Frank Thomas (2014)


Date of Birth: 7/27/1968
Birthplace: Columbus, Georgia
College: Auburn University

Frank Thomas was a top baseball and football player in high school. He won a football scholarship to Auburn University but, after attending, he switched to baseball. In the summer of 1987, he played baseball on the U.S. Pan American team and the next summer he played in the Cape Cod Baseball League.

Chicago White Sox

Thomas was drafted by the Chicago White Sox on June 5, 1989, in the first round and seventh overall. He played in their minor league system for less than two seasons before joining the team for 60 games in 1990. That season, he had 63 hits and a .330 batting average.

In 1991, his first full season in the major leagues, Thomas won his first of four Silver Slugger awards, batting .318. He led the AL in walks, on-base percentage, and OPS. He had 178 hits, 31 doubles, 32 home runs, 109 RBIs, 112 strikeouts to a career high 138 walks, .453 on-base percentage, and 1.006 OPS in 158 games.

Thomas led the AL in doubles, walks, on-base percentage, and OPS in 1992. He had career highs in games played and doubles. He had 185 hits, 46 doubles, 24 home runs, 115 RBIs, 88 strikeouts to 122 walks, .323 batting average, .439 on-base percentage, and .975 OPS in 160 games.

Thomas won his first of two consecutive AL MVP awards in 1993. He also won his second Silver Slugger award, the Players Choice Outstanding Player of the Year award, and the Sporting News Major League Player of the Year award. He batted .317 with 174 hits, 36 doubles, 41 home runs, 128 RBIs, and 54 strikeouts to 112 walks in 153 games.

In addition to winning a second AL MVP award in 1994, Thomas also won a second Players Choice Outstanding Player of the Year award and a third Silver Slugger award. He again led the AL in walks, on-base percentage, and OPS, and he had career highs in batting average, on-base percentage, and OPS. He batted .353 with 141 hits, 34 doubles, 38 home runs, 101 RBIs, 61 strikeouts to 109 walks, .487 on-base percentage, and 1.216 OPS in 113 games.

Thomas led the AL in games played (145) and walks (136 to 74 strikeouts) in 1995. He had 152 hits, 27 doubles, 40 home runs, 111 RBIs, and a .308 batting average. The following season, was another strong one, with 184 hits, 26 doubles, 40 home runs, 134 RBIs, and a .349 batting average in 141 games.

Thomas won the Ted Williams award in 1997, and he led the AL in batting average (.347), on-base percentage (.456), and OPS (1.067). He had 184 hits, 35 doubles, 35 home runs, and 125 RBIs in 146 games.

From 1990 through 1997, Thomas played defensively at first base. Starting in 1998, he was primarily a designated hitter. That year, he had 155 hits, 35 doubles, 29 home runs, 109 RBIs, and a .265 batting average in a career high 160 games. The following season, he played in 135 games and he had 148 hits, 36 doubles, 77 RBIs, and a .305 batting average.

Thomas won the AL Comeback Player of the Year award, the Sporting News Comeback Player of the Year award, and his fourth Silver Slugger award in 2000. That year he had career highs in hits, home runs, and RBIs, but it was his last season with a batting average over .300. He finished the season with 191 hits, 44 doubles, 43 home runs, 143 RBIs, and a .328 batting average in 159 games.

Thomas spent most of the 2001 season on the DL with an arm injury. He played in just 20 games and he batted .221. The next year, he had a full season (148 games), but his numbers were significantly down from previous seasons: 132 hits, 29 doubles, 28 home runs, 92 RBIs, .252 batting average. He played better in 2003, finishing the season with 146 hits, 35 doubles, 42 home runs, 105 RBIs, and a .267 batting average in 153 games.

Thomas suffered from injuries in 2004 and 2005, limiting his playing time to 74 games in 2004 and 34 games in 2005.

Oakland Athletics

Thomas became a free agent on November 8, 2005. He signed a one-year contract with the Oakland Athletics on January 31, 2006. He had a good season that year, winning the Players Choice Comeback Player of the Year award. He had 126 hits, 39 home runs, 114 RBIs, 81 strikeouts to 81 walks, and a .270 batting average in 137 games.

Toronto Blue Jays

Thomas became a free agent again on October 15, 2006. He signed with the Toronto Blue Jays on November 18, 2006. He finished the 2007 season with 147 hits, 30 doubles, 26 home runs, 95 RBIs, and a .277 batting average in 155 games.

Return to Oakland Athletics

After 16 games with the Blue Jays in 2008, they released Thomas on April 20, 2008. Four days later, he returned to the Athletics, finishing his major league career with 59 hits and a .240 batting average in 16 games with the Blue Jays and 55 games with the Athletics.

Awards and MLB Records

  • Silver Slugger award (4 times)
  • AL MVP (2 times)
  • Sporting News Major League Player of the Year
  • Players' Choice Outstanding Player of the Year (2 times)
  • Players' Choice Comeback Player of the Year
  • Sporting News Comeback Player of the Year
  • Ted Williams award
  • Led AL in walks (4 times)
  • Led AL in on-base percentage (4 times)
  • Led AL in OPS (4 times)

Career Statistics

Statistics for Thomas in 19 seasons (1990-2008) in the major leagues include:

  • 8 seasons with over 150 hits, with a high of 191 in 2000
  • 10 seasons with 30 or more doubles, with a high of 46 in 1992
  • 13 seasons with over 20 home runs, with a high of 43 in 2000
  • 11 seasons with over 100 RBIs, with a high of 143 in 2000
  • 10 seasons with a batting average over .300, with a high of .353 in 1994

Career batting statistics for Thomas include:

  • 2,322 games played
  • 2,468 hits
  • 495 doubles
  • 521 home runs
  • 1,704 RBIs
  • 1,397 strikeouts to 1,667 walks
  • .301 batting average
  • .419 on-base percentage
  • .974 OPS

Career fielding statistics for Thomas at first base include:

  • 971 games played
  • 497 assists
  • 7,910 putouts
  • 776 double plays
  • 80 errors
  • .991 fielding percentage

Post Playing Career

After retiring as a major league player, Thomas tried his hand at acting in 1992, playing a rookie in the movie "Mr. Baseball."

Thomas started a broadcasting career in 2007, as a guest analyst with TBS for the playoff games. He was hired in 2010 as a pre and post game analyst for the White Sox and NBC Sports Chicago. In 2014, he joined Fox Sports as a studio analyst for their "MLB on Fox" show.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Frank Thomas
ESPN - Frank Thomas
Baseball Reference - Frank Thomas

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