gold star for USAHOF

1. Frank Thomas

1. Frank Thomas
  1. General
  2. Awards
  3. Career Stats
  • Born: June 11, 1929 in Pittsburgh, PA USA
  • Weight: 200 lbs.
  • Height: 6'3"
  • Bats: R
  • Throws: R
  • Debut: August 17, 1951
  • Final Game: May 30, 1966
  • TSN All-Star - 1958
  • MVP - 1953
  • MVP - 1954
  • MVP - 1955
  • MVP - 1957
  • MVP - 1958
 
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Let's begin by saying that this was not as much a runaway choice as we initially thought it would be.  As you scroll through the next few options, you will see why, but in the end, we decided that Frank Thomas is the greatest player in Chicago White Sox history.

With one of the best nicknames in all of North American Sports ("The Big Hurt"), Frank Thomas made his Major League debut with the Sox in 1990, where he played in 60 Games, and that would give everyone a taste of what would come in the 1990s.  

From 1991 to 1997, Thomas was one of the best hitters in baseball, showing a high Batting Average, strong plate discipline, and power.  In every one of those years, he batted at least .300, had an On Base Percentage of .425 and had a Slugging Percentage of minimum .530.  In six of those seasons, Thomas had an OPS over 1.000, and in the one year he didn't (1992), he still led the American League.  In this stretch, he had one Batting Title, four On Base Percentage Titles, and one Slugging Title with four OPS wins.  He would also have three 40 Home Run seasons, and would never have less than 100 Runs Batted In.  During that seven-year run, Thomas never finished lower than eighth in MVP voting, would have two third-place finishes, and won the award in 1993 and 1994.

Pretty sick, right?

By the end of the 90s, Thomas was primarily used as the team's Designated Hitter.  His average began to dip, but he would still perform well.  The slugger had two 40 Home Run seasons in the 2000s for Chicago, with the first one (2000), seeing him set a personal best with 143 Runs Batted In.  He was second in MVP voting that year.

Injuries piled up in 2004 and 2005, and he was not able to play as much.  The White Sox won the World Series in 2005, though Thomas was not on the post-season roster.   Chicago chose not to resign him, and he would sign with the Oakland A’s.  Thomas is the overall franchise leader in Runs Scored (1,327), Doubles (447), Home Runs (448), Runs Batted In (1,468), and Walks (1,466).  His White Sox Slash Line is .307/.427/.568, the latter two being franchise highs. 

The apparent knock on Thomas was that he was a poor fielder and he played DH more than he played in the field, but when you could hit as he did in his prime, it is so easy to forgive.

Thomas entered the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014, his first year of eligibility.  The White Sox retired his number 35 in 2010.

The Bullet Points

  • Position: First Base, Designated Hitter
  • Acquired: Selected in the 1st Round, 7th Overall in the Amateur Draft 6/5/89.
  • Departed: Signed as a Free Agent with the Oakland Athletics 1/31/06.
  • Games Played: 1959
  • Notable Statistics: 1,327 Runs Scored
    2,136 Hits
    447 Doubles
    11 Triples
    448 Home Runs
    1,465 Runs Batted In
    32 Stolen Bases
    .307/.427/.568 Slash Line
    68.3 bWAR

    9 Playoff Games
    2 Runs Scored
    6 Hits
    0 Doubles
    0 Triples
    1 Home Run
    3 Runs Batted In
    0 Stolen Bases
    .231/.500/.346 Slash Line
  • Major Accolades and Awards:

    World Series Champion (2005)
    MVP (1993 & 1994)
    The Sporting News Major League Player of the Year (1993)
    All-Star (1993, 1994, 1995, 1996 & 1997)
    Silver Slugger (1991, 1993, 1994 & 2000)
    Highest Offensive bWAR (1992 & 1994)
    Highest Batting Average (1997)
    Highest On Base Percentage (1991, 1992, 1994 & 1997)
    Highest Slugging Percentage (1994)
    Highest OPS (1991, 1992, 1994 & 1997)
    Most Runs Scored (1994)
    Most Doubles (1992)
    Most Walks (1991, 1992, 1994 & 1995)
    Highest OPS+ (1991, 1994 & 1997)
    Most Extra Base Hits (1992 & 1994)
    Most Sacrifice Flies (1995)
    Most Intentional Walks (1995 & 1996)
    Highest Win Probability Added (1992, 1993, 1994 & 1997)
    Highest Championship Win Probability Added (1993 & 1997)
    Most Putouts (1992)
    Most Putouts by a First Baseman (1992)

More in this category: 2. Ed Walsh »

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