Thanks to baseball’s lengthy steroid era, it’s nearly impossible to discern between athletes whose exploits were a result of natural talent and those who benefitted from performance-enhancing drugs. It’s a dark blotch in the history of American sports, but it also serves to elevate those who have only ever been accused of using their God-given abilities to accomplish remarkable things.
As baseball tries to rid itself of this tainted period, Jim Thome is very much a beacon of light.
Unlike several sluggers atop the “Most Career Home runs” list, Thome has never been associated with contraband materials. And his status as one of baseball’s best will stand the test of time. I had the chance to meet Thome the other day, and his reputation as one of the nicest players in the league held firm.
Drafted out of Illinois Central College as a teenager, Thome quickly advanced through the Cleveland Indians’ minor league system. As he was progressing closer to the big leagues, Charlie Manuel was also climbing the rungs. Manuel had just wrapped up his playing career, and was getting his foot in the door by managing several of Cleveland’s minor league teams.
Manuel became the hitting coach of the Indians at about the same time Thome made his major-league debut in 1991. He would become a father-figure to Thome, and the two became close friends.
“Charlie, for me, has been there since day one,” Thome told me. “He’s been a big, big influence on my career, no question.”
Thome credits Manuel for his transformation from an opposite-field slap hitter into a home run hitting slugger. The Illinois native learned how to open his stance and maintain a positive attitude throughout the roller-coast season, two ingredients that recently culminated in his 600th career home run. Eight players have recorded at least 600 home runs, and only a couple have done so without the suspicion of performance-enhancing drugs. People appreciate and respect that, and will go out of their way to show it.
Over the course of his career, Thome has been a member of three American League Central teams: Cleveland, Chicago and Minnesota. The Detroit Tigers have been opponents throughout his career, and he has hit more home runs in Detroit than any other baseball stadium. Thome hit his historic 600th home run in Detroit, and was taken aback by the crowd’s reaction. “For years and years you go in there as an opponent, and they don’t want to see you do well,” Thome said of Detroit fans giving him a standing ovation. “To do that was very classy.”
Thome’s resume is filled with accomplishments and accolades, but the one thing not decorating his mantle is a World Series ring. Occupying a roster with no hope of playoff contention, Thome isn’t likely to see a World Series from the field any time soon. Rapidly approaching his 41st birthday, Thome likely won’t be able to get that elusive ring with the Twins. But that doesn’t make it any less of a goal.
“It would mean everything,” Thome said. “You play to win a World Series, you play to ultimately celebrate at the end of the year with your teammates. The individual things are nice, but I think ultimately we all play the game to win a World Series.”
But even without the World Series ring, Thome is a clear-cut selection for the Hall of Fame. A player with Thome’s home runs and sky-high on-base percentage should be first-ballot Hall of Famer. But Thome isn’t taking anything for granted. “Very humbling,” Thome said. “when you start playing baseball you don’t ever think about the Hall of Fame or this and that. You dream about it, but when people talk about it’s a very, very neat thing. If that day were to ever come, it would be a joy.”