Born: (1970-08-27) August 27, 1970 (age 53) Peoria, Illinois, U.S.
Batted: Left
Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 4, 1991, for the Cleveland Indians
Last MLB appearance
October 3, 2012, for the Baltimore Orioles
MLB statistics
Batting average
.276
Hits
2,328
Home runs
612
Runs batted in
1,699
Teams
Cleveland Indians (1991–2002)
Philadelphia Phillies (2003–2005)
Chicago White Sox (2006–2009)
Los Angeles Dodgers (2009)
Minnesota Twins (2010–2011)
Cleveland Indians (2011)
Philadelphia Phillies (2012)
Baltimore Orioles (2012)
Career highlights and awards
5× All-Star (1997–1999, 2004, 2006)
Silver Slugger Award (1996)
AL Comeback Player of the Year (2006)
Roberto Clemente Award (2002)
NL home run leader (2003)
Cleveland Guardians No. 25 retired
Cleveland Guardians Hall of Fame
Philadelphia Phillies Wall of Fame
Member of the National
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction
2018
Vote
89.8% (first ballot)
James Howard Thome (/ˈtoʊmi/; born August 27, 1970)[1] is an American former professional baseball corner infielder and designated hitter, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 22 seasons (1991–2012). He played for six different teams throughout his career, most notably the Cleveland Indians. A prolific power hitter, Thome hit 612 home runs during his career—the eighth-most all time. He amassed a total of 2,328 hits and 1,699 runs batted in (RBIs). His career batting average was .276. He was a member of five All-Star teams and won a Silver Slugger Award in 1996.
Thome grew up in Peoria, Illinois, as part of a large blue-collar family of athletes, who predominantly played baseball and basketball. After attending Illinois Central College, he was drafted by the Indians in the 1989 draft, and made his big league debut in 1991. Early in his career, Thome played third base, before eventually becoming a first baseman. With the Indians, he was part of a core of players that led the franchise to five consecutive playoff appearances in the 1990s, including World Series appearances in 1995 and 1997. Thome spent over a decade with Cleveland, before leaving via free agency after the 2002 season, to join the Philadelphia Phillies, with whom he spent the following three seasons. Traded to the Chicago White Sox before the 2006 season, he won the American League (AL) Comeback Player of the Year Award that year and joined the 500 home run club during his three-season tenure with the White Sox. By this point in his career, back pain limited Thome to being a designated hitter. After stints with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Minnesota Twins, he made brief returns to Cleveland and Philadelphia, before ending his career with the Baltimore Orioles. Upon retiring, Thome accepted an executive position with the White Sox.
Throughout his career, Thome's strength was power hitting. In 12 different seasons, he hit at least 30 home runs, topping 40 home runs in six of those seasons. He hit a career-high 52 homers in 2002, and in 2003 he led the National League in home runs with 47. Due in part to his ability to draw walks, with 12 seasons of at least 90 bases on balls, he finished his career with a .402 on-base percentage. Thome's career on-base plus slugging (OPS) of .956 ranks 19th all-time. In 2011, he became only the eighth MLB player to hit 600 home runs. Thome is the career leader in walk-off home runs with 13.[2] One of his trademarks was his unique batting stance, in which he held the bat out with his right hand and pointed it at right field before the pitcher threw, something he first saw in The Natural. Thome was known for his consistently positive attitude and "gregarious" personality. An active philanthropist during his playing career, he was honored with two Marvin Miller Man of the Year Awards, a Lou Gehrig Memorial Award, and a Roberto Clemente Award for his community involvement. In 2018, Thome was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.[3]
^"MLB #25 Jim Thome". ESPN. Archived from the original on October 19, 2021. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
^Catania, Jason (December 26, 2021). "Players with the most walk-off HRs in history". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
^Bastian, Jordan (January 24, 2018). "Jim Thome elected to Hall of Fame". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Archived from the original on October 19, 2021. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
James Howard Thome (/ˈtoʊmi/; born August 27, 1970) is an American former professional baseball corner infielder and designated hitter, who played in...
runs, JimThome off of waivers. He made his first appearance in an Indians uniform since he left Cleveland after the 2002 season. To honor Thome, the Indians...
JimThome Plaque: Located on the center field fan deck. The description of the plaque reads "On June 4, 2008, Chicago White Sox slugger JimThome became...
JimThome's two-run home run to right in the fifth inning, which also knocked Leiter out of the game. His home run was nullified in the sixth by Jim Eisenreich's...
Toronto Blue Jays at Yankees Stadium. A year later, on August 15, 2011, JimThome of the Detroit Tigers hit career homers 599 and 600 against the Minnesota...
middle of the order by Albert Belle, Eddie Murray, Manny Ramírez, and JimThome; at the bottom of the line-up could be found Paul Sorrento (or Herbert...
composer Emerson Thome (born 1972), Brazilian former football player Francis Thomé (1850–1909), French pianist and composer JimThome (born 1970), Major...
703. Alex Rodriguez (696), Willie Mays (660), Ken Griffey Jr. (630), JimThome (612), and Sammy Sosa (609) are the only other players to have hit 600...
home run hitters of all time—such as Mickey Mantle, Reggie Jackson, and JimThome—were notorious for striking out. A pitched ball is ruled a ball by the...
Hall of Famers: Jeff Bagwell, Tom Glavine, Chipper Jones, Ted Simmons, JimThome, Joe Torre Executives: Bud Selig, Sandy Alderson, William DeWitt Jr.,...
Albert Belle (1993, 1994, 1995, 1996) Manny Ramirez (1995, 1999, 2000) JimThome (1996) David Justice (1997) Matt Williams (1997) Roberto Alomar (1999...
several teams tried to lure the Phillies' Ed Wade into trading him, as JimThome was blocking his path to the majors. Howard's No. 29 was retired by the...
bench-clearing brawl with future Major League stars Manny Ramirez and JimThome. Thome and Jones would eventually go on to develop a good friendship over...
holds the record for the most career strikeouts by a batter with 2,597. JimThome (2,548), Adam Dunn (2,379), Sammy Sosa (2,306), Alex Rodriguez (2,287)...
Drew decides to set a date to get married. 185 4 "Drew and the Life-Size JimThome Cut-Out" Bob Koherr Dan O'Keefe September 30, 2002 (2002-09-30) 227955...
with Mark Buehrle's no hitter, JimThome's 500th home run, and closer Bobby Jenks 41 consecutive batters retired (tying Jim Barr's all-time record and breaking...
Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 15, 2010. "JimThome Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 15, 2010...
players included rookie Danny Valencia at third base, designated hitter JimThome, closer Matt Capps, infielder J. J. Hardy, and infielder Orlando Hudson...
the season, he was traded to the Phillies as part of a trade that sent JimThome to Chicago. During his time with Chicago, Rowand was extremely popular...
Cheat? 'RHOC' Alum Meghan Edmonds' Husband Jim Admits 'Lapse In Judgement'". International Business Times. Jim also has two daughters with his late first...
on Sutter". MLB.com. Archived from the original on September 8, 2006. "JimThome joins Indians Hall of Fame, but Albert Belle a no-show". Fox Sports. July...
1991, 1997, and 2001 for its drama and tension. Former Indians player JimThome threw the ceremonial first pitch before the game while members of the...
veteran and flagpole historian B.W. McEvers of Bloomington. On September 6, JimThome hit a solo home run against the Kansas City Royals that hit the flag pole...
shortstop J. J. Hardy, and the off-season acquisition of veteran slugger JimThome to fill the designated hitter position, Kubel found himself being used...
first IL championship over the Rochester Red Wings, 3–2. Third baseman JimThome, who was later inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame, won the 1993 International...
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