Hurts so good: Thomas elected to Hall of Fame
CHICAGO -- Frank Thomas always will be remembered to fans on the South Side of Chicago as the Big Hurt and arguably the greatest hitter in franchise history.
As of 1 p.m. CT on Wednesday, Thomas also holds the distinction of the 28th player with White Sox ties to be elected to the Hall of Fame.
'This has been a stressful 48 hours,' said Thomas. 'I am so excited that I'm in the Hall of Fame. This is something that I will have to sit back in the next three or four days and figure it out because you can only dream so big, as this is as big as it gets for me. I'm a Georgia kid. Going in with Glavine, Maddux and Bobby Cox means a lot to me. The whole state of Georgia is going to be there and I am just so blessed that I'll be able to be there with these guys.'
Thomas received 83.7 percent of the Baseball Writers' Association of America vote, well above the needed 75 percent total for election. The first baseman/designated hitter joins Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine, along with retired managers Tony La Russa, Bobby Cox and Joe Torre who already were selected from the Expansion Era ballot as voted on at the Winter Meetings, as part of a spectacular 2014 Hall class to be inducted on the weekend of July 26-27 in Cooperstown, N.Y.
'Congratulations to Frank Thomas on today's first-ballot election to Baseball's Hall of Fame,' said White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf. 'Induction into Cooperstown is the game's greatest honor, and to see Frank's plaque placed alongside baseball's other outstanding hitters brings his White Sox career full circle. Frank is the greatest offensive player in White Sox history, a line drive hitter and on-base machine in a slugger's body.
'He now deservedly joins baseball royalty like Babe Ruth, Ted Williams and Hank Aaron, as well as Sox legends like Louie [Aparicio], Nellie [Fox] and Luke [Appling], in Cooperstown. To have had the opportunity to see his career begin in 1990 and then end in the Hall of Fame has been a special privilege for me and for many with the White Sox, including so many fans who witnessed his greatness firsthand. Frank should be very proud today, celebrating along with his family, friends, teammates and every Sox fan who had the chance to cheer for The Big Hurt.'
Although Thomas was nervous about this first-ballot election and only made a few comments leading up to Wednesday, his friends and former team members such as Greg Walker, Walt Hriniak, Aaron Rowand and Robin Ventura all shared their belief with MLB.com that Thomas was a deserved honoree. Thomas finished an illustrious career with a .301 average, 521 homers, 1,704 RBIs and 1,494 runs scored. He posted a .419 on-base percentage and a .555 slugging percentage, winning American League Most Valuable Player Awards in 1993 and '94, Louisville Silver Slugger honors in '91, '93, '94 and 2000 and taking home the '97 batting title with a .347 average.
This 6-foot-5 slugger topped the .300 mark in 10 seasons and went .330 or higher four times. Thomas produced seven consecutive seasons of hitting .300 with at least 20 homers, 100 walks, 100 RBIs, 100 runs scored, a .400 on-base percentage and a .500 slugging percentage from 1991-97.
'You could look back and try to figure out exactly what made him, but this is what he wanted,' said White Sox manager Ventura, who played alongside Thomas from 1990-98. 'He wanted to be known as the best hitter in the game. He was driven to be that. Everyone wished they had a guy in the middle of their lineup like him.'
'The coolest thing about Frank was that he wasn't scared to be great,' said Hriniak, Thomas' mentor and hitting coach with the White Sox from 1989-95. 'He wasn't afraid to put the club on his shoulders and go for it. For a young player, that impressed me the most.'
Ron Santo was the last player voted into the Hall of Fame with White Sox ties, selected posthumously by the Golden Era Committee for the 2012 class. But Santo only played during the 1974 season with the White Sox.
Roberto Alomar was voted into the Hall of Fame in 2010, but he played just two seasons in Chicago. Rich 'Goose' Gossage was elected in 2008, with the 1972-76 years of his years being played for the White Sox. Carlton Fisk went in as part of the 2000 class wearing a Red Sox hat, although he played with the White Sox from 1981-93.
Sixteen seasons of Thomas' illustrious 19-year career came in Chicago, with his run finishing in Oakland and Toronto. The numbers spoke in favor of Thomas' election, where he's certain to proudly display that White Sox hat. But he didn't want to really address the matter until it was official.
Now, it is official. Thomas is a Hall of Famer.
'Yeah, I'm very superstitious about this Hall of Fame thing,' Thomas told MLB.com in late November at the Chicago Holiday Fest he emceed in South Suburban Tinley Park.
'Of course I want to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer,' a confident Thomas said. 'I deserve to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, I think. The resume speaks for itself, but when it comes to voting, I don't control that.'
Scott Merkin is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Merk's Works, and follow him on Twitter @scottmerkin. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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