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
Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are .
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Originally Posted by ohms_law
He's one of my top 5 favorite players.
