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:''This article is about the Major League baseball player. For the [[University of Alabama]] football coach, see [[Frank W. Thomas]].''
:''This article is about the Major League baseball player. For the [[University of Alabama]] football coach, see [[Frank W. Thomas]].''
'''Frank Edward Thomas''' (born [[May 27]], [[1968]] in Columbus, Georgia) is a Hall of Fame baseball player who played for the [[Auburn Tigers baseball team|Auburn Tigers]] and the [[1990 Birmingham Barons]]. He became one of Major League Baseball's biggest stars in the 1990s while playing with the Chicago White Sox and was given the nickname '''"The Big Hurt"''' by broadcaster Ken Harrelson.
[[Image:Frank Thomas.jpg|right|thumb|Frank Thomas]]
'''Frank Edward Thomas''' (born [[May 27]], [[1968]] in Columbus, Georgia) is a Hall of Fame baseball player who played for the [[Auburn Tigers baseball team|Auburn Tigers]] and the [[1990 Birmingham Barons|1990]] [[Birmingham Barons]]. He became one of Major League Baseball's biggest stars in the 1990s while playing with the Chicago White Sox.
 
Known for his intimidating 6'-5", 240-pound frame and his penchant for swinging a heavy section of steel reinforcing bar instead of a bat while on deck, Thomas was given the nickname '''"The Big Hurt"''' by broadcaster Ken Harrelson.


Thomas was a first baseman early in his career. Regarded by some as one of the best pure hitters in baseball, he was valued more for his bat than for his defensive skills, and was primarily used as a designated hitter. He was the only player in major league history to hit above .300 for seven consecutive seasons and also recorded at least 100 walks, 100 runs, 100 runs batted in, and 20 home runs each year from [[1991]] to [[1997]]. Only five players in history who have both hit more home runs and maintained a higher career batting average than Thomas: Hank Aaron, Jimmie Foxx, Mel Ott, Babe Ruth, and Ted Williams.
Thomas was a first baseman early in his career. Regarded by some as one of the best pure hitters in baseball, he was valued more for his bat than for his defensive skills, and was primarily used as a designated hitter. He was the only player in major league history to hit above .300 for seven consecutive seasons and also recorded at least 100 walks, 100 runs, 100 runs batted in, and 20 home runs each year from [[1991]] to [[1997]]. Only five players in history who have both hit more home runs and maintained a higher career batting average than Thomas: Hank Aaron, Jimmie Foxx, Mel Ott, Babe Ruth, and Ted Williams.


==Early life and career==
He was inducted into the [[Alabama Sports Hall of Fame]] in [[2011]] and enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot for which he was eligible on [[January 8]], [[2014]].
 
Thomas attended Columbus High School in his native Georgia and was a standout in both football and baseball. As a sophomore he hit cleanup for a baseball team that won a state championship. As a senior he hit .440, was named an All-State tight end in football, and played forward for the basketball team. He wanted to play professional baseball right out of high school, but was not selected in the 1986 amateur draft.
Thomas attended Columbus High School in his native Georgia and was a standout in both football and baseball. As a sophomore he hit cleanup for a baseball team that won a state championship. As a senior he hit .440, was named an All-State tight end in football, and played forward for the basketball team. He wanted to play professional baseball right out of high school, but was not selected in the 1986 amateur draft.


That fall, Thomas accepted a football scholarship from [[Auburn University]] on the condition he could also play baseball. Coach [[Hal Baird]] loved his attitude as well as his power at the plate. He posted a .359 average and led the Tigers in runs batted in as a freshman. During the summer of [[1987]] he played for the U.S. Pan American Team. He earned a spot on the roster for the Pan American Games, but left to participate in practice as a tight end with the Auburn football team. Injuries early in the season and an offer of a baseball scholarship caused him to focus on one sport. In his sophomore year, Thomas was considered for the U.S. National Team preparing for the [[1988]] Summer Olympics, but did not make the final roster. In his junior season he hit 19 home runs and 19 doubles, batting .403. As a senior he was voted [[Southeastern Conference]] Most Valuable Player and tallied his 49th college home run.
That fall, Thomas accepted a football scholarship from [[Auburn University]] on the condition he could also play baseball. Coach [[Hal Baird]] loved his attitude as well as his power at the plate. He posted a .359 average and led the Tigers in runs batted in as a freshman. During the summer of [[1987]] he played for the U.S. Pan American Team. He earned a spot on the roster for the Pan American Games, but left to participate in practice as a tight end with the Auburn football team. Injuries early in the season and an offer of a baseball scholarship caused him to focus on one sport. In his sophomore year, Thomas was considered for the U.S. National Team preparing for the [[1988]] Summer Olympics, but did not make the final roster. In his junior season he hit 19 home runs and 19 doubles, batting .403. As a senior he was voted [[Southeastern Conference]] Most Valuable Player and tallied his 49th college home run.


==Chicago White Sox==
The Chicago White Sox picked Thomas seventh in the first round of the June [[1989]] amateur draft. He played 17 games in the Gulf Coast League before joining the Sarasota White Sox in the Single-A Florida League. For the year, he hit .296 with five home runs, 41 runs batted in and 42 walks.
The Chicago White Sox picked Thomas seventh in the first round of the June [[1989]] amateur draft. He played 17 games in the Gulf Coast League before joining the Sarasota White Sox in the Single-A Florida League. For the year, he hit .296 with five home runs, 41 runs batted in and 42 walks. In [[1990]] he debuted with the [[1990 Birmingham Barons|Barons]] and hit .323 with 85 runs on 114 hits. He knocked 18 home runs despite the generous dimensions of the [[Hoover Metropolitan Stadium]] and also recorded 27 doubles and 112 walks. He made his Major League debut with the White Sox on [[August 2]], [[1990]]. In 60 games that season he batted .330 with 7 home runs, 34 runs batted in, and 44 walks. His first home run in the Majors was hit out of the Toronto Metrodome on [[August 28]], [[1990]].
 
In his first full season, [[1991]], Thomas finished third in MVP voting with a .318 batting average and 32 home runs.
 
Thomas is one of only two first basemen in history to win consecutive Most Valuable Player awards in the major leagues.  Thomas accomplished this feat in the [[1993]] and [[1994]] seasons.  From 1991-1997, Thomas finished in the top 10 of the MVP voting every year.  In [[1997]], Thomas won the batting title and finished third in MVP voting. He struggled over the next two seasons, but rebounded in [[2000]] when he hit .328 with a career-high 43 homers and 143 runs batted in. Thomas finished second in MVP voting that season, behind Jason Giambi of the Oakland Athletics.  He also won the 2000 MLB Comeback Player of the Year Award.
 
As a member of the White Sox, Thomas and teammate Magglio Ordóñez tied a major league record for back-to-back homers, with six in one season. Thomas has been maligned by the media, especially in Chicago, due to a dropoff in his performance later in his career. Much of this came about after the [[2002]] season, when the White Sox invoked a "diminished skills" clause in his contract.  Oddly, this came after a season in which he hit 28 home runs with 92 RBI and 88 walks, while leading the major leagues in fly ball percentage (56.9%).  Thomas somewhat resurrected his career in [[2003]]; although he hit a subpar .267, he was tied for second in the American League in home runs (42), and was in the league's top ten in walks, extra-base hits, slugging percentage, and on-base plus slugging, as he led the major leagues in fly ball percentage (54.9%).  In 2005, Thomas hit 12 home runs despite only having 105 at-bats in 35 games, demonstrating the fact that he still had the power that he showed earlier in his career. Adding together 2004 and 2005, he had less than 350 total at-bats because of the injuries but managed to hit 30 home runs and draw 80 walks. Thomas won a World Series title with the Chicago White Sox in 2005, but he was not on the post-season roster due to injury.
 
Thomas' departure was somewhat controversial. He and White Sox General Manager Kenny Williams mixed words before Thomas left for Oakland, but his statistical legacy from his time in Chicago is significant. Thomas has several White Sox records to his name, including all-time leader in runs scored (1,327), home runs (448), doubles (447), RBIs (1,465), extra-base hits (906), walks (1,466), total bases (3,949), slugging percentage (.568), and on-base percentage (.427).
 
==Oakland Athletics==
Partially due to his recurring ankle and foot injuries, the White Sox declined to pick up the option year on Thomas' contract on [[December 7]], [[2005]].  However, there was some animosity in the negotiations as Thomas was called "an idiot" and "selfish" by Chicago White Sox general manager Kenny Williams in a television interview.  Thomas, for his part, criticized the White Sox for letting him go as a "passing by player" instead of treating him like a long-term mainstay for the team. He signed with the Oakland Athletics to a one year, $500,000 deal with incentives on [[January 25]], [[2006]].


The Athletics installed Thomas as their everyday DH. He started the season slowly, but ended the season as the team leader in home runs, RBI, slugging percentage, and on-base percentage. He provided a powerful right-handed bat in the middle of the lineup for the division-leading Athletics.
[[Image:Frank_Thomas_1990_card.jpg|left|225px|Frank Thomas as a Baron]]
In [[1990]] Thomas was expected to move to AAA Winston-Salem, but asked for assignment to [[Birmingham]], which was closer to his family. As first baseman for the [[1990 Birmingham Barons]] Thomas hit .323 with 85 runs on 114 hits. He knocked 18 home runs despite the generous dimensions of the [[Hoover Metropolitan Stadium]] and also recorded 27 doubles and 112 walks before he was called up. He made his Major League debut with the White Sox on the road against the Brewers on [[August 2]], [[1990]]. In 60 games that season he batted .330 with 7 home runs, 34 runs batted in, and 44 walks. His first home run in the Majors was hit in a game against the Minnesota Twins on [[August 28]], [[1990]].


On Monday, [[May 22]], [[2006]], Thomas homered twice in his first game against his former team. Before Thomas came up to lead off the 2nd inning, a musical montage played on the Jumbotron at U.S. Cellular Field, paying tribute to Thomas's legacy with the White Sox. He was cheered in his introduction by the White Sox fans. Moments later, when he hit his first home run of the night to put his former team behind in the score 1-0, he was loudly cheered along with a standing ovation.
In his first full season, [[1991]], Thomas finished third in MVP voting with a .318 batting average and 32 home runs. He went on to finish in the top 10 of the MVP voting every year through [[1997]] and won the honor in [[1993]] and [[1994]]. In August [[2001]] Thomas underwent surgery to repair a torn medial collateral ligament (MCL). After the [[2002]] season (in which Thomas had 28 home runs, 92 RBI and 88 walks), the White Sox invoked a "diminished skills" clause in his contract. He rebounded in [[2003]], hitting 42 home runs despite a .267 batting average, and finished in the top 10 in walks, extra base hits and slugging percentage. Injuries slowed his pace in [[2004]] and [[2005]]. Thomas was not active when the White Sox won the 2005 World Series, but he was summoned to throw the ceremonial first pitch in the divisional series against the Red Sox.


Thomas rejuvenated his career playing with the Athletics. Through September 26, he had 38 HRs and 109 RBIs, and was named the American League's player of the week after hitting .462 with five homers and 13 RBIs in the week ending [[September 10]]. He led the league in fly ball percentage (57.3%).  The 2006 post season provided Thomas the opportunity to play in his first postseason games since 2005, when the Athletics clinched the American League West title, defeating the Seattle Mariners, 12-3 on [[September 26]]. During the A's first playoff game on October 3, Thomas hit two solo home runs, leading the A's to a 3-2 win over the Minnesota Twins. His performance during the opening play-off game earned Thomas the distinction of being the oldest player to hit multiple home runs in a Major League Baseball postseason game.
That December the White Sox declined the opportunity to pick up Thomas' contract option, citing his injuries and a personality conflict with general manager Kenny Williams. He left the team as the Sox' all-time leader in runs scored (1,327), home runs (448), doubles (447), RBI (1,465), extra-base hits (906), walks (1,466), total bases (3,949), slugging percentage (.568), and on-base percentage (.427).


On [[October 7]], 2006, he finished behind Jim Thome, the man who replaced him as the Chicago White Sox's DH, in the voting for the American League MLB Comeback Player of the Year Award. However he was awarded with the AL players choice award for Comeback Player.  He finished 4th in the vote for the American League Most Valuable Player Award].  
Thomas signed a one year $500,000 deal with the Oakland Athletics on [[January 25]], [[2006]] and was slotted into the roster as their everyday designated hitter. He started out slowly, but ended the season as the team leader in home runs, RBI, slugging percentage, and on-base percentage. He provided a powerful right-handed bat in the middle of the lineup for the division-leading Athletics.


==Toronto Blue Jays==
Thomas was cheered by Chicago fans in his May 2006 return to Comiskey Park as a visiting player and went on to hit two home runs in the game. Through September 26, he had 38 HRs and 109 RBIs, and was named the American League's player of the week after hitting .462 with five homers and 13 RBIs in the week ending [[September 10]]. The Athletics clinched the American League West title, defeating the Seattle Mariners, 12-3 on [[September 26]]. During the A's first playoff game on October 3, Thomas hit two solo home runs, leading the A's to a 3-2 win over the Minnesota Twins. His performance during the opening play-off game earned Thomas the distinction of being the oldest player to hit multiple home runs in a Major League Baseball postseason game. He finished 4th in the vote for the American League Most Valuable Player Award in 2006.  
On [[November 16]], [[2006]] Thomas signed a 2-year, $18.12 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays which was officially confirmed on [[November 17]]. According to BlueJays.com, Thomas was scheduled to make $1 million (US) in the first season (with a $9.12 million signing bonus) and $8 million in the next season. The contract includes an option for [[2009]] contingent on his reaching 1,050 plate appearances over the next two seasons or 525 plate appearances in his 2nd year of the contract.  


On [[June 17]], [[2007]], Thomas hit his 496th career home run, giving him his 244th home run as a DH, breaking the record previously held by Edgar Martinez.
On [[November 16]], [[2006]] Thomas signed a 2-year, $18.12 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays. He hit his 500th career home run on [[June 28]], [[2007]] off the Twins' Carlos Silva. He was ejected later in the same game for arguing balls and strikes with the home plate umpire.


On [[June 28]], 2007, Frank Thomas hit the 500th home run of his career, becoming the 21st player in the history of Major League Baseball to do so. It was a three-run shot off Minnesota's Carlos Silva. This is also notable, as Thomas was ejected in the later innings of the game for arguing balls and strikes with the home plate umpire.
Thomas hit a grand slam off Red Sox reliever Manny Delcarmen in the [[April 6]] game to break a 2-2 tie. Nevertheless, manager John Gibbons benched the designated hitter on [[April 19]] and released him the next day. He finished the season back with the Oakland Athletics and appeared in 55 games. He was an unsigned free agent through the [[2009]] season and ended his career by signing a one-day contract with the White Sox on [[February 12]], [[2010]] in order to formally announce his retirement from baseball. His #35 White Sox jersey number was retired during a ceremony that August. A life-size bronze statue of Thomas was unveiled in the concourse of U.S. Cellular Field on [[July 31]], [[2011]].


On [[September 17]], 2007, Frank Thomas hit three home runs in his team's 6-1 win over the Boston Red Sox. It was the second time in his career that Thomas hit three home runs in a game, the first time also against the Red Sox, on [[September 15]], 1996, in a Chicago White Sox loss. Knuckleballer Tim Wakefield started both games for the Red Sox, and gave up five of the six home runs Thomas hit, including all three in the first game.
Since retiring, Thomas has worked as a broadcaster for Comcast SportsNet Chicago and founded the W2W Records label. He is also part-owner of Chicago's Big Hurt Beer brewery.


==References==
==References==
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[[Category:Birmingham Barons]]
[[Category:Birmingham Barons]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball players]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball players]]
[[Category:Record executives]]
[[Category:Alabama Sports Hall of Fame]]
[[Category:Alabama Sports Hall of Fame]]
[[Category:Baseball Hall of Fame]]
[[Category:Baseball Hall of Fame]]

Latest revision as of 19:14, 8 January 2014

This article is about the Major League baseball player. For the University of Alabama football coach, see Frank W. Thomas.
Frank Thomas

Frank Edward Thomas (born May 27, 1968 in Columbus, Georgia) is a Hall of Fame baseball player who played for the Auburn Tigers and the 1990 Birmingham Barons. He became one of Major League Baseball's biggest stars in the 1990s while playing with the Chicago White Sox.

Known for his intimidating 6'-5", 240-pound frame and his penchant for swinging a heavy section of steel reinforcing bar instead of a bat while on deck, Thomas was given the nickname "The Big Hurt" by broadcaster Ken Harrelson.

Thomas was a first baseman early in his career. Regarded by some as one of the best pure hitters in baseball, he was valued more for his bat than for his defensive skills, and was primarily used as a designated hitter. He was the only player in major league history to hit above .300 for seven consecutive seasons and also recorded at least 100 walks, 100 runs, 100 runs batted in, and 20 home runs each year from 1991 to 1997. Only five players in history who have both hit more home runs and maintained a higher career batting average than Thomas: Hank Aaron, Jimmie Foxx, Mel Ott, Babe Ruth, and Ted Williams.

He was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2011 and enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot for which he was eligible on January 8, 2014.

Thomas attended Columbus High School in his native Georgia and was a standout in both football and baseball. As a sophomore he hit cleanup for a baseball team that won a state championship. As a senior he hit .440, was named an All-State tight end in football, and played forward for the basketball team. He wanted to play professional baseball right out of high school, but was not selected in the 1986 amateur draft.

That fall, Thomas accepted a football scholarship from Auburn University on the condition he could also play baseball. Coach Hal Baird loved his attitude as well as his power at the plate. He posted a .359 average and led the Tigers in runs batted in as a freshman. During the summer of 1987 he played for the U.S. Pan American Team. He earned a spot on the roster for the Pan American Games, but left to participate in practice as a tight end with the Auburn football team. Injuries early in the season and an offer of a baseball scholarship caused him to focus on one sport. In his sophomore year, Thomas was considered for the U.S. National Team preparing for the 1988 Summer Olympics, but did not make the final roster. In his junior season he hit 19 home runs and 19 doubles, batting .403. As a senior he was voted Southeastern Conference Most Valuable Player and tallied his 49th college home run.

The Chicago White Sox picked Thomas seventh in the first round of the June 1989 amateur draft. He played 17 games in the Gulf Coast League before joining the Sarasota White Sox in the Single-A Florida League. For the year, he hit .296 with five home runs, 41 runs batted in and 42 walks.

Frank Thomas as a Baron

In 1990 Thomas was expected to move to AAA Winston-Salem, but asked for assignment to Birmingham, which was closer to his family. As first baseman for the 1990 Birmingham Barons Thomas hit .323 with 85 runs on 114 hits. He knocked 18 home runs despite the generous dimensions of the Hoover Metropolitan Stadium and also recorded 27 doubles and 112 walks before he was called up. He made his Major League debut with the White Sox on the road against the Brewers on August 2, 1990. In 60 games that season he batted .330 with 7 home runs, 34 runs batted in, and 44 walks. His first home run in the Majors was hit in a game against the Minnesota Twins on August 28, 1990.

In his first full season, 1991, Thomas finished third in MVP voting with a .318 batting average and 32 home runs. He went on to finish in the top 10 of the MVP voting every year through 1997 and won the honor in 1993 and 1994. In August 2001 Thomas underwent surgery to repair a torn medial collateral ligament (MCL). After the 2002 season (in which Thomas had 28 home runs, 92 RBI and 88 walks), the White Sox invoked a "diminished skills" clause in his contract. He rebounded in 2003, hitting 42 home runs despite a .267 batting average, and finished in the top 10 in walks, extra base hits and slugging percentage. Injuries slowed his pace in 2004 and 2005. Thomas was not active when the White Sox won the 2005 World Series, but he was summoned to throw the ceremonial first pitch in the divisional series against the Red Sox.

That December the White Sox declined the opportunity to pick up Thomas' contract option, citing his injuries and a personality conflict with general manager Kenny Williams. He left the team as the Sox' all-time leader in runs scored (1,327), home runs (448), doubles (447), RBI (1,465), extra-base hits (906), walks (1,466), total bases (3,949), slugging percentage (.568), and on-base percentage (.427).

Thomas signed a one year $500,000 deal with the Oakland Athletics on January 25, 2006 and was slotted into the roster as their everyday designated hitter. He started out slowly, but ended the season as the team leader in home runs, RBI, slugging percentage, and on-base percentage. He provided a powerful right-handed bat in the middle of the lineup for the division-leading Athletics.

Thomas was cheered by Chicago fans in his May 2006 return to Comiskey Park as a visiting player and went on to hit two home runs in the game. Through September 26, he had 38 HRs and 109 RBIs, and was named the American League's player of the week after hitting .462 with five homers and 13 RBIs in the week ending September 10. The Athletics clinched the American League West title, defeating the Seattle Mariners, 12-3 on September 26. During the A's first playoff game on October 3, Thomas hit two solo home runs, leading the A's to a 3-2 win over the Minnesota Twins. His performance during the opening play-off game earned Thomas the distinction of being the oldest player to hit multiple home runs in a Major League Baseball postseason game. He finished 4th in the vote for the American League Most Valuable Player Award in 2006.

On November 16, 2006 Thomas signed a 2-year, $18.12 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays. He hit his 500th career home run on June 28, 2007 off the Twins' Carlos Silva. He was ejected later in the same game for arguing balls and strikes with the home plate umpire.

Thomas hit a grand slam off Red Sox reliever Manny Delcarmen in the April 6 game to break a 2-2 tie. Nevertheless, manager John Gibbons benched the designated hitter on April 19 and released him the next day. He finished the season back with the Oakland Athletics and appeared in 55 games. He was an unsigned free agent through the 2009 season and ended his career by signing a one-day contract with the White Sox on February 12, 2010 in order to formally announce his retirement from baseball. His #35 White Sox jersey number was retired during a ceremony that August. A life-size bronze statue of Thomas was unveiled in the concourse of U.S. Cellular Field on July 31, 2011.

Since retiring, Thomas has worked as a broadcaster for Comcast SportsNet Chicago and founded the W2W Records label. He is also part-owner of Chicago's Big Hurt Beer brewery.

References

External links

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