Jim Thome has been out of baseball as a player for six years, but to the men who once played in his shadow, especially in Cleveland, Chicago and Philadelphia, James Howard Thome still rates top drawer.
“I always say playing with Jim literally was one of the highlights of my career,’’ said former White Sox teammate Paul Konerko.
“Watching him hit was something I looked forward to on a daily basis,” said Chase Utley, who teamed with Thome on the Phillies in 2003-2005. “He was clearly an unbelievable hitter, but somehow an even better person. Jim made time to talk with everyone who approached him, and I'm honored to have played with him, against him and be able to call him my friend.”
Ryan Howard, who took over first base duties for Thome in Philadelphia concurred. “I'm proud I was able to call him a teammate and a mentor, and even more proud to call him a friend.”
“What made Jimmy so good was the hard work he put into becoming a major league player,” said former Indians hitting coach and Phillies manager Charlie Manuel. “He worked on his swing and became one of the best power hitters in the game. And you couldn't meet a nicer guy.”
He is what baseball is all about and what every fan likes to see in a ball player. For the record, Thome played in the majors for 22 years; he spent most of his career at first base for the Cleveland Indians (1991-2002, 2011); he led the National League in homers with 47 during his first year with the Phillies (2003); he produced remarkably in the four years he played for the White Sox (2006-09), averaging 34 homers, 84 runs and 93 RBIs per season.
Thome, a monster of a man at 6-4, 250 pounds, is a native of Peoria, IL and his powerful left-handed batting stroke produced 612 career home runs. Only seven other major league players produced more—Barry Bonds (762), Hank Aaron (755), Babe Ruth (714), Alex Rodriguez (696), Willie Mays (660), Albert Pujols (632) and Ken Griffey Jr. (630).
His home run total is what helped Thome carve out a Hall of Fame plaque. He manufactured 17 seasons with 20 or more home runs, including 12 with 30 or more, six with 40-plus and his single-season high mark of 52 came in 2002, his last season with the Indians. He is one of only 11 players in MLB history to reach lifetime totals of 1,500 or more runs, RBI and walks, joining a list that recites the game’s most elite players—Ruth, Ted Williams, Lou Gehrig, Stan Musial, Mel Ott, Mickey Mantle, Carl Yastrzemski, Mike Schmidt, Bonds, and Chipper Jones.
Thome’s 13 career walk-off home runs are more than any other player in MLB and his 17 postseason homers are seventh all time. He clubbed nine game-winning homers with the Indians, two with the White Sox—including his 500thcareer blast—and one each with the Twins and Phillies. His 17 postseason homers all came while playing with the Tribe, including three World Series home runs.
“Hitting is something you have to go at full time,” Thome said. “It’s still the toughest part of baseball. Not only is making contact with the ball tough, but to square a pitch up with the bat on the sweet spot is especially difficult. And it's extra special if you can put lift on the ball and hit a home run which gives hitters a whole different feeling of accomplishment.”
Thome achieved a great deal of heroics as a major league player with his hits, home runs, RBIs, team wins, and the opportunity to participate in two World Series. But what most defines him is his ability to relate with people, appreciate his background and continue his rise to greatness as a person and a major league ambassador.
One would have to dig deep to find a moment when Thome displayed anger. He was a great teammate, tremendous with fans of all ages, and a player who openly gave his time to reporters before and after games.
There was one instance when the Chicago media were gathered to talk with Thome during his first game back at US Cellular Field as a member of the Twins. The White Sox had traded him to the Dodgers late in the 2009 season and Minnesota signed him for the 2010 campaign. In Thome’s first visit back to the Windy City, reporters were gathering to get an interview but were pushed aside by media relation representatives, who were attempting to make accommodations for team workouts and meetings. Thome then quietly reentered the room and waved reporters over to answer some questions. That was the kind of class the big, slugging first baseman/DH displayed throughout his career.
Thome epitomizes all that is good in baseball. He made a great impact on the organizations he played for, teammates he played with, and the fans he entertained.
Working as a special assistant to White Sox general manager Rick Hahn, Thome was honored in a pregame ceremony on Aug. 11 when Chicago hosted the Cleveland Indians. Thome thanked the fans and the White Sox for honoring his election to the Hall of Fame.
He also recognized the tone of the White Sox organization being in good hands in the future and anticipates the club continuing to build and get better in the coming years.
As part of that movement in his role as assistant to the GM, fans should anxiously await some exciting times to reach the growing youth movement for the White Sox.
"Trust the journey," he told the crowd during his speech. "Trust the everyday process of the roller-coaster ride. There's going to be highs and there's going to be lows."
For Thome, who hit 134 home runs with the White Sox, the old order passes away. His contributions no longer come with a ball soaring over the outfield wall, but as a teacher, instructor and front-office presence. There was a time when his bat wreaked havoc on major league pitching. Ten years ago, he enjoyed his last 30-homer season when he clubbed 34 with 93 runs, 90 RBIs and 91 walks for the White Sox. Now, he coaches his son’s team, mentors young White Sox hitters, and is a student behind the scenes to understand the process of helping build a club for future contention.
Thome has always been good copy . . . colorful, gracious, and informative. Baseball should be thankful he is continuing his baseball career in the front office of the White Sox because when things turn around on the southside of Chicago, rest assured, Jim Thome will have had his hand in it . . . or his words of hitting wisdom.
