Throughout much of my childhood, Frank Thomas was my favorite baseball player. I didn’t even particularly like the White Sox, but he was perhaps the greatest hitter at the time -- in a sense, the Albert Pujols of the early 90s -- and it only made sense to throw in with the best.
Fred Thomas Was A Great Player For The Chicago White Socks
↵I started collecting as many Frank Thomas baseball cards as I could, putting them in those little plastic sleeves, and throwing them up on my bedroom wall. Within a year’s time, I had amassed a wall of 184 cards, none of which were duplicates. Yes, as an eleven-year-old, I was a tremendously lame individual.
↵I only mention this because I’m sort of amazed that Thomas’ official announcement of his retirement hasn’t been a bigger story. Yes, he’s been out of the game for over a year, but he was also one of the very best hitters of the last fifty years. His career OPS+ of 156 is 19th on the all-time list, and only three players who played the bulk of their careers after 1960 have a higher number: Albert Pujols, Barry Bonds, and Mark McGwire. And those last two names...well, you know.
↵So is Thomas a household name? Observe this tweet from Darrelle Revis of the New York Jets.
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↵Fred Thomas just retired. he will be in MLB Hall of Fame soon. he was a beast.
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↵Sigh.
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