Hey guys I was looking around at different stats and I found that Thome has 430 HR's and bearing any more injuries he should get to 500 before his career is up. Does that get him into the Hall of Fame? What do you guys think?

Hey guys I was looking around at different stats and I found that Thome has 430 HR's and bearing any more injuries he should get to 500 before his career is up.  Does that get him into the Hall of Fame? What do you guys think?

 

I think it's coin flip.

If he has 2 or 3 more solid years, I think he's in. That fact that he has been nothing but class his whole career will help him if he's borderline. If he finishes with 550 homers, he's got to be in.

i think if he hits over 500 homeruns. Personally with all the s*** going on with steriods and people like Palmerio and bonds and Mcgwire, i'd put him in just for the princple, him and big hurt.

All the steroids people will hurt Thome. He is going to get the 500 homers, but now that doesn't give an automatic entrance to the hall. However, he is in the top 20 all-time in OPS and Slug %. 2-3 more solid years, I think will get him in b/c he is just "country-strong," as hawk would say and never took roids. But, in the end, as YASNY said, it will be a coin flip.

Edited March 27, 200620 yr by maggsmaggs

A world series ring with the 2006 White Sox wouldn't hurt his cause.

One of the problems with Thome is that he never really dominated the game at any point in his career (unlike, say, Frank, Pujols, Bonds, etc.). He also lived in the shadows of Belle and, to a certain extent, Ramirez in Cleveland. His career .281 BA won't help, either.

 

But it's definitely possible, especially if he gets to 500 HRs or more. The fact that everybody likes him works in his favor, as well. Like DA said, two or three more productive years will probably do it for him. It's going to be a question of him staying injury-free and keeping his bat speed up.

From Baseball-reference.com, here are the 10 most similar batters through age 34:

 

1. Jose Canseco (898)

2. Mike Schmidt (879) *

3. Harmon Killebrew (873) *

4. Reggie Jackson (873) *

5. Juan Gonzalez (869)

6. Willie McCovey (866) *

7. Fred McGriff (861)

8. Duke Snider (858) *

9. Frank Thomas (857)

10. Willie Stargell (849) *

 

6 current HoFers and possibly 2 more is pretty good company. Now if he can add to that with a couple of good years and break 500 HRs, he is in.

 

Tony Perez got in with a .279 BA and 379 HRs.

 

Eddie Murray got in with a .287 BA and 504 HRs.

 

Currently Thome is at .281 BA and 430 HRs.

From Baseball-reference.com, here are the 10 most similar batters through age 34:

 

1. Jose Canseco (898)

2. Mike Schmidt (879) *

3. Harmon Killebrew (873) *

4. Reggie Jackson (873) *

5. Juan Gonzalez (869)

6. Willie McCovey (866) *

7. Fred McGriff (861)

8. Duke Snider (858) *

9. Frank Thomas (857)

10. Willie Stargell (849) *

 

6 current HoFers and possibly 2 more is pretty good company.  Now if he can add to that with a couple of good years and break 500 HRs, he is in.

 

Tony Perez got in with a .279 BA and 379 HRs. 

 

 

Eddie Murray got in with a .287 BA and 504 HRs.

 

Currently Thome is at .281 BA and 430 HRs.

 

Who else, besides Frank, do you consider a potential HOF'er? I don't see Canseco, McGriff or Gonzalez making it.

Edited March 27, 200620 yr by YASNY

i hope thome makes it

I think Thome has to reach 500 homers to get into the HoF.

Who else, besides Frank, do you consider a potential HOF'er?  I don't see Canseco, McGriff or Gonzalez making it.

 

I would guess he has to mean Gonzalez. Canseco clearly has no shot at all, and McGriff just isn't a HOFer.

Who else, besides Frank, do you consider a potential HOF'er?  I don't see Canseco, McGriff or Gonzalez making it.

 

Nope, none of those guys will. Bagwell isn't on that list, but I think that he's only a borderline case.

Nope, none of those guys will.  Bagwell isn't on that list, but I think that he's only a borderline case.

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Bagwell is easily a HoF'er, as is Frank Thomas.

A world series ring with the 2006 White Sox wouldn't hurt his cause. 

 

That could actually be really important. I don't see him in the HOF right now, but if he could lead a team to a World Series win (by actually playing), that could change his status.

Bagwell is easily a HoF'er, as is Frank Thomas.

 

No question about it.

 

And I agree with YASNY and WCSox. Canseco, McGriff and Gonzalez aren't gonna make it. s***, Andre Dawson ain't gonna make it, and that guy was an incredible player IMO.

 

The one guy that I'm confused about is Albert Belle. He is undoubtedly a Hall Of Famer on paper, but with all of the off-the-field nonsense, I just don't know. Talk about legendary slugging numbers. God freakin' damn was he good.

No question about it.

 

And I agree with YASNY and WCSox.  Canseco, McGriff and Gonzalez aren't gonna make it.  s***, Andre Dawson ain't gonna make it, and that guy was an incredible player IMO.

 

The one guy that I'm confused about is Albert Belle.  He is undoubtedly a Hall Of Famer on paper, but with all of the off-the-field nonsense, I just don't know.  Talk about legendary slugging numbers.  God freakin' damn was he good.

Albert Belle had some damn good seasons, but it's also worth noting that his career was short-circuited by injuries even before Thomas's. He didn't even get to 400 home runs, and if those career milestones mean anything, that's a big mark against him.

Usually, a player needs around 10 really good seasons to be a HoF'er. Albert Belle put up 10 good seasons before injuries cut his career short. He's a borderline HoF'er in my book, but I doubt he's a HoF'er in the voters' eyes.

Albert Belle had some damn good seasons, but it's also worth noting that his career was short-circuited by injuries even before Thomas's.  He didn't even get to 400 home runs, and if those career milestones mean anything, that's a big mark against him.

 

But he was arguably the best slugger in baseball for an entire decade (1990-1999), which holds much weight. He was the most important player on arguably the best team of the decade (Mid 90s Cleveland Indians). On a team with a sizeable amount of potential or full-blown Hall Of Famers (Alomar, Ramirez, Thome, Belle, etc), he was the man.

 

If not for the off-the-field crap, he'd be a 1st Ballot Hall Of Famer.

Edited March 27, 200620 yr by hammerhead johnson