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clare_and_ben, Frank Thomas 1997, CC BY-SA 2.0
Keith Allison, Jim Thome 2, CC BY-SA 2.0
First base has historically been a position for sluggers, from Lou Gehrig and Jimmie Foxx in the early 20th century to Harmon Killebrew and Willie McCovey mid-century to Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera in the 21st century. During the 1990s and into the early 2000s, the AL Central was home to some of the most feared power hitters in baseball, namely Frank Thomas of the Chicago White Sox and Jim Thome of the Cleveland Indians. Over the course of their careers, both players would join the exclusive 500-home run club and set a standard of consistency and excellence that remains a benchmark for first basemen today. In comparing these two sluggers, the question is:
Who was better – Frank Thomas or Jim Thome?
The Beginning
Though there are some parallels in their athletic upbringings and path to professional baseball, Thomas achieved almost immediate success in the big leagues, whereas Thome needed some seasoning before turning into the feared hitter he would eventually become.
In high school, Thomas was a three-sport star in baseball, football, and basketball, though went unselected in the 1986 MLB Draft. As a result, he went to Auburn on a football scholarship, but also joined the baseball team and eventually focused his efforts solely on baseball, improving to become SEC MVP in his senior year. In the 1989 MLB Draft, he was selected seventh overall by the Chicago White Sox and made his major league debut in August of 1990, hitting .330 with 7 home runs and 31 runs batted in during limited action. The next year, his first full season, Thomas took the league by storm, hitting .318 with 32 home runs, 109 runs batted in, 104 runs scored, a .453 on-base percentage (buoyed by a league-leading 138 walks), and a .553 slugging percentage, which was good for a 180 OPS+ (OPS+ measures on-base percentage plus slugging vs. a league-wide average, which is set at 100); as a result, he finished third in the AL MVP race and won the first of four career Silver Sluggers.
Much like Thomas, Thome played multiple sports growing up (baseball and basketball), though also went undrafted out of high school. After playing for a season at Illinois Central College, he was drafted in the 13th round of the 1989 MLB Draft by the Cleveland Indians. Over the next couple of seasons, Thome would work his way up in the minors until making his major league debut as a September call-up in 1991. Originally a third basemen, Thome played sporadically in the 1992 and 1993 seasons before becoming a full-time starter in 1994 – during that strike-shortened year, he hit .268 with 20 home runs, 52 runs batted in, 58 runs scored, a .359 on-base percentage, and a .523 slugging percentage (127 OPS+).
Career Comparison
As Thomas and Thome became two of the most feared sluggers in baseball, each would experience his share of both great seasons as well as setbacks; towards the end of their respective careers, both players would bounce around with a few franchises while still remaining productive, and at times, great players.
Having loudly announced his arrival in 1991, Thomas would go on to become the only player in major league history to compile seven straight years of a .300+ batting average, 20+ home runs, 100+ runs batted in, 100+ runs scored, and 100+ walks; during this unprecedented stretch of dominance and consistency, he was a 5x All-Star (1993 to 1997) and finished top-10 in the MVP voting each year. This was punctuated by back-to-back AL MVPs in 1993 and 1994, making him one of only three first basemen ever to win consecutive awards (joining Jimmie Foxx and Albert Pujols):
- 1993: .317 batting average, 41 home runs, 128 runs batted in, 106 runs scored, .426 on-base percentage, and .607 slugging percentage, good for a 177 OPS+; won a Silver Slugger and was unanimous MVP
- 1994: career-high .353 batting average, 38 home runs, 101 runs batted in, league-high 106 runs scored, league-best and career-highs in both on-base percentage (.487) and slugging percentage (.729), good for a career-high 212 OPS+; won another Silver Slugger and was in contention for the Triple Crown (batting, home runs, runs batted in) during most of the strike-shortened season
In 1997, Thomas would achieve another career milestone by winning the batting title, as he hit .347 with 35 home runs, 125 runs batted in, 110 runs scored, a league-best .456 on-base percentage, and a .611 slugging percentage (181 OPS+), good for third in the MVP race.
As he advanced into his 30s, Thomas began shifting more and more from first base to DH and was also hit by injury and personal issues. Following a couple of down years by his standards in the late 1990s, Thomas bounced back in 2000 with a .328 batting average, career-highs in home runs (43), runs batted in (143), and runs scored (115), a .436 on-base percentage, and a .625 slugging percentage (163 OPS+) to finish second in the AL MVP to Jason Giambi of the Oakland Athletics, win another Silver Slugger, and garner AL Comeback Player of the Year honors. However, he continued to experience some volatile years – after missing most of 2001 with injury, he bounced back with another 40+ home run, 100+ runs batted in campaign in 2003, but was then hurt again for most of 2004 and 2005.
The White Sox released Thomas after the 2005 season and he would sign with the aforementioned Oakland Athletics on a one-year deal; this resulted in another major bounceback year, as Thomas hit .270 with 39 home runs, 114 runs batted in, 77 runs scored, a .381 on-base percentage, and a .545 slugging percentage (140 OPS+) to finish fourth in the MVP race. Building on this comeback, he then joined the Toronto Blue Jays and had another quality season with 26 home runs and 95 runs batted in, including the milestone of hitting his 500th career home run. However, he would then bounce between Toronto and Oakland in an injury-plagued 2008 season before sitting out 2009 and finally, signing a one-day contract with the White Sox and retiring in 2010.
Whereas Thomas found nearly immediate success in the major leagues, Thome would gradually improve with the Indians. His first great season came in 1996 (.311 batting average, 38 home runs, 116 runs batted in, 122 runs scored, .450 on-base percentage, and .612 slugging percentage, good for a 167 OPS+), marking the first of nine straight 30+ home run seasons and 12 overall. In 1997, with the Indians acquiring All-Star third baseman Matt Williams, Thome moved across the diamond to first base and responded with the first of three consecutive All-Star years, hitting .286 with 40 home runs (his first 40+ home run campaign), 102 runs batted in, 104 runs scored, a .423 on-base percentage, and a .579 slugging percentage, translating to a 156 OPS+. Like fine wine, Thome would continue to get better with age in Cleveland, as his last two years with the Indians were his best (though he was not selected as an All-Star in either year):
- 2001: .291 batting average, 49 home runs, 124 runs batted in, 101 runs scored, .416 on-base percentage, and .624 slugging percentage, good for a 170 OPS+
- 2002: .304 batting average, career-high 52 home runs, 118 runs batted in, 101 runs scored, .445 on-base percentage, and a league-leading and career-high .677 slugging percentage, good for a career-best 197 OPS+
Following the 2002 season, Thome signed as a free agent with the Philadelphia Phillies and continued a four-year stretch of 40+ home runs and 100+ runs batted in that had started in 2001. His inaugural season with the Phillies was his best – despite a relatively low .266 batting average, he led the NL with 47 home runs and added 131 runs batted in, 111 runs scored, a .385 on-base percentage, and a .573 slugging percentage (154 OPS+). However, after a fourth straight 40-100 season in 2004, Thome missed most of the 2005 season with injury and as a result, Ryan Howard, his replacement at first base, would go on to win NL Rookie of the Year honors and cement himself as the Phillies’ franchise cornerstone for the next decade. Consequently, Philadelphia traded Thome to the White Sox in exchange for outfielder Aaron Rowand and two minor league pitchers (Gio Gonzalez and Daniel Haigwood).
As effectively Frank Thomas’ replacement as a slugger in the middle of the lineup, once again Thome’s first season with his new club in 2006 was his best – he earned his last All-Star selection by hitting .288 with 42 home runs, 109 runs batted in, 108 runs scored, a .416 on-base percentage, and a .598 slugging percentage, equating to a 155 OPS+. The next season, Thome would join the illustrious 500 home run club, though he was slowly beginning to decline, as his home runs totals dipped into the 30s and then 20s, and his batting average trended towards the .250 area. Additionally, Thome became only the fourth player in baseball history to hit 100+ home runs with three different teams (the others are Reggie Jackson, Darrell Evans, and Alex Rodriguez). Post the 2008 season, he became a bit of a baseball nomad, spending time between 2009 and 2012 with the White Sox again, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Minnesota Twins, the Indians again, the Phillies again, and finally the Orioles before retiring at age 41; during this time, his greatest highlight came during a game vs. the Detroit Tigers in 2011, when he hit home runs #599 and #600 to become only the eighth player in MLB history to reach the milestone (joining Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Rodriguez, Willie Mays, Ken Griffey Jr., and Sammy Sosa; Pujols has also since surpassed the 600-home run mark).
Over the course of roughly two decades each in MLB (19 seasons for Thomas and 22 for Thome), both Thomas and Thome were highly productive and consistent players. Between the two, Thomas had more hits, runs batted in, and better ratios across batting average, on-base percentage, and OPS+, while Thome leads in home runs, runs scored, and walks; when you look at number of so-called great seasons, Thome holds the edge in 30+ home run seasons (12 to 9) and 40+ home runs seasons (6 to 5) vs. Thomas leading in 100+ RBI years (11 to 9) and 100+ walk years (10 to 9). The biggest differences come in awards and honors – while both were 5x All-Stars, Thomas was also a 4x Silver Slugger, 2x MVP, and 1x batting champion, whereas Thome was just a 1x Silver Slugger. Interestingly, when you translate all of this into an advanced statistic like Wins Above Replacement (WAR), Thomas (73.9) and Thome (72.9) have almost identical career marks and thus, both were quickly inducted into Cooperstown upon retirement (Thomas – 2014, Thome – 2018).
Regular Season Statistics
| Frank Thomas | Player | Jim Thome |
| 19 (1990-2008) | Seasons | 22 (1991-2012) |
| 2,322 | Games Played | 2,543 |
| 8,199 | At-Bats | 8,422 |
| 2,468 | Hits | 2,328 |
| 1,494 | Runs | 1,583 |
| 521 | Home Runs | 612 |
| 1,704 | Runs Batted In | 1,699 |
| 1,667 | Walks | 1,747 |
| 32 | Stolen Bases | 19 |
| .301 | Batting Average | .276 |
| .419 | On-Base Percentage | .402 |
| .555 | Slugging Percentage | .554 |
| 156 | OPS+ | 147 |
| 73.9 | Wins Above Replacement | 72.9 |
| 5x | All-Star Games | 5x |
| 2x | MVP | – |
| – | World Series Titles | – |
| 4x Silver Slugger, 1x Batting Title | Other Awards | 1x Silver Slugger |
| 2014 | Hall of Fame Induction | 2018 |
Source: Baseball-Reference.com
While both players produced well below their regular season numbers in the postseason, the big difference is how often they appeared in October – Thomas only had a cup of coffee in the playoffs and never came close to contending for a World Series title; in contrast, Thome was a frequent participant, but fell just short of capturing baseball’s ultimate prize.
During Thomas’ career, he only appeared in the postseason three times, losing in the ALCS in 1993 (there was no Wildcard yet) and in the ALDS in 2000 with the White Sox. As a member of the Athletics in 2006, he blasted two home runs (out of three playoff home runs for his career) in the ALDS to help Oakland sweep the Twins, though they were then swept by the Detroit Tigers in the ALCS. Interestingly, while he was injured for most of the 2005 season (34 games played) and did not appear on the White Sox’s postseason roster, Thomas did earn a championship ring after Chicago swept Roger Clemens and the Houston Astros in the World Series that year.
In comparison, Thome made the playoffs 10 times in his career, primarily with the powerhouse Indians teams of the mid to late 1990s, but fell agonizingly short of winning the World Series on a couple of occasions. As a youngster in his first postseason in 1995, Thome collected 4 home runs and 10 runs batted in, including his first World Series home run in Game 5 vs. Chipper Jones and the Atlanta Braves, but Cleveland would fall in six games. Two years later, Cleveland returned to the World Series vs. the upstart Florida Marlins – however, despite Thome’s two home runs in the series, the Marlins would win in seven games in an epic walk-off fashion. Moreover, by the time he joined the White Sox, they had just come off their World Series victory in 2005.
Playoff Statistics
| Frank Thomas | Player | Jim Thome |
| 16 | Games Played | 71 |
| 49 | At-Bats | 232 |
| 11 | Hits | 49 |
| 5 | Runs | 35 |
| 3 | Home Runs | 17 |
| 5 | Runs Batted In | 37 |
| 18 | Walks | 30 |
| – | Stolen Bases | – |
| .224 | Batting Average | .211 |
| .441 | On-Base Percentage | .312 |
| .429 | Slugging Percentage | .448 |
Source: Baseball-Reference.com
Every athlete goes through a natural career lifecycle, from starting off as a rookie to reaching peak years of performance and finally, declining into the inevitable retirement due to a combination of age and/or injury; as evidenced by the nomadic nature of their later careers, both Thomas and Thome were no exceptions to this rule. For Hall of Fame caliber players across sports, I like to look at a concept I call a “decade of dominance.” The thinking behind this is that for most Hall of Fame type careers, there are roughly 10 great seasons that define an athlete (this idea is embodied in a sense by the NFL’s All-Decade teams), though due to injury or other factors, they might not be 10 consecutive years.
Decade of Dominance
| Frank Thomas | Player | Jim Thome |
| 1991-1997, 2000, 2003, 2006 | Decade of Dominance | 1996-2004, 2006 |
| 1,465 | Games Played | 1,473 |
| 5,224 | At-Bats | 5,074 |
| 1,661 | Hits | 1,448 |
| 1,025 | Runs | 1,040 |
| 374 | Home Runs | 410 |
| 1,185 | Runs Batted In | 1,104 |
| 1,128 | Walks | 1,132 |
| 19 | Stolen Bases | 6 |
| .318 | Batting Average | .285 |
| .443 | On-Base Percentage | .420 |
| .597 | Slugging Percentage | .589 |
| 58.3 | Wins Above Replacement | 51.4 |
Source: Baseball-Reference.com
Across their decades of dominance, the same general trends hold – Thome was the better power hitter, but Thomas was the better overall hitter, which comes through in the bigger difference here in WAR (58.3 to 51.4).
My Thoughts
When you look at the careers of Frank Thomas and Jim Thome, despite the somewhat similar career numbers, their player profiles and trajectories were very different in my opinion. Though Thome took a few years to blossom into a superstar, once he reached that level, he would be a consistent masher throughout his career even as other skills waned. Meanwhile, Thomas was on an all-time pace early in his career, with his first seven or eight years rivalling Albert Pujols’ career start; moreover, while he became more of a traditional hit-or-miss slugger later on, he was one of the best hitters period early on, the type of Triple Crown threat that only comes around once in a generation. Therefore, while I would say that Thome was the better power hitter, Thomas was a more complete hitter to me, which makes him the better overall player.
Thus, after weighing their careers against each other in terms of statistics, achievements, and impact, the winner of this faceoff is:
Frank Thomas
As always, vote for your choice and leave your thoughts and comments below.
Further Reading
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