My previous blog was about Jim Thome and the slugger’s pursuit of 600 career homeruns. After posting this blog, it became clear to me that I wanted to make it known to Skip Bayless that I not only thought that it was clear that Thome had earned a spot in Cooperstown as a Hall-of-Famer, but that his approach to the game and life had earned him a spot as a baseball titan.
Mr. Bayless, a journalist who can be found each morning on ESPN’s First Take, tweeted that he does not believe Jim Thome has earned a place in Cooperstown. He believes a man who has never finished higher than fourth in an MVP vote, and led the league in homers only once should find his face on a plaque among the all-time greats. Mr. Bayless also said that he “despises” the use of milestones in a career as conditions for entry into the Hall-of-Fame. Upon reading this, I realized that I have had debates about similar topics many different times.
The Hall-of-Fame, in my opinion, is a place to honor the greatest players who have simultaneously been ambassadors to the game, treating it with the dignity and respect that it deserves. Pete Rose, an all-time great, did not treat the game with the utmost respect and does not belong in Cooperstown. Mark McGwire, Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, and many other greats tainted with steroids, have also forfeited their claim to a place in Cooperstown. There are also a slew of players who have been wonderful ambassadors to the game, but have not been able to play at a similarly wonderful level.
Once again, in my opinion, there is no question that Jim Thome has, throughout the course of his career, been an ambassador to the game and has not tarnished his own or the game’s reputation. He has a career .277 batting average, which is not overwhelming; but his .403 career OBP is impressive. His 596 homers already places him at a number that only 4 other players have been able to reach without the use of steroids: Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, and Ken Griffey Jr. Milestones may not be as vital to enshrinement as people make them out to be, but Thome has hit the 5th most homers, the most valuable hit in baseball, of all time.
Numbers aside, Mr. Bayless argued that Thome is not a superstar, that if you need any amount of time to think about a players name, he has not made himself a Hall-of-Famer. I do not believe that a player must also market himself so that he is known by a wide audience to earn a place in Cooperstown. Sure Thome doesn’t have Cameron Diaz placing popcorn into his mouth, he has never faced charges of sexual misconduct, and he doesn’t have a Twitter account where he posts witty comments. But is this a bad thing? Thome played in an era when so many players were in the news for all of the wrong reasons: players coming before grand juries, players being named in the Mitchell Report and Jose Canseco books, players facing criminal charges, etc. Thome has, by his own choice, remained out of the spotlight in many respects.
Joe Posnanski once wrote an article for Sports Illustrated about one of the all-time great baseball players who is enshrined in Cooperstown—Stan Musial. Posnanski continually points out in his article that Musial, always the quiet star, never sought the headlines, but instead spoke with his bat. Thome has done the same. Thome has never made $20 million in a year. He didn’t play for the Yankees or Braves in the 90’s, so he doesn’t have any World Series rings; but he did help the 1997 Indians get to the World Series and he performed well in the Series.
In short, Jim Thome has earned a spot in the Hall-of-Fame with his play on the diamond, in my mind. Also, in an era when some of the most memorable names in baseball are etched in darkness, the fact that Jim Thome’s name doesn’t jump out should not count against him enough to keep him out of Cooperstown. Just as Stan Musial was outshined by some his contemporaries, Thome too, has undoubtedly been outshined by some of his peers. His longevity, however, as a great player is Cooperstown worthy and I look forward to the speech of family man.
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