Frank Thomas is beginning to see that his bat gets better when he uses his glove.
The numbers certainly back it up. Thomas, an erstwhile first baseman who since 1998 basically has been a full-time designated hitter, hits about 50 percentage points higher when he spends time in the field. Since May 28, when Thomas broke out his glove again against Toronto to get ready for interleague play, he has gone 19-for-46 while playing first–a .413 average–with five doubles, five home runs and 14 RBIs.
Sox fans got used to that sort of production from 1990 to 1997, when Thomas not only was considered a lock for the Hall of Fame but also was a contender for the title of best right-handed hitter in history. Things have changed.
In his first season mainly at DH in 1998, Thomas dropped from a .347 average to a wobbly .265. Then came seasons of .305 and .328 before Thomas lurched through a major injury in 2001 and a .252 season in 2002 to fuel doubters, critics and pundits of every stripe. Until his recent upswing, this season had been more of the same.
Until now, Thomas has resisted the notion that he hits better when he plays the field. That’s changing.
“It’s helping. It’s definitely gotten my mind off hitting for a while,” he said recently. “I’m more worried about making a play out there than swinging the bat. It has put my mind at ease.”
The conventional analysis is Thomas was a superstar early in his career, nothing special in his last several seasons. But it’s too early to write off his chances for the Hall of Fame.
His career will be taken as an aggregate and still compares favorably to those of many other players who went to Cooperstown. Indeed, Thomas’ main difficulty may be that he set the standard so high almost from the moment he put on a Sox uniform.
“Whatever I did wasn’t enough,” Thomas said. “I feel that perception that a big guy can never do enough. That’s just the way our society is. A little guy puts up these numbers, he’s superman. A big guy does, it’s `Aw, he should do that’ or `He should do more.’ I’m used to it now. I don’t get uptight about it anymore.”
For whatever reason, Thomas never has captured the public’s fancy.
He has had publicized oral spats with Paul Konerko and Robin Ventura. He has expressed displeasure with his salary, even though he had signed a contract agreeing to the pay.
His image suffered enormously from comments that were construed as meaning he had little interest in baseball pioneer Jackie Robinson. He didn’t stick around for the final out of an All-Star Game, and has struggled through personal and business problems off the field.
All these and others things have become intertwined in some evaluations of Thomas.
“He had Babe Ruth-type numbers early on,” said Cubs hitting coach Gary Matthews, who watched Thomas initially as a member of Toronto Blue Jays’ coaching staff and now from across town. “He’ll go down as one of the better right-handed hitters. Frank has some good years remaining in him.
“But a player also has to feel wanted, and from what I read, I don’t think that’s probably the case. The media seems to be almost gloating on the fact that he’s not what he was.”
Some good, some bad
Former Tribune baseball reporter Jerome Holtzman, now Major League Baseball’s official historian, declared Thomas “among the very best hitters in baseball history, probably the best of his generation, which is flooded with strong-arm sluggers hitting for distance and average.”
Thomas would not be the first player to enter Cooperstown after an up-and-down career. Sandy Koufax was mediocre in his first six major-league seasons, a legend in his final four. That was good enough for the Hall. Carl Hubbell was a combined 61-52 over the final six seasons of his career, although it didn’t hurt that he had struck out Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmy Foxx, Al Simmons and Joe Cronin consecutively in the 1934 All-Star Game.
Johnny “Big Cat” Mize played 15 years and never hit above .289 over the final six. After his .356 season in 1930, Hack Wilson batted .272 over his final four on his way to the Hall. Tony Perez hit higher than .300 in only three of his 23 seasons, and in one of those seasons he played in only 72 games.
Thomas’ production slipped last season to 28 home runs and 92 RBIs. But that’s more than Orlando Cepeda collected in any of his final four seasons or Jim Bottomley in his final six.
“I’ve had my down years,” Thomas said. “But when you think about my `down’ years, there was still a lot of offensive support. Not at the level or pace that I put out year to year, but that’s the type of thing baseball is. No matter how good you were the year before, having that good swing and timing just won’t happen every year.”
Positioning
Thomas’ place in baseball history will carry an asterisk for some because of his relegation to the role of designated hitter. His batting average is approximately 50 points higher when he is playing first base, which he did most of the time through 1997.
But fielding excellence rarely has been a prerequisite for admission to the Hall. Willie “Stretch” McCovey garnered numerous honors in his 22 seasons but won no Gold Gloves. Neither did Willie Stargell, and several other immortals were merely adequate outfielders likely wouldn’t have played in the field if they could have been designated hitters.
Timing
Thomas also may have been diminished in some corners by the nature of his game. Taught to be a patient hitter, he was criticized early in his career for being too discriminating. The theory was that he would hit more home runs if he took fewer walks.
The fact is, “he has one of the best eyes I’ve ever seen in major-league baseball,” Sox manager Jerry Manuel said.
And Thomas should reach 400 home runs later this season or early next. He thinks the milestone might have come sooner if today’s power pitchers had entered the game a decade ago.
“Those guys are throwing the ball that hard out over the plate, the ball flies,” Thomas said. “When I came in there were sliders, breaking balls, in and out. Now guys are just saying, `Here, hit it.’ Guys can sit on a fastball because they know it’s coming.
“I would have a lot more [home runs, but] I started out with more finesse pitching and had to take the ball to right field and right-center. Now I’m finding I have to pull the ball because guys are throwing heavy heat and jamming me. So it changes.”
Thomas vs. Sosa
Thomas and the Cubs’ Sammy Sosa were Sox teammates in the early years of their careers. Since then their paths have diverged, with Thomas often pilloried on the South Side and Sosa worshipped on the North.
But an analysis of the two players’ performances through 13 seasons and to age 35–which Sosa turns in November–reveals that while Sosa owns the home run title among active Chicago players, Thomas holds the lead in most other areas.
There is no legion of bleacher fans to give Thomas a standing ovation when he jogs out to his position. But while Sosa’s legacy is made–500 career home runs can do that–Thomas’ is still in flux. Some of the scratchiness of recent years bothers him, and he would like to put that behind him and get back to enjoying the game.
“I want to be remembered as a guy who from year to year you know is going to make something happen,” Thomas said. “I did get uptight. Last season getting 20 home runs and 90-something RBIs coming off a disastrous arm injury was a lot of work. I just don’t take it for granted anymore. I want to go out and have fun any way I can.”
How long does he plan on playing?
“Till I’m forced to retire,” he said with a laugh. “I’m 35 and would love to play till I’m 40. I feel I should play until I’m forced to retire. But I want to win a championship. That’s my goal.”
How Thomas stacks up
Alongside the best right-handed hitters in history, and with two similar left-handed ones, Frank Thomas’ offensive statistics fare well in comparison.
PLAYER YRS AVG HR RBI 2B BB
Frank Thomas 14 .313 390 1,317 408 1,331
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COMMENT: As a hitter, he has Hall of Fame numbers; is he a lock if he returns to playing 1B?
Sammy Sosa 13 .279 505 1,374 310 767
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COMMENT: Even strikeouts are colorful. Not the pure hitter Thomas is, but the long ball sells, and he plays the field.
Joe DiMaggio 13 .325 361 1,537 389 790
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COMMENT: Defined smooth. As good as it gets as an all-around player, and he gave three mid-career seasons to military service.
Orlando Cepeda 17 .297 379 1,365 417 588
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COMMENT: He’s not Thomas’ equal as a hitter and was nothing exceptional in the field. Sub-.300 six of last seven seasons.
Hank Greenberg 13 .314 331 1,276 379 852
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COMMENT: 58 HRs (’38) challenged Ruth record, but hit 52 percent of career HRs (172) in four-year period. Career numbers match Thomas.
Al Kaline 22 .297 399 1,583 498 1,287
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COMMENT: Excellent defensive outfielder who had 3,000 hits. Never had extended down periods, but was sub-.300 six of last seven seasons.
Willie McCovey (LH) 22 .270 521 1,555 353 1,345
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COMMENT: If Thomas stays around as long as “Stretch,” should exceed most career stats; there’s little difference between them defensively.
Jimmie Foxx 20 .325 534 1,922 458 1,452
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COMMENT: One of all-time greats for average and power, linchpin for great A’s teams that battled Ruth-Gehrig Yankees.
Tony Perez 23 .279 379 1,652 505 925
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COMMENT: Rock-steady member of Big Red Machine hitting behind Rose, Morgan, Bench. Consistency a hallmark and could play 3B.
Hack Wilson 12 .307 244 1,062 266 674
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COMMENT: Top outfielder who could beat a baseball but not Old John Barleycorn; faded badly over last four seasons.
Dave Winfield 22 .283 465 1,833 540 1,216
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COMMENT: Dangerous power hitter helped by stint in New York. Gold Glove outfielder, but had only four .300 seasons.
Frank Robinson 21 .294 586 1,812 528 1,420
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COMMENT: Consummate winner, MVP in two leagues, All-Star Game and World Series; rare Triple Crown.
Kirby Puckett 12 .318 207 1,085 414 450
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COMMENT: Nothing raises visibility like World Series appearances. Fine center fielder whose career was shortened by vision problems.
Johnny Mize (LH) 15 .312 359 1,337 367 856
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COMMENT: Superb first nine seasons, but dipped sub.-.300 last six. Playing for Yankees after N.Y. Giants cemented the New York votes.
Through Thursday
John Mullin.
