HALL OF FAMER OR NOT? - JIM THOME

by WCT, The Ship of Fools

While suffering through another Sunday night, Chris Berman-hosted episode of ESPN's Baseball Tonight (Ugh. Another post for another day), I saw highlights of Jim Thome hitting his 512th career home run, tying Hall of Famers Eddie Matthews and Ernie Banks. That got me to thinking: Is Thome a Baseball Hall of Famer?

There is a percentage of the baseball-loving public that thinks this is a stupid question. They see 500+ HRs and say "Yes! No-brainer!" I don't subscribe to this, somewhat myopic, line of thinking. I like to look at a guy's career numbers, but look at them in the context of his era, and consider qualitative factors surrounding the career, and come up with an assessment of whether or not a guy is one of the very best players of his time.

With that in mind, the numerical case for Jim Thome being enshrined in Cooperstown would seem to be pretty strong. He has a lifetime OPS over 900, and an OPS+ over 140. He has topped 50 HRs once, and 40 HRs six times. Thome has been voted in the top 10 in MVP balloting four times, including a 4th place finish in the NL voting in 2003.

That being said, Thome has never really consistently led the league in anything significant (once in HR, a couple times in walks). He has no batting titles, no MVP awards, and no World Series championships. He was basically a slugger in an era of sluggers, with little distinguishing him from the home run hitting pack. This is especially true when you consider Thome against his mashing contemporaries. Frank Thomas has two batting titles, an MVP award, and a World Series Championship (sort of). Manny Ramirez has two World Series Championships, a World Series MVP, and was voted in the top 10 in MVP balloting every year between '98-'05. Ken Griffey, jr. has an MVP, has finished in the top 10 in balloting six other times, has four HR titles, and is considered one of the best defensive CFs of his time. Even Juan Gonzalez has two MVPs. Each of them distinguished themselves in some way other than just prodigious HRs, something Thome did not do.

In my opinion, Thome is one step above a guy like Jeff Bagwell (a non-HOFer in my mind) but still one step short of an all-time great player. Thome was a great hitter in an era of great hitters, and really had very few distinguishing characteristics.

Incidentally, I also refuse to give Thome (or anyone else for that matter) bonus points because he was a great slugger who never had steroid suspicions. Just because he was not named in the Mitchell Report by either of the two trainers interviewed does not necessarily mean that he did not take steroids or HGH, so I prefer to punish those that are proven to cheat, but treat everyone else equally.

By those standards, I think Jim Thome is very borderline, and when a guy is borderline, I tend to leave him out. However I am a tough grader when it comes to Halls of Fame (or is it Hall of Fames?).