Frank Thomas (AL baseball player)
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| Position | DH |
| Team | Oakland Athletics Number 35 |
| Years of Experience | 17 years |
| Age | 38 |
| Height | 6-5 |
| Weight | 275 lb. |
| Bats | Right |
| Throws | Right |
| College | Auburn University |
| 2005 Salary | ,000,000 |
| Place of Birth | Columbus, Georgia |
| Selection | 1st round (7th pick) of the 1989 amateur draft. |
| Drafted by | Chicago White Sox |
| Major League Debut | August 2, 1990 |
Frank Edward Thomas (born May 27, 1968 in Columbus, Georgia) is an American Major League Baseball player, nicknamed "The Big Hurt", who currently plays for the Oakland Athletics.
Chicago White Sox
Frank Thomas became one of baseball's biggest stars in the 1990s, playing solely for the Chicago White Sox. He was given the nickname "The Big Hurt" by broadcaster Ken Harrelson. Thomas is one of several notable baseball players who played college baseball at Auburn University. Frank Thomas shares a birthday and practically the same statistics as of October 2005 as his contemporary, Jeff Bagwell.
Thomas's defense performance at first base is not particularly impressive; rather, he is known for his offense performance, being one of the best pure hitters in baseball's history. He has been compared to being as close to a right-handed version of Ted Williams as there is. "The Big Hurt" is the only player in major league history to have seven consecutive seasons of a .300 average, and at least 100 walks, 100 runs, 100 runs batted in, and 20 home runs. The only other player to have more than five consecutive seasons accomplishing this feat was Ted Williams (6).
Thomas is also one of only two first basemen in history to win consecutive Most Valuable Player awards in the major leagues (Hall-of-Famer Jimmie Foxx is the other, in 1932–33). Thomas accomplished this feat in the 1993–94 seasons.
Thomas has been maligned by the media, especially in Chicago due to his constant decline in success. Much of this came about after the 2002 season, when the White Sox invoked a "diminished skills" clause in his contract. Oddly, though, it was a season in which he hit 28 home runs with 92 RBI and 88 walks - but when Carlos Lee in the same season hit 26 home runs with 80 RBI and 74 walks, Lee was considered to be a sharp young up-and-coming player. In any case, Thomas 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. In 2005, Thomas hit 12 home runs despite only having 105 at-bats in 35 games. Despite having to sit out the rest of the year due to injuries, he showed he still had the power he showed earlier in his career. Adding together 2004 and 2005, he had less than 350 at-bats total because of the injuries but managed to hit 30 home runs and draw 80 walks. Thomas also won a World Series title with the Chicago White Sox in 2005, and many feel this World Series win clinched his place in the baseball hall of fame, even if his on the field performance that year was lackluster.
Oakland A's
Frank Thomas, unable to have his ankle and foot injuries heal correctly, had his optioned declined by the team on December 7th, 2005. He signed with the Oakland Athletics to a one year, $500,000 deal with incentives on January 25, 2006[link].
He was recently called "an idiot" and "selfish" by Chicago White Sox general manager Ken 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.
Frank Thomas is currently at 467 career home runs.
On Monday May 22, 2006, Thomas homered twice in his first game against his former team.
On Thursday July 6, 2006, Thomas hit a walk-off two-run homerun in the ninth inning to beat the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 7-5.
Frank Thomas appeared in the movie Mr. Baseball (as a hot-prospect rookie who forces Tom Selleck's character off the Yankees) and made a guest appearance (as himself) on the TV show Married With Children.
Thomas left Oakland's 8-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox on July 16, 2006, due to dizzy spells and an accelerated heartbeat that he said was brought on by a combination of 93-degree heat at Fenway Park and two pregame shots of espresso.
See also
- As a side note, in Thomas' 1st game back in his old ballpark (U.S. Cellular field) he hit two home runs and was cheered by his old hometown fans. Frank Thomas is widely recognized as the greatest player in White Sox history
External links
- [Frank Thomas] at ESPN.com
- [Baseball-Reference.com] - career statistics and analysis
- [IMBb: Frank Thomas (II)]
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