No More Hurt

[Guest Edgy DC]

Frank Thomas. I hear that name and I want to pencil 100 RBI and 100 walks, though it's only been true once since the turn of the century.

I linked him, Griffey, and Kenny Lofton in mind from the getgo, as American League stars who appeared on the scene around the same time. Each was far less HallofFamey, as it turned out, after turning thirty.

[Valadius]

And what, exactly, prompted this post?

[Guest Edgy DC]

He's exactly officially announced his exact retirement.

[Valadius]

I didn't realize he'd been hanging in Barry Bonds limbo.

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

Tip of the cap to the Big Hurt, one of my favorite players. I inflict this story on people too often, but here's the tale of Frank and Tiger Stadium.

http://metsguyinmichigan.blogspot.com/2005/06/frank-thomas-and-magical-m_111912087774598565.html

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I like his shirt in that photo. I'm sure it's size 58 or something.

Almost scary how great he was out of the box, but really ground to a halt in latter years.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Yes, but the stripes are slimming.

Decline or no, he's on a plaque in my head.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Sure is.

[Valadius]

First ballot.

[Frayed Knot]

I conflate Thomas with Jeff Bagwell. Not that you'd ever confuse the two but both were 1st sackers born on the exact same date: 5/27/68

Bagwell was the better all-around player but injury-shortened seasons and an injury-shortened career kept those cumulative totals low enough to the point where it could keep him out of the HoF where I think Hurt gets in pretty easily.
I suppose the possibility exists where Bagwell misses his first couple of tries before the two wind up with two dates in common to celebrate.

[metirish]

Never really got to appreciate Frank Thomas , just never saw enough of him. When they got to the WS in 2005 he was not on the roster.

Numbers

Career statistics

Batting average .301
Home runs 521
Hits 2,468
Runs batted in 1,704

per wiki

He is part of an elite group of four players (including Mel Ott, Babe Ruth and Ted Williams) to have at least a .300 batting average, 500 home runs, 1,500 RBI, 1,000 runs and 1,500 walks in a career.

[Frayed Knot]

The real impressive number for Big Frank is .419 - as in career on-base pct.
- That's 21st highest ever;
- 18th highest among those with 5,000+ ABs;
- only Pujols (.4271) and Helton (.4273) are higher among actives;
- only Rogers Hornsby, Jimmie Foxx and Pujols higher among RHBs;
- from the group ahead of him only those with self-inflicted wounds: Barry Bonds and Joe Jackson, are NOT in the HoF

[TransMonk]

I really wish the ChiSox would have kept him past 2005. It was really foreign to see him hit his 500th in a Blue Jays uni.

Class act and first ballot guy all the way in my book.

[Guest Edgy DC]

The Sox seemingly have a history of bad endings with institutional players. Even Carlton Fisk, though he stayed on the payroll to the end, seemed to spend the last five years of his career there under a neon sign that said, "We don't want you here."

[HahnSolo]

I'm sure there are others, but The Big Hurt is the first power guy I can remember where his ability to take a walk was seen as a positive and not as a liability (of course I wasn't around for Ruth, et al). He shattered the notions of "you're a power guy, if its close, you gotta swing" and showed people that there's usually nothing wrong with taking pitches and taking a walk.

[Guest sharpie]

Darrell Evans was the first guy I associated with that. He wasn't nearly the player Frank Thomas was and would hit around .230 with 30-40 homers but always put up the big walk numbers.

[Methead]

I remember watching him play in the Cape League, and he was a monster even then. He destroyed baseballs, and he was actually pretty good defensively too. He made a play at 1B where he had to field a throw from 3B that was to his right, up the RF line, and he sort of stretched / dove to get it - backhanded - on that weird in-between hop that was coming up on him, keeping his toe on the bag. Sickness.

Seeing him win the HR hitting contest was cool too though.

After games, they'd allow fans onto the field to rub elbows with players, and I took the opportunity to snag a few of his autographs.

Makes me feel old that he's finished, but he had a great career.

[ashie62]

I conflate Thomas with Jeff Bagwell. Not that you'd ever confuse the two but both were 1st sackers born on the exact same date: 5/27/68

Bagwell was the better all-around player but injury-shortened seasons and an injury-shortened career kept those cumulative totals low enough to the point where it could keep him out of the HoF where I think Hurt gets in pretty easily.
I suppose the possibility exists where Bagwell misses his first couple of tries before the two wind up with two dates in common to celebrate.[/quote:bbnu05q2]

Thomas HOF Bagwell no chance

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

Bagwell's an MVP and ROY with 449 homers and a .297 average. Why no chance?

[ashie62]

He may be hurt be the idea that he was pretty juiced

Time will tell

[Guest Edgy DC]

Well, "time will tell" suggests an unknowingness that "no chance" doesn't allow room for.

[ashie62]

Well, "time will tell" suggests an unknowingness that "no chance" doesn't allow room for.[/quote:2b365vci]

Edgy..the master of semantics

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

I remember watching him play in the Cape League, and he was a monster even then. He destroyed baseballs, and he was actually pretty good defensively too. He made a play at 1B where he had to field a throw from 3B that was to his right, up the RF line, and he sort of stretched / dove to get it - backhanded - on that weird in-between hop that was coming up on him, keeping his toe on the bag. Sickness.

Seeing him win the HR hitting contest was cool too though.

After games, they'd allow fans onto the field to rub elbows with players, and I took the opportunity to snag a few of his autographs.[/quote:bzvbi2vm]

Holy crap, he must have been huge. How little do you feel next to THAT?

[Guest Edgy DC]

Well, "time will tell" suggests an unknowingness that "no chance" doesn't allow room for.[/quote:nt6mlonv]

Edgy..the master of semantics[/quote:nt6mlonv]
It's not really a narrow distinction, and it takes no mastery to wonder why one would jump from one position to the next.

[ashie62]

whatever, you are wrong

[Valadius]

Bagwell, I feel, should go in. And Ashie, you're being ridiculous.

[Fman99]

"Hey, Barry, you're right! HGH does taste just like Sunny D."

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Dante Bichette preferred the purple stuff.

[Frayed Knot]

He [u:1p0ns4t7]may[/u:1p0ns4t7] be hurt be [u:1p0ns4t7]the idea[/u:1p0ns4t7] that he was pretty juiced[/quote:1p0ns4t7]

Well that settles that.

[ashie62]

unlikely