Despite injuries, Thomas made good case for HOF

[greasywheels121]

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews...ts/12266833.htm

 

Despite injuries, Thomas has made a good case for enshrinement

By PHIL ROGERS

Chicago Tribune

 

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. - On the eve of his induction, Wade Boggs paused to pay homage to a hitter who should one day join him in the Hall of Fame, Frank Thomas.

 

Boggs calls Thomas "a gentle giant," saying he has seemed to take as much pride in being a difficult out - a la Boggs - as a guy with light tower power.

 

"Frank Thomas is probably 6-6, 275 pounds and he acts like he's 5-6, 110 when he bats," Boggs said on Saturday. "He approaches it like he's a small guy in a giant frame. He hits with power, but his eye is second to none. ... He takes, takes, takes and then you make a mistake and it's out of the ballpark."

 

Boggs shook his head. "He's an unbelievable player," he said. "It's just unfortunate he's been slowed with injuries the last few years."

 

Never has one of Thomas' setbacks seemed more unfortunate than the latest, a fresh fracture in the fragile left ankle that sidelined him from July 2004 until May 30. This one comes as he was doing everything in his power to be able to contribute to a White Sox team headed to the playoffs with a pitching staff that demands respect.

 

As the expression goes, Thomas may have just learned how to say hello when it was time to say goodbye.

 

Under Terry Bevington and Jerry Manuel, Thomas was miscast as a leader, with his shortcomings painfully visible in the wake of Robin Ventura's departure. No one understands that better than old teammate Ozzie Guillen, who knows how (and when) to prod Thomas better than anyone.

 

It would have been great to see Thomas hitting for a Guillen team in October, but that's probably never going to happen. Instead White Sox general manager Ken Williams must decide whether to import someone to replace a Hall of Famer or to take consolation in the Sox's 38-21 record when Thomas has been out.

 

Thomas' injury is believed to be season-ending and, because the ankle no longer appears sturdy enough to support his tight end's body, raises questions about whether he'll be able to add to these career totals_a .307 batting average, .427 on-base percentage (14th best of all time), 448 home runs and 1,465 runs batted in.

 

You'll hear a lot of talk about whether Thomas' injury will keep him out of the Hall of Fame. The belief here is that he already has done more than enough to earn his place alongside the best hitters in history.

 

"It's a great question, and at first blush, the answer is yes, I think he's a Hall of Famer," said ESPN's Tim Kurkjian, who is in his third decade as a member of the Baseball Writers Association of America. "You can't ignore what he did for his first eight years. That was Jimmie Foxx come back to life. ... I know you can build a case against him, but I just think you can build a better case for him."

 

Jack O'Connell, the secretary-treasurer of the BBWAA, was prepared for the question about Thomas' Hall worthiness.

 

"I think he is a Hall of Famer," O'Connell said. "I think he's one of the guys who will benefit from the steroid thing. I'm sure he's clean, just like (Ken) Griffey (Jr.). When Frank came up, he was like the biggest guy in the world and then suddenly everybody looked like him. He's got a lot of terrific numbers. He's not a great defensive player, but there's a lot of guys in the Hall who weren't."

 

O'Connell points out that Thomas won two MVPs "and almost won a third." He doesn't point out that the one Thomas almost won in 2000 went to Jason Giambi, who since becoming embroiled in the BALCO steroids probe no longer looks likes a doorman at the toughest club in the world, which was how he looked five years ago.

 

If you want to diminish Thomas' standing as a two-time MVP winner, you can point out that Juan Gonzalez, Dale Murphy and Roger Maris also won that award twice. But had Thomas not finished a close second to Giambi in 2000, he would have become the ninth man to win three or more, and no one questions whether those guys (Barry Bonds, Yogi Berra, Roy Campanella, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Stan Musial, Mike Schmidt and Foxx) have Hall of Fame credentials.

 

Unless he simply decides he's had enough, Thomas is likely to be back with the Sox next season. The club will opt not to exercise the $10 million option in his contract, instead buying him out for $3.5 million, but should be able to work out an incentives-based deal.

 

The onus falls to Williams to construct the 2006 roster in a way that leaves room for Thomas if he's healthy but a DH on hand if he is can't go. But the pressing question is what about this October? Should Williams pay dearly for an Aubrey Huff or Matt Lawton to replace Thomas?

 

I'd still rather see him get pitching. With Everett and the outfield of Scott Podsednik, Aaron Rowand and Jermaine Dye healthy, there's no reason the Sox can't win the low-scoring games often played in October.

 

Brian Anderson, who is batting .295 with Triple-A Charlotte, and Ross Gload, a non-factor thus far, offer depth. Joe Borchard could run into some home runs in September and maybe even October.

 

You never know about October. In the last five seasons, teams with more regular-season wins are 12-23 in postseason series. It's a roll of the dice.

 

The Sox would have loved to roll those dice with Thomas as their DH but get to the table just the same without him.

[WHarris1]

greasy I've been meaning to ask you...what do you think of Frank?

[Rowand44]

greasy I've been meaning to ask you...what do you think of Frank?

Greasy has told me that he's not a fan, "average player" in his own words.

[greasywheels121]

I hate the guy.

[tonyho7476]

Its so dissappointing to see him go down again. Frank has been my favorite Sox player. I hope he can come back and play again, with the Sox. He'll just have to take a pay-cut and maybe be more of a sub. I hope we see you back Frank. If not, I look forward to seeing you in the Hall.

 

[YASNY]

Its so dissappointing to see him go down again.  Frank has been my favorite Sox player.  I hope he can come back and play again, with the Sox.  He'll just have to take a pay-cut and maybe be more of a sub.  I hope we see you back Frank.  If not, I look forward to seeing you in the Hall.

 

 

If Frank is healthy, he won't be a sub.