So Frank Thomas hit his 500th career HR today. He was on a fast track to Cooperstown but the last 7 years derailed that. Now that he has hit # 500 will he find his way to Cooperstown?
The beginning of his career he was a shoe-in first ballot. The tail end of his career may have hurt him. He'll get into Cooperstown, but depending on the list when his name comes up, he may need a couple tries.
I think he'll get in, but I actually think last year helped him, not hurt him - after a couple of very down years, he came back with big numbers in the glamor categories that impress voters (39 HRs, 114 RBI). He's got a shot at first ballot, but if not I think he'd get in the next year or two anyway.
In terms of production Thomas is right up there with Manny. The raw numbers are obviously going to be a bit less due to the injuries but if you're voting no on Thomas you'd have a tough time making a case for anyone else from his era getting in.
I don't think his 500th HR gets him in, I think he was in long before that. His peak years were amazing. he's getting in.
In. I never realized what a solid hitter for average Thomas was. Guy even has a batting title to his credit. That said, I think that 500 home runs should no longer be a shoe-in number. The DH has altered the nature of these records and guys well past their prime are going to end up sticking around and compiling. Imagine if Mantle had gotten to DH when the injuries began piling up? The record books might look a bit different. -X-
I disagree. After the current crop of hitters reach 500, there will still only be about 25 or 26 players in the 500 homer club. That's about the same number of people in the 300 win club or 3,000 hit club. This talk of 500 homeruns not meaning much anymore is just silly. This happens to be a time when power is dominant. There have been other periods of baseball when pitching and small ball were dominant. There's probably a reason that the number of players in the 3000 hit, 500 homer, and 300 win club are about equal.
