The Career of Jim Thome

Earlier this week, slugger Jim Thome called it quits officially after a 21 year career and waiting patiently on the free agent list for a few years for possibly another place to play. Thome, now at the age of 43, jumped around a lot in his career with a lot of different teams. He will officially retire as a Cleveland Indian as a sense of tribute; he played for the Tribe from his rookie year in 1991 to 2002 and then again briefly in 2011 at the age of 40. He also spent time in Minnesota, Philadelphia, Chicago (White Sox), and Baltimore. 

Thome hit the cover off the ball. That's what he'll be remembered for, plain and simple. His 612 career home runs rank 7th all time and he is one of 8 people to ever hit 600 professional home runs. Think about that: there have been almost 20,000 baseball players (18,334 according to BBR this morning) to ever suit up and play, from Julio Franco who played from 1982 to 2007 to Moonlight Graham who played one game in 1905 and didn't even register an at-bat (yes, the same Moonlight Graham as in Field of Dreams), and only 8 of them have ever hit 600 home runs. That's a small number.

But is it enough for the Hall of Fame?

The case for Jim Thome: 

• 612 home runs, 7th all-time, currently 4th out of Hall of Famers (5th once Griffey is inducted)
• .402 on-base percentage, would be 26th out of Hall of Famers, tied with Joe Kelley, and 26 points higher than the HOF average of .376
• .554 slugging percentage, would be 14th out of Hall of Famers, just behind Hank Aaron's .555, almost 100 points higher than the HOF average of .462
• .956 OPS, would be 12th out of Hall of Famers, just behind Johnny Mize's .959, 118 points higher than the Hall of Fame average
• 1,699 RBIs is 24th all time
• 1,747 walks is 7th all time
• His 162 game average of .276, 39 home runs, and 108 RBIs is on par with Frank Thomas (except for the average) and a bevy of other Hall of Famers
• 5 All-Star selections
• One of the nicest people to ever play the game

The case against Jim Thome:

• He struck out almost exactly once a game: 2,543 games played, 2,548 strikeouts (led the league 3 times)
• 2,328 hits would be between Barry Larkin and Eddie Mathews for 82nd in the Hall of Fame (and Thome didn't have as good of defense as they did)
• .276 average would be on par with Cal Ripken, Roy Campanella, and Harry Wright for 130th in the HOF, 27 points behind the HOF average
• Only 5 All-Star selections (yes it's on both lists, I can't decide where to put it)
• No MVPs, 1 Silver Slugger, no World Series rings 
• The upcoming crowded ballots.

Let Thome in! I think he's got the numbers. Sure he struck out a lot, but he was a home run hitter, that's what they do! He jumped all around the league and still slugged the cover off the ball. He hit 42 home runs at the age of 35 for the White Sox. I almost break my ankles getting out of bed every morning at 22, I can't imagine slapping 42 home runs 13 years from now.

Back to the crowded ballot: 

Thome will be eligible for the 2018 ballot, along with other stars like Chipper Jones, Johan Santana, Scott Rolen, and Andruw Jones - and if for some reason these guys don't get in their first time: Randy Johnson, Ken Griffey, Ivan Rodriguez, Vlad Guerrero, Pedro Martinez, then he'll have to fight them off too. Between the witch hunt for steroid users/sluggers in the era, a crowded ballot, and a shorter eligibility list (only 10 years on the ballot), it may be tough.

But 612 home runs! Plus the biggest home run at Progressive Field you'll ever see!

Let Thome in! 

How can you not let this pretty swing in?

Thanks for reading.