Frank Edward Thomas (born May 27, 1968) is an
American Major League Baseball player for the
Toronto Blue Jays. He is known for his keen eye and
immense power.
Thomas became one of baseball's biggest stars in the
1990s, playing for the Chicago White Sox. He was
given the nickname "The Big Hurt" by broadcaster Ken
Harrelson. Thomas is one of several notable baseball
players who played college baseball at Auburn
University, such as Bo Jackson, who was a teammate
of Thomas in the major leagues. He also played tight
end for the school's football team.
Thomas was born and raised in Columbus, Georgia on
the same day as fellow Major League player Jeff
Bagwell (a player whose career would share several
parallels to Thomas'). He attended Columbus High
School and was a standout in both football and
baseball. As a Columbus High School sophomore he hit
cleanup for a baseball team that won a state
championship. As a senior he hit .440 for the
baseball team, was named an All-State tight end with
the football team, and played forward with the
basketball team. He wanted desperately to win a
contract to play professional baseball, but he was
completely overlooked in the 1986 amateur draft.
Baseball teams signed some 891 players on that
occasion, and Thomas was not among them.
"I was shocked and sad," Thomas recalled in the
Chicago Tribune. "I saw a lot of guys I played
against get drafted, and I knew they couldn't do
what I could do. But I've had people all my life
saying you can't do this, you can't do that. It
scars you. No matter how well I've done. People have
misunderstood me for some reason. I was always one
of the most competitive kids around."
In the autumn of 1986, Thomas accepted a scholarship
to play football at Auburn University. Even so, his
love of baseball drew him to the Auburn baseball
team, where the coach immediately recognized his
potential. "We loved him," Auburn baseball coach Hal
Baird told Sports Illustrated. "He was fun to be
around—always smiling, always bright-eyed." He was
also a deadly hitter, posting a .359 batting average
and leading the Tigers in runs batted in as a
freshman. During the summer of 1987 he played for
the U.S. Pan American Team, earning a spot on the
final roster that would compete in the Pan American
Games. The Games coincided with the beginning of
football practice back at Auburn, so he left the Pan
Am team and returned to college—only to be injured
twice in early season football games.
Thomas might have lost his scholarship that year
because he could no longer play football. Instead
Auburn continued his funding, and baseball became
his sole sport. He was good enough as a sophomore to
win consideration for the U.S. National
Team—preparing for the 1988 Summer Olympics—but he
was cut from the final squad. Stung and
misunderstood again, he fought back. By the end of
his junior baseball season he had hit 19 home runs,
19 doubles, and had batted .403 with a slugging
percentage of .801. With another amateur draft
looming, the scouts began to comprehend that the big
Georgia native could indeed play baseball. By his
senior year (1989) he was voted the Southeastern
Conference MVP in baseball, leaving the school with
forty-nine career homers, a new record.
The Chicago White Sox picked Thomas seventh in the
first round of the June 1989 draft.
Thomas played first base during the early part of
his career and was not known for his defense. He
never won a Gold Glove at the position, and has
played primarily as a designated hitter since
turning 30 years old. Rather, Thomas is known for
his offensive performance; some regard him as one of
the best pure hitters in baseball's history. Thomas
is the only player in major league history to have
seven consecutive seasons of a .300 average, and at
least 100 walks, 100 runs, 100 runs batted in, and
20 home runs (from 1991 to 1997). The only other
player to have more than five consecutive seasons
accomplishing this feat was Ted Williams with six.
This accomplishment is even more remarkable
considering that despite playing only 113 games in
1994, due to the labor stoppage which curtailed that
season prematurely, he still was able to attain
these lofty numbers, thereby keeping the streak
alive. Additionally, there are only five players in
history who have both hit more home runs and have a
higher career batting average than Thomas (Hank
Aaron, Jimmie Foxx, Mel Ott, Babe Ruth, and Ted
Williams).
