Jim Thome
James Howard “Jim” Thome (pronounced /ˈtoʊmeɪ/; born August 27, 1970 in Peoria, Illinois) is a Major League Baseball designated hitter for the Chicago White Sox.
In his career to date (through September 30, 2008), Thome has a .560 slugging percentage, and a .406 on-base percentage. He is considered one of the most complete power hitters of his decade due to his ability to create extra base hits, maintain a solid batting average for a power hitter (his career batting average is .279), and ability to get on base. Despite this he is still very prone to striking out. He is #3 in the all time list of strikeouts for a batter, and the #1 active player.
Thome has been named Player of the Month three times: July 2001, September 2003 and June 2004. He is one of only six players to be named Player of the Month in each league (Vladimir Guerrero, Fred McGriff, Mark McGwire, Gaylord Perry and Dave Winfield are the others).
Jim Thome has the fourth-lowest career AB/HR (at bats per home run) average in major-league history. His 13.68 (about 1 HR every 14 times he comes to bat) is eclipsed only by Mark McGwire (10.61), Babe Ruth (11.76), and Barry Bonds (12.90). Stretching behind Thome, all with averages greater than 14, are such hall-of-famers as Ralph Kiner, Harmon Killebrew, Ted Williams, Mickey Mantle, Jimmie Foxx, and Mike Schmidt, in that order.
Only 12 major league players have more career walks than Thome.
Other Information
- Full Name: James Howard Thome
- Born: August 27, 1970
- Height: 6′4″
- Weight: 220 lbs
- Birthplace: Peoria, Illinois
- Bats: Left
- Throws: Right
- 1991: Debuts with Cleveland Indians
- 2003 Home Run Champion
- 2006 A.L Comeback Player of the Year
Links
- Official Site of the Chicago White Sox: Jim Thome
- Baseball-Reference.com: Jim Thome
- Yahoo! Sports: Jim Thome
- Wikipedia: Jim Thome
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