Is Big Hurt Hall-bound?

So Frank Thomas is no longer a Toronto Blue Jay.

In a rather stunning move, the Jays — turned off by Thomas' slow start and perhaps fearful of his $10 million vesting option for 2008 — cut bait on the venerable slugger. On a certain level, nothing's shocking when the terminally clueless J.P. Ricciardi is involved, but the sudden end to Thomas' days in Toronto was nonetheless unexpected.

He probably won't be unemployed for very long (the Seattle Mariners should be making breathless overtures on the double), but even if Thomas never plays another game he's had a career of rare distinction.

Let's be more candid about this: Frank Thomas is a first-ballot, no-debate-permitted Hall of Famer.

First and foremost, Thomas is among the most dominant hitters ever to play the game. To justify that claim, let's take a walking tour of his accomplishments at the plate:


His 516 career home runs ranks 18th on the all-time list.

His career on-base percentage of .420 ranks 20th on the all-time list.

His career slugging percentage of .559 ranks 22nd on the all-time list.

His career OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage) of .979 is the 12th-best mark ever.


His 489 career doubles rank 53rd on the all-time list.

His 1,639 walks rank ninth on the all-time list.

He ranks 39th all-time in total bases with 4,478.

He ranks 22nd all-time in RBI (1,685) and 70th all-time in runs scored (1,474).

He's 24th on the all-time list for extra-base hits with 1,016.

He's 31st all-time in times on base (4,143).

He's fifth all-time with 120 sac flies.

He ranks 23rd all-time in at-bats per home run (15.5).

He ranks 19th all-time in Adjusted OPS, which is OPS scaled to reflect park and league environments.

His career batting average of .302 ranks 16th among active players.
As you can see, Thomas has the counting stats (homers, RBI, doubles, etc.) that qualify him for Cooperstown, and he also thrives in terms of the rate stats (OBP, SLG, etc.). The strength of his numbers is simply undeniable.

Need more?

OK: He's won two MVP awards and finished in the top 10 on seven other occasions (his 1994 campaign is on the short list of greatest seasons ever by a hitter); claimed four Silver Sluggers; made five All-Star teams; won a batting title; led the league in OBP four times; led the league in SLG once; led the league in OPS four times; and led the league in Adjusted OPS three times. When you think of better hitters during Thomas' era, you've got Barry Bonds and ... that's it.

Certainly, some will oppose Thomas' Hall-of-Fame candidacy because he spent the majority of his career as a designated hitter. To be sure, DH detail should entail some kind of qualitative penalty (for instance, this is probably why the otherwise deserving Edgar Martinez won't make it), but in Thomas' case the offensive numbers are too overwhelming.

The idea is to help your team win games, and Thomas, DH or no, did that better than all but the most elite players in baseball history. More specifically, few can match Thomas' prowess when it comes to the two most important things a hitter can do: get on base and hit for power. He's simply one of the 25 most productive hitters ever to play the game, and that fact alone is enough to grant him "inner circle" status at Cooperstown.

For those fond of character arguments, there's also the fact that Thomas throughout his career spoke out early and often against the use of performance-enhancing drugs. He also voluntarily cooperated with Mitchell Report investigators, making him the only active player to do so.

If you're one of those who enjoys wading into the thicket of "what would his numbers have been if he were clean" thought experiments, then you can rejoice in the knowledge that Thomas was on the level.

Of course, the real reason that Thomas is a Hall of Famer is that he knocked the snot out of the ball and did so with striking regularity. That's the case regardless of whether he ever steps on a field again.

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/8...hat's-next

Yes!!! Hof Here He Comes!!!!!!!!

Definitely.

An easy YES

He was a cross town rival for years with the Sox, was not always the greatest team player but could he hit and hit and hit and hit. Early in his career he was a adequate 1B, if not slightly above average. I think some back and knee problems led to some mobility problems.

When I think of the White Sox, I think of Thomas and Baines.

If Thomas doesn't make the Hall of Fame, it might as well just be demolished.

Is this seriously even a question?

of course

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ohms_law

Is this seriously even a question?

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You know there will be idiots that say "He was a one-dimensional player!"

Frank Thomas began his career with 8 consecutive seasons of a 170 OPS+ or better, 7 seasons if you don't count his 190 at bat rookie season.

The only players to string together 7 straight 170 OPS+ seasons are Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, and Frank Thomas.

Ted Williams would've done it if not for the war. Roger Hornsby would've had a streak of 10 if not for a down (125 OPS+) 1925. Lou Gehrig would've done it but had a 164 OPS+ in the middle. Barry Bonds' streak was interrupted by an injury-shortened 1999 with a 155 OPS+.

That just goes to show how incredibly difficult a feat it is to string together that long of a streak with an OPS+ above 170. Thomas is one of just 3 players in all of history to do it. Such a streak shows true offensive dominance.

I cant believe this is even a discussion, about whether one of the best and most feared hitters of the 90s will make it ot the hall. Some may punish him for being a DH and having a "not a team guy" image,which make no sense, he will almost definably make it 1st ballot.

Either way not only does he deserve to be there but he will.

Amazingly he finsihed the top 10 MVP voting 9 times and didnt make an allstar same in 4 of those! including th 00 seasone where he went 328/436/625 with 43HR 143 RBI and agian didnt make the AS ... wierd.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gRYFYN1

I cant believe this is even a discussion, about whether one of the best and most feared hitters of the 90s will make it ot the hall. Some may punish him for being a DH and having a "not a team guy" image,which make no sense, he will almost definably make it 1st ballot.

Either way not only does he deserve to be there but he will.

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Yeah. Also, Frank Thomas has long been an outspoken player when it comes to steroids. If I'm not mistaken, he's been calling for testing since the mid-90's. That, plus his playing record, plus the fact that he voluntarily talked to the Mitchell Report, will easily get the BBWAA to vote him in first ballot.

However, I really feel that without the anti-steroid image, he'd get a lot less support from some of the dumber BBWAA members. And that's sad.

asking if Thomas is a HOFer is like asking if an Orange is an Orange

I wish Edgar was in the HOF :( He's one of my top 5 favorite players.

But asking if Thomas will be in the HOF, like Ohms said, shouldn't even be a question

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 200tang

I wish Edgar was in the HOF :( He's one of my top 5 favorite players.

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Edgar hasn't yet been eligible because he retired in 2004. He's on the ballot in 2010. So, you have hope.

The Big Hurt!

Black Ink: Batting - 21 (99) (Average HOFer ≈ 27)
Gray Ink: Batting - 200 (38) (Average HOFer ≈ 144)
HOF Standards: Batting - 61.4 (24) (Average HOFer ≈ 50)
HOF Monitor: Batting - 194.0 (43) (Likely HOFer > 100)
Overall Rank in parentheses.