Part 4 of our Hall of Fame ballot series: a very small ballot

Jim Thome

Although it’s only his first year on the ballot, Jim Thome is one of the best players to add to the hall of Fame. The one thing you could always notice with Thome was the power he had. The way the bat would pop and you’d see him drop his bat knowing that it was a no doubter. Even his batting stance was intimidating to a pitcher.

The man made baseball fun and interesting. He hit 612 homers over his 22 year career and always put up incredible numbers and showed his strength and perseverance. He did this while also being the veteran many young guys could look to when they needed help. After retiring, he ended his career with a .276 batting average, a .402 on-base percentage, .554 slugging percentage, and a whopping 1699 RBIs. He also ranked in MVP voting nine times in his career and came in the top seven in voting four times (1997, 2001-2003).

In addition, he had nine seasons of 100+ RBI (and another two seasons over 90 RBI) and 12 seasons of 30+ home runs, including six seasons of 40+ and three of 47+. Jim Thome was one of the greatest first baseman to ever grace the game and he’ll be one of the greatest first baseman in the Hall of Fame.