Big Frank is headed to the Hall of Fame. That much we know. His standing among the great first basemen still is not known, after a .271/.434/.563 half-season in 2004 at age 36.
Frank Thomas was drafted in the 1st round of the 1989 draft by the White Sox after a fabulous college career at Auburn. He spent a few months in 1989 in rookie ball and then 4 months in double A in 1990 before making his debut in the Show in the late summer. He went .323/.454/.529 during 60 games that year, and continued in that vein until 1997. His best year, unfortunately, was the strike year when he hit .350 with tremendous power and strike zone judgment. After the year, Bill James described him, perhaps hyperbolically, as one of the 3 greatest hitters of all time, with Ted Williams and Babe Ruth. He has been much less consistent in his 30s, with off-seasons in 1998, 2001 and 2002.
Thomas was an indifferent defensive first baseman before being converted to DH at age 30. He has participated in two post-season series, both losing, and hit .231/.346/.500.
Here's where he stands against the great first basemen at age 36:
He obviously stands behind Gehrig. It will take a superb end-of-career rush for him to equal or pass Foxx offensively, but he's a little ahead of McCovey at this stage.
I mentioned in the Palmeiro piece that great first basemen are showing much greater longevity than they used to. Here's the evidence:
To keep ahead of McCovey, Thomas will have to do pretty well towards the end of his career. Will he? He's a big man, and he's been inconsistent in his 30s. Somehow, I don't think he will. Not that it's an embarrassment to slide in behind Gehrig, Foxx and McCovey among the great first basemen.
For the Green projection method today, we'll go Hungarian. A little sauteed onion, a few tablespoons of paprika and 1/4 cup of sour cream. Inhale and pronounce:
Frank Thomas' final career statistics- 482 homers, .303/.415/.550
Other first basemen in this series: Fred McGriff, Rafael Palmeiro
Next up: Jeff Bagwell
Frank Thomas was drafted in the 1st round of the 1989 draft by the White Sox after a fabulous college career at Auburn. He spent a few months in 1989 in rookie ball and then 4 months in double A in 1990 before making his debut in the Show in the late summer. He went .323/.454/.529 during 60 games that year, and continued in that vein until 1997. His best year, unfortunately, was the strike year when he hit .350 with tremendous power and strike zone judgment. After the year, Bill James described him, perhaps hyperbolically, as one of the 3 greatest hitters of all time, with Ted Williams and Babe Ruth. He has been much less consistent in his 30s, with off-seasons in 1998, 2001 and 2002.
Thomas was an indifferent defensive first baseman before being converted to DH at age 30. He has participated in two post-season series, both losing, and hit .231/.346/.500.
Here's where he stands against the great first basemen at age 36:
Player G AB H HR W BA OBP SLUG OPS+
Thomas 1925 6851 2113 436 1450 .308 .429 .567 162
McCovey 1970 6263 1736 435 1112 .277 .388 .543 159
Foxx 2228 7910 2586 527 1429 .327 .431 .615 164
Gehrig 2164 8001 2721 493 1429 .340 .447 .632 179
Mize 1522 5596 1787 316 768 .319 .405 .577 164
He obviously stands behind Gehrig. It will take a superb end-of-career rush for him to equal or pass Foxx offensively, but he's a little ahead of McCovey at this stage.
I mentioned in the Palmeiro piece that great first basemen are showing much greater longevity than they used to. Here's the evidence:
Player Seasons(37+) AB BA OBP SLIG OPS+
Sisler 1 116 .308 .346 .397 81
Terry 1 229 .310 .363 .424 112
Greenberg 0 0
Mize 4 847 .264 .341 .469 117
Foxx 1 224 .268 .336 .420 112
Gehrig 0 0
Ott 2 72 .069 .162 .125 -18
McCovey 6 1934 .246 .327 .424 110
Murray 5 2212 .275 .327 .444 100
McGriff 4 1405 .275 .354 .493 122
Palmeiro 3 1657 .264 .370 .505 120
To keep ahead of McCovey, Thomas will have to do pretty well towards the end of his career. Will he? He's a big man, and he's been inconsistent in his 30s. Somehow, I don't think he will. Not that it's an embarrassment to slide in behind Gehrig, Foxx and McCovey among the great first basemen.
For the Green projection method today, we'll go Hungarian. A little sauteed onion, a few tablespoons of paprika and 1/4 cup of sour cream. Inhale and pronounce:
Frank Thomas' final career statistics- 482 homers, .303/.415/.550
Other first basemen in this series: Fred McGriff, Rafael Palmeiro
Next up: Jeff Bagwell
