When news circulated around the interwebs that the Chicago White Sox had sent out a memo stating that a number of their players were available to whoever wanted them…you kinda knew the night would end with a few guys getting dealt.
Such was the case for Jim Thome.
“We’re not brining him over here to play first base,” Colleti told ESPN. “We’re bring him here to come off the bench and be a great influence in the clubhouse. He’s one of the true great guys in the game.”
In all honesty, Thome has been a great guy for The Hall of Very Good as well. Allow me to explain.
There you have it…Thome is very good, not great. Hall of
Famer? Perhaps…but not on the first couple of ballots.
To this day, Google is still directing people (mostly those who look for information on “Jim Thome and steroids” or “Jim Thome and the Hall of Fame”) to a little post where I suggested that Jim Thome might not make it into the Hall of Fame on his first ballot.
Since then, he’s hit 66 more home runs and is sitting at 564 for his career. That’s right, the guy is now 12th all-time, but I still stand by my claim…Thome will NOT be a first ballot Hall of Famer.
Why? My reasoning is the same as it was two years ago.
His home run total, while incredible, will not be as eye popping five years after Thome’s retirement.
Sorry to cue up that broken record, but when the news of Thome heading to Los Angeles to join former Indian teammate and fellow bomber Manny Ramirez leads SportsCenter…I’m compelled to chime in.
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