Hall of Fame is ‘Grace-less,” but at least there’s Jim Thome

 

Bill Knight column for 7-22, 23 or 24, 2021

 

Reader feedback was mixed to a recent column expressing regret that the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s rejected Mark Grace (again, the only ballplayer to lead the Major Leagues in hits in a decade not elected to Cooperstown besides Pete Rose). Some shared my sense of injustice at Grace’s snub, and others said he deserves ostracism for his history of DUIs, which can be dangerous to others as well as irresponsible, and the private Hall of Fame and voting baseball writers are free to honor more exemplary athletes such as fellow first baseman and Illinois native Jim Thome.

Fair enough. Thome was respected as a hard-nosed player and a nice human being, both factors in his 2018 induction into the Hall of Fame on his first year of eligibility. He deserves the recognition.

Born in Peoria in 1970 to Joyce and Chuck Thome, James Howard Thome was the youngest of five kids and grew up watching his family play sports, and playing with them. (Eventually, Thome wore his baseball pants “old-school,” with his socks showing to his knees, in tribute to his dad and grandpa, who wore their uniforms that way in softball and minor-league competition.

Jim played sports in youth leagues and in school in Bartonville, Ill., where he played basketball as well as baseball, and earned All-State honors. Not drafted by Major League Baseball, Thome enrolled and played both sports at Illinois Central College, where at a game in Chicago he caught the attention of scout Paul Hoynes of Cleveland, which drafted hm in the 13th round in 1989.

Thome’s athletic potential and character may have been inherited and shaped at home, but his talent and endurance came from his work ethic and from coach and manager Charlie Manuel, who became his mentor. (Manuel – Thome’s manager or hitting coach from 1991 to 2002 – suggested Thome mimic the character Roy Hobbs from the film “The Natural,” pointing his bat toward the field before the pitcher was set.)

Invited to the Indians’ pre-season camp, Thome didn’t make a roster and stayed at extended spring training. In 1989 and 1990, Jim played in rookie-league clubs in the Gulf Coast League and the Appalachian League.

Mid-season in 1990, Thome was promoted to Class-A Kinston in the Carolina League, and the following year he made the jump to AA ball for the Canton/Akron Eastern League affiliate. After 84 games there, Jim was moved up to Colorado Springs in the Class-AAA Pacific Coast League for 41 games and had his major-league debut on September 4, 1991.

He split time in 1991-93 between Cleveland, Colorado Springs and Charlotte, in 1994 was promoted to the majors where he stayed.

A premier power hitter, the right-hander batted left, and partly in response to errors at his initial third-base position, Cleveland in 1997 moved him to first, letting him focus less on defense than offense. That year he made the All-Star team for the first time.

Despite a few years of various injuries, the 6’4” slugger became a five-time All Star and played for Cleveland, the White Sox, Minnesota and Baltimore in the AL, and the Phillies and Dodgers in the NL.

In 2,543 games over 22 years, Thome logged 2,328 hits with a .276 batting average, 612 homers, and 1,699 RBIs, and his post-season production put him in elite company – his playoff home-run total (17) was third all-time, after Mickey Mantle and Reggie Jackson (both with 18).

Thome became just the 23^rd ballplayer to hit 500 home runs (his was at US Cellular Field in Chicago –on the White Sox’s 2007 Jim Thome Bobblehead Day!).

Sportswriters affectionately called Thome a “throwback,” a player with old-fashioned approaches and attitudes.

He was humble, too.

“I am a guy from Peoria, Illinois,” Thome said. “Never, ever, growing up as a kid did I think my name would someday be mentioned in the same sentence with guys like Babe Ruth, Mickey mantle or Reggie Jackson.”

Off the field, Thome’s activities were also impressive. His charitable work ranged from the United Way and the Make-A-Wish Foundation to literacy and anti-hunger campaigns. MLB honored him with the Roberto Clemente Award for community involvement and the Lou Gehrig memorial Award for his giving character. Elsewhere, the Baseball Writers Association gave him its 1995 Good Guy Award; the MLB Players Association named him 2001’s Man of the Year; and the Sporting News chose him as “No. 1 Good Guy” for his philanthropy.

So, yes: Thome is deserving, no doubt. Still, for baseball fans, it’s not Thome vs. Grace, or an “either/or” question.

It should be a “both/and” recognition.