. Thomas received his second straight MVP award, receiving 24 of 28 first-place votes. He is one of only three first basemen in history to win consecutive MVP awards in the major leagues (Hall of Famer Jimmie Foxx, 1932–1933), and Albert Pujols, 2008–2009).

The 1994 short season was due to a player's strike, and perhaps no one felt the pain of the attack more than Thomas, who was on the verge of winning one of baseball's most coveted awards, the Triple Crown. In 1967, no player finished first in average, home runs, and runs batted in. At the All-Star break, Thomas had hit 32 runs and was running for the honor when it was announced. Though journalists and the media are expected to comment on his work—and his future—Thomas dismissed his own importance, telling the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "I'm not into being surrounded by fans or the media." I care how my peers see me. Since you're an elite player, I can settle for the tag 'one of the best'.

Thomas will continue to put up solid offensive numbers, always ranking in the top finishers in all major offensive categories, but not always leading in any one statistic. In 1995, he hit.308 with 40 home runs and 111 RBI; in 1996, he hit.349 with 40 home runs and 134 RBI, becoming an All-Star for the fourth time while finishing eighth in MVP polling.

Thomas performed in the top ten of the MVP polls every year from 1991 to 1997. Thomas took the batting title and finished third in MVP voting in 1997. However, his offensive production dropped during the next two seasons, due in part to personal struggles off the field. Thomas, who was never a defensive standout at first base during his career, said he preferred playing in the field to serving as a designated hitter, but it did require him to be more precise; the fact that he did not always hit better as a first baseman created a mystery throughout his career; but it could cost him some offensive production. Minor injuries were starting to keep him unavailable for short stretches of time, and 1997 was the last year in which he spent more in the field than as a DH. Thomas, a retired veteran of the United States, made a comeback in 2000 when he hit.328 with a career-high 43 home runs and 143 RBI. Thomas finished second in MVP voting this season, behind Oakland Athletics Jason Giambi. Thomas also received the 2000 AL Comeback Player of the Year Award. However, this does not mean an end to the rocky path he would take later in his career.

Thomas also revealed this week that he would have season-ending surgery after an MRI revealed a triceps tear in his right arm. He was distraught by the combining effects of both personal and professional strife. During a press conference in Chicago, he said, "This week is the worst week of my life." "I first lose my father, then come back and discover I'm lost for the season." He only played in 20 games this year, batting just.221 with four home runs and 10 RBI.

He recovered from his injury and appeared in 148 games in 2002, but his batting average dropped to.252, a career low for a complete season, and he will never again reach a.300 average. Despite this, his ability and ability to get to base and drive in runs were still in his offensive arsenal, and he finished the season with 29 home runs and 82 RBI. Thomas, who was mainly a patient hitter, led the AL in walks four times. He was second among all active players in walks and third in on-base percentages, and ranked among the top 20 players in both categories by the end of the 2006 season.

In 2003, Thomas had another good season. He finished second in the AL in home runs (42), was in the league's top ten in walks, extra base hits, slugging average, and on-base plus slugging as he led the major leagues in fly ball percentage (54.9%). Thomas suffered from injury in 2005, but he had 12 home runs in 105 at-bats over 35 games, indicating his continued power at the plate. He had less than 350 total at-bats between 2004 and 2005, but he did hit 30 home runs and drew 80 walks between 2004 and 2005. Magglio Ordóz, a member of the White Sox, Thomas, and teammate Magglio Ordóz set a new league record for back-to-back homers with six in one season.

The White Sox defeated the World Series for the first time in 88 years in 2005, under new manager Ozzie Guillén. Thomas was unable to be on the Series-winning squad due to injury, but the team paid tribute to his contributions to the franchise during Game 1 of the Division Series against the Boston Red Sox. Thomas was selected to leave the ceremonial first pitch. Thomas said, "What a feeling." "Standing [ovation] has occurred throughout the world. I'm sure the crowds are singing my name. My eyes welled up with tears. It was amazing to know that the fans cared so much about me. "One of my best moments in the game" says the singer. Though Thomas was not on the roster, he did receive a World Series ring for his season of service.

Thomas held numerous White Sox records, including the all-time leader in runs (447), doubles (447), extra-base hits (906), total bases (3,949), and on-base percentage (.427). His 448 home runs were more than twice as many as any other individual player had hit for the White Sox in their 105-year history.

Despite his continuing offensive success and a large fan base in Chicago, the White Sox decided to release Thomas in 2005. Thomas later expressed dissatisfaction with the White Sox's 16-year tenure, saying that chairman Jerry Reinsdorf did not call him to inform him he wasn't returning to tell him he wasn't coming back. Following Williams' appointment as general manager after the 2000 season, he and Kenny Williams did not see eye to eye. Thomas was furious that his upcoming deal with the White Sox contained a "diminished abilities" clause. He said the White Sox should have cut him after the playoffs.

I have a lot of admiration for Jerry Reinsdorf, as well as other aspects of his life. But I guess, with the friendship we had over the past 16 years, he would have picked up the phone to say, 'Big guy, we're going forward.' We're going somewhere new. We have no idea what's wrong or what's going to happen.' "I can live with that," Thomas said. "But treating me like a passing-by-player." I have no respect for that." Thomas said he was not bitter or angry, and that he had joined the A's with a clear attitude.

On January 26, 2006, Thomas signed with the Oakland Athletics to a one-year, $500,000 contract with incentives. Thomas was installed as the Athletics' everyday DH. He started the season slow, hitting.178 on May 20, but ended the season as the team's best in home runs, RBI, slugging percentage, and on-base percentage. In the middle of the division-leading Athletics lineup, he had a potent right-handed bat. In six straight games, he had a stretch where he hit a home run for the first time in six games in a row.

Thomas homered twice in his first game against his former team on May 22, 2006. A musical montage performed on the Jumbotron at U.S. Cellular Field, honoring Thomas' legacy with the White Sox before Thomas came up to lead the second innings. Fans of the White Sox applauded him in his inception. The Chicago audience gave Thomas a standing ovation as he got his first home run of the night to leave his former team behind in the score 1–0.

Thomas resurgent himself in the Athletics, placing fifth in the American League with 39 home runs and eighth with 114 RBI. He was also instrumental in the team's run to the playoffs this week, starting with a.462 record and 13 RBI on week that ended on September 10 as the league's best player of the week. Thomas had the opportunity to play in his first postseason games since 2000 due to missing the 2005 playoffs due to his ankle injury, beating the Seattle Mariners 12–3. Thomas scored two solo home runs during the A's first playoff game on October 3, leading to the A's 3–2 victory over the Twins. Thomas earned the honor of being the first player to hit multiple home runs in a post-season game thanks to his play during the first playoff game. He coached the A's to an ALDS win, going 5-for-10 with two home runs in the series.

In the voting for the AL Comeback Player of the Year Award, Jim Thome finished second, behind Jim Thome, as the White Sox's DH. He was named for the AL Players' Choice Award for Comeback Player. In the vote for the MVP prize, he came in fourth.

Thomas signed a two-year, $18 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays on November 16, 2006. Thomas was expected to make $9 million in each of his two seasons, according to MLB.com. In the second year of the agreement, there was an option for the 2009 contingent on his way to 1,050 plate appearances over the next two seasons or 525 plate appearances.

Thomas played for 496th home runs against the Washington Nationals on June 17, 2007, giving him his 244th home run as a DH, breaking the record held by Edgar Martnez.

Thomas had his 500th home run of his career on June 28, 2007, becoming the 21st major league player to do so. Carlos Silva of Minnesota hit it off with a three-run shot (Thomas' 500th home run came on the same day Craig Biggio's 3,000th career victory). Despite Thomas' appearance on the visiting team, the Metrodome scoreboard still points to his achievement. He was later banned from the same game.

In his team's 6–1 victory over the Red Sox on September 17, 2007, Thomas hit three home runs. It was his second time in his career that Thomas hit three home runs in a game, the first time he had been against the Red Sox in a White Sox loss on September 15, 1996. Tim Wakefield started both games for the Red Sox and gave up five of Thomas' six home runs, including all three in the first game.

Thomas expressed disappointment about his team's prospects for the upcoming season in spring training in 2008. Thomas won by 10–2 over the Red Sox on April 5 in his first home run of the season. Thomas scored with the bases loaded and a 2–2 tie on the second day, leading the Jays to a 7–4 victory. Before a game against the Detroit Tigers on April 19, boss John Gibbons benched Thomas. Thomas expressed his dissatisfaction with the decision, promising that his career would "not come to an end like this." The Blue Jays announced Thomas on April 20, 2008.

The Athletics and Thomas came to terms for his return four days after he was released from Toronto. In his last game with the Athletics on August 29, he went 2-for-4. Thomas played 55 games for Oakland due to time on the disabled list, but he hit five more home runs to bring his career total to 521, while still having a.263 batting average. He became a free agent on October 31, 2008.

Thomas resigned after not playing in the 2009 season and announced his resignation on February 12, 2010. The White Sox, for whom he played the first 16 seasons of his career, announced that he would not retire his No. During the same press conference. On August 29, the 35-year-olds celebrated their 35th birthday.

Thomas is the only player in major league history to have seven seasons with a.300 average and at least 100 walks, 100 runs batted in, and 20 home runs (1991–1997). Ted Williams, the only other player to have more than five seasons in a row, was the youngest to do so in consecutive seasons. Thomas' feat is even more remarkable considering that he played just 113 games in the strike-shortened 1994 season.

Thomas is the only other player in history to reach more home runs and have a higher batting average than Thomas: Ted Williams, Hank Aaron, Jimmie Foxx, Babe Ruth, Manny Ramirez, and Willie Mays are among Thomas' six other players to have all reached more home runs and have a higher batting average than Thomas: Ted Williams, Hank Aaron, Hank Aaron, Jimmie Foxx, Billie Foxx, Babe Ruth, Manny Rami

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