Like Tom Glavine, Frank Thomas didn't play at all in 2009, and like Tom Glavine, Thomas has now announced his retirement:
Frank Thomas Retires After 19-Year Career
CHICAGO (AP) — Frank Thomas has announced his retirement following a 19-season career in which he hit 521 homers and won two American League MVP awards with the Chicago White Sox.
The Big Hurt made the announcement Friday.
In a move that’s both classy and impossibly obvious, the White Sox plan to retire Thomas’s number 35 on Frank Thomas Day, to be celebrated August 29th. Thomas holds White Sox franchise records in home runs, doubles, RBI, runs, OBP, slugging, and several more.
The 41 year old Thomas may not have ended his career the way he wanted to, but at his peak he was among the most feared hitters of his generation, posting an OPS of 1.056 between 1991-1997. He won two MVP awards, finished second or third in three more, and grabbed four Silver Sluggers. His career .555 slugging percentage ranks 25th all-time, his .974 OPS 15th, and his 521 home runs 18th. Thomas was a machine, a better hitter than names like Vladimir Guerrero and Jim Thome, and though he spent the majority of his career as a DH, his numbers are sufficiently impressive that he shouldn't have any significant trouble getting into the Hall of Fame.
Though many have forgotten how good Thomas once was, Chicago has not. Read White Sox fans’ reactions at South Side Sox.
See More:
