So Jim Thome just hit his 600th home run . . .

detroitfan2

. . . and I couldn't even tell you the year of his rookie card, never mind what it looks like.

Sean1125

Neither could I.
Ebay

EAsports

1991!

I collected Thome for years. I should have kept going!

scotgreb

edited to remove my shameless spam

ROCKCITYCHRIS

Hall of Famer?

detroitfan2

<< <i>Hall of Famer? >>



What is the consensus on how he obtained his 600 home runs? Completely clean? Or just never caught. I guess I want to believe he was / is clean.

Dboneesq

Is there ANY doubt which of these guys is least known? Would NEVER have thought that you could hit 600 HRs so quietly!

Barry Bonds 762
Hank Aaron 755
Babe Ruth 714
Willie Mays 660
Ken Griffey Jr. 630
Alex Rodriguez 626
Sammy Sosa 609
Jim Thome 600

Take a look at his very first HR ... into the UPPER DECK at old Yankee Stadium!

Toro

From what I've read over the years, Thome is naturally built and takes pride in it. I don't believe he ever got into the supplement or steroid fad. His rookie cars of note are the 1991 Bowman and Upper Deck Final Edition.

cardbender

I like Thome. He reminds me of Killebrew. Similar stats too.
I hope he gets into the HOF someday.

RonBurgundy

2nd fastest to 600. HOF.

JoeBanzai

He's a first ballot HOF all the way.

He has been overshadowed by the steroid boys and hurt by the fact that he has played for several teams.

Reminds me of Killebrew as well. A classy guy.

Joe

calicrippler

People may not like hearing this, but Thome did play on an Indians team with Ramirez,Belle,and Grimsley 2 of 3 known steroid users. I am not directly accusing him of using, but I would keep it in mind if I was voting. My opinion.....

grote15

The truth is that no slugger, except maybe Griffey, and even that's a maybe, will not have that steroid and PED cloud hanging over his head when it comes time to vote.

Dialj

Hey is definately got the numbers to be in the HOF.

Year Team G AB R H TB D T HR RBI BB IBB SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS

1991 CLE 27 98 7 25 36 4 2 1 9 5 1 16 1 1 .255 .298 .367 .665
1992 CLE 40 117 8 24 35 3 1 2 12 10 2 34 2 0 .205 .275 .299 .574
1993 CLE 47 154 28 41 73 11 0 7 22 29 1 36 2 1 .266 .385 .474 .859
1994 CLE 98 321 58 86 168 20 1 20 52 46 5 84 3 3 .268 .359 .523 .882
1995 CLE 137 452 92 142 252 29 3 25 73 97 3 113 4 3 .314 .438 .558 .996
1996 CLE 151 505 122 157 309 28 5 38 116 123 8 141 2 2 .311 .450 .612 1.062
1997 CLE 147 496 104 142 287 25 0 40 102 120 9 146 1 1 .286 .423 .579 1.001
1998 CLE 123 440 89 129 257 34 2 30 85 89 8 141 1 0 .293 .413 .584 .997
1999 CLE 146 494 101 137 267 27 2 33 108 127 13 171 0 0 .277 .426 .540 .967
2000 CLE 158 557 106 150 296 33 1 37 106 118 4 171 1 0 .269 .398 .531 .929
2001 CLE 156 526 101 153 328 26 1 49 124 111 14 185 0 1 .291 .416 .624 1.040
2002 CLE 147 480 101 146 325 19 2 52 118 122 18 139 1 2 .304 .445 .677 1.122
2003 PHI 159 578 111 154 331 30 3 47 131 111 11 182 0 3 .266 .385 .573 .958
2004 PHI 143 508 97 139 295 28 1 42 105 104 26 144 0 2 .274 .396 .581 .977
2005 PHI 59 193 26 40 68 7 0 7 30 45 4 59 0 0 .207 .360 .352 .712
2006 CWS 143 490 108 141 293 26 0 42 109 107 12 147 0 0 .288 .416 .598 1.014
2007 CWS 130 432 79 119 243 19 0 35 96 95 11 134 0 1 .275 .410 .563 .973
2008 CWS 149 503 93 123 253 28 0 34 90 91 9 147 1 0 .245 .362 .503 .86
2009 [+] 124 362 55 90 174 15 0 23 77 69 3 123 0 0 .249 .366 .481 .847 CWS/LSD
2010 MIN 108 276 48 78 173 16 2 25 59 60 4 82 0 0 .283 .412 .627 1.039
2011 MIN 64 185 19 47 92 12 0 11 38 31 3 58 0 0 .254 .359 .497 .857


CAREER 2456 8167 1553 2263 4555 440 26 600 1662 1710 169 2453 19 20 .277 .403 .558 .961

ShootyBabitt

I feel like 150 of those HRs came against the Tigers.

Probstein123

what amazes me is how hard it is to predict baseball talent...

he had 0 HR's in 213 plate appearances in his first year in the minors....that's 55 games without a HR....
clearly the worst HR production of any of the other major power hitters early on....

THOME's minor league stats

Dpeck100

Is this guy just not collected or did he just happen to have his rookie cards come out at the peak of baseball card production?

I remember spending every penny I made in the 1990 and 1991 season on minor league cards and he was in a bunch of the sets. The 1990 Best set with the Frank Thomas card was my prized possesion for years and I know Thome is in there.

detroitfan2

<< <i>I feel like 150 of those HRs came against the Tigers. >>



150 actually seems like a low # to me Shooty.

onebamafan

This is a prime example of a player reaching a tremendous milestone in MLB, and really most people just seem dis-interested. His cards and their demand/price clearly support my theory. Thome has really been under the radar for most fans his entire career.........good job Jim, you do deserve a spot in Cooperstown.

itzagoner

Thome is my homie.

always liked him, always will.

StickNutzman

Always the classiest dude on and off the field. He is my all time favorite baseball player. I wanted to wear the high socks like him.

I have a few of his rookies but have never gotten them graded. Suppose I should do that before he hits the hall.

Speaking of the Hall of Fame... is there always a noticeable increase in card value and activity around the time someone is inducted? Did Alomar and and Blyleven cards get a bump this summer?

MeteoriteGuy

Yes, they always tend to go up a little. The guys like JIm Rice, who no one knows for sure will make it, go up the most, but even the bigger stars get some bump.

For years you could buy those UD Final sets for like $2....I imagine they have some value now.

fiveniner

Thome has always been a class act.I hated him only when he batted against the Tigers.HOF first ballot or something is wrong.

jeffcbay

Has nobody mentioned the 600th HR ball yet? Where did that go? Usually by this time we're discussing how stupid or greedy the some stranger is.

jeffcbay

By the way, he's only hit 65 against the Tigers, but he has hit the most against them.

StickNutzman

Both of his home runs last night (599 and 600) went into the bullpens in Detroit. Pretty sure I heard that the Tigers bullpen coach brought it to the Twins dugout for him. Although it worked out well for Thome and Jeter, you never know if some jerk opportunist is going to cause a fuss over an historic souvenir.

jeffcbay

Another cool Thome-related story, last year I went to the Twins @ Indians game on September 11, which turned out to be the longest time I've ever spent at a baseball stadium. It was a rainy Saturday and there was a 1 hour and 53 minute rain delay. Luckily it was a Saturday in September, and the Buckeyes were playing Miami, so they threw that game up on the jumbo tron. They also split-screened it with the Michigan/Notre Dame game (yuck). So here I was, sitting at Progressive Field in the All-You-Can-Eat seats, just out of the rain, stuffing my face, and watching the Buckeyes! By the time the Buckeyes got done tattooing the Hurricanes (lol), it was Tribe time! Unfortunately the game was 0-0 for the first 11 innings, until the top of the 12th and Thome blasts #587 over the right field fence. Oddly enough, the Indians fans cheered for Thome, even though they lost 1-0. I guess if it had to be somebody, we were glad it was Thome! If/when he does land in the Hall, I hope he goes as an Indian!

StickNutzman

Thome played for the Indians for 12 years... I doubt he'll come anywhere close to that on any other team. I've always hoped there would be some way to make his way back to Cleveland before he retires. When Kenny Lofton was a trade deadline pickup in 2008 it brought back some great 90's memories. This year if Hafner would have been on the DL at the deadline... I wonder if the front office would have gone after Thome or some other power bat on a sub-.500 team. The ovation he would get on his first at-bat in a Tribe uniform would be amazing.

His 2 home runs last night helped the Tribe creep within 2 games of first place Detroit... so that works for me!

CNote

<< <i>Has nobody mentioned the 600th HR ball yet? Where did that go? Usually by this time we're discussing how stupid or greedy the some stranger is. >>



I believe it landed right in the Twins' bullpen.

Sheamaster

Article out of Minneapolis newspaper states that his son, Landon Thome, had one of the balls in his hands after the game, so it is presumed that the Tigers bullpen retrieved both balls and gave them to Thome.

He should be a lock for the HOF. 600 HRs and one of the nicest and most likeable guys in the game.

dontippet

<< <i>Is there ANY doubt which of these guys is least known? Would NEVER have thought that you could hit 600 HRs so quietly!

Barry Bonds 762
Hank Aaron 755
Babe Ruth 714
Willie Mays 660
Ken Griffey Jr. 630
Alex Rodriguez 626
Sammy Sosa 609
Jim Thome 600

Take a look at his very first HR ... into the UPPER DECK at old Yankee Stadium! >>



Rafeal Palmeiro could be put in the same category. His career was very quiet, until all of the supplement stuff came out against him.

byronscott4ever

Fitting that Thome's been acquiring nearly all of his HR baseballs lately and the biggest one to date is not going to have to be negotiated for which ensures it goes in his collection. My 7 year old earlier this year starting talking about "Jimmy" and asking about his HR chase. I had to call his mom from a grocery store parking lot to flip the channel so he could see the replay.

zendude

It's refreshing to see a milestone homerun from a classy player. It's also nice that the ball landed in the bullpen thus preventing all the B.S. that happens these days when a fan gets a hold of one.

saucywombat

Thome is the best with those patented moon shot home runs. That will always be a baseball classic for me - seeing the ball fly out to left center at Jacobs Field. or when he hit the flagpole in Minny last year.

Don't think their is much consensus on what his most sought after card is at this point. I was thinking maybe 1992 bowman - but get this you can literally "Buy it Now" - a Lot of 100 PSA 10 for about $1100. No 93 Finest Refractor. Maybe a 94 or 95 refractor? But then you are 3 or 4 years past his "RC". Well Mantle's 2nd year seems to do OK.

Mescalito345

I'd consider Thome to be a Hall of Famer. He's the fifth-best HR hitter of all time:

At bats per home run (AB/HR)

1. Mark McGwire 10.6
2. Babe Ruth+ 11.8
3. Barry Bonds 12.9
4. Ryan Howard 13.2
5. Jim Thome 13.6