Jim Thome hit 612 career home runs, ranks eighth on the all-time list, and was a first-ballot Hall of Famer — yet he may be the most underrated slugger in the 600-homer club.
Does his performance/career still fly under the radar, though? It certainly feels that way.
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Where Jim Thome Ranks on the All-Time HR List
As you can imagine, the top of MLB’s all-time home run leaderboard is a who’s-who of the game’s most legendary players. But not all of them are Hall of Famers because of their… let’s say, “extracurricular activities“ when it comes to performance-enhancing drugs.
Nine total sluggers are members of the 600-homer club:
- Barry Bonds: 762
- Hank Aaron: 755
- Babe Ruth: 714
- Albert Pujols: 703
- Alex Rodriguez: 696
- Willie Mays: 660
- Ken Griffey Jr.: 630
- Jim Thome: 612
- Sammy Sosa: 609
If you look at the Baseball-Reference pages for everyone on this list, you’ll notice a bunch of similarities. They all have (at least) one MVP Award, single-season home run crowns, and All-Star selections.
Except Thome, of course.
Thome Is Missing Many Traditional Individual Accolades
The left-handed slugger’s Hall of Fame career spanned 22 seasons while playing for six different teams. Can you believe that this man was named an All-Star just five times and won just a single Silver Slugger Award?
I mean, come on, right? Thome was one of the game’s premier sluggers — it’s crazy that he somehow didn’t win more than one Silver Slugger Award, but it’s true. He also never won an MVP Award but finished within the top 20 on eight different occasions. Most of his best opportunities came from 2001–03 when he finished within the top 10 each season.
Thome placed seventh in 2001 and 2002 with the Cleveland Indians and fourth in 2003 for the Philadelphia Phillies. Speaking of that 2003 campaign, that was also the only time he won a league home run crown after slugging 47 taters.
This dude surpassed the 40-homer plateau six times and even has an ultra-rare 50-homer campaign under his belt, but somehow walked away with just one home run title.
He is one of a few big-league players to own the single-season and all-time home run record for one team, though. His 52 homers in 2002 and his 337 total taters for Cleveland are both franchise records (for now, at least — Jose Ramirez is coming for that all-time record).
What Made Jim Thome Somehow Fly Under the Radar?
If you grew up and/or currently live in the Midwest and are reading this, you might think I’m crazy. And I very well could be, but at the very least, my East Coast bias is probably showing. However, Cleveland isn’t a large media market, so it’s tough for players to get the airtime they deserve. It could’ve been a little different if the organization won one of its World Series appearances in the 1990s, but that wasn’t meant to be.
Thome was also a victim of the era he played in. Playing through the steroid era made it harder for him to get noticed enough to rack up those All-Star Game selections or Silver Slugger Awards. He put up gaudy numbers, but they weren’t as gaudy as those who used PEDs, which didn’t help his cause.
And it’s not like Thome was a simple stat compiler. The 162-game average for his career included a .276/.402/.554 line with 39 homers, 29 doubles, 108 RBI, and 101 runs scored. He posted nine straight years of 30-plus homers from 1996–2004, averaging 41 taters and 111 RBI during that time.
And if he didn’t get hurt in 2005 when he appeared in just 59 games, it could’ve been 13 straight years with 30-plus homers. He came back to hit 42 in 2006, 35 in 2007, and 34 in 2008.
Jim Thome didn’t get nearly as many individual accolades as I think he deserved during his playing career. And it may just be me, but I think he can sometimes fly under the radar when people start naming some of the game’s most feared power hitters.
But he ended it all by becoming a first-ballot Hall of Famer, which is an honor not bestowed on many professional baseball players. All’s well that ends well, right?
Frequently Asked Questions
How many home runs did Jim Thome hit in his career?
Jim Thome hit 612 career home runs, which ranks eighth on MLB’s all-time home run list. He is one of nine members of the 600-homer club.
Is Jim Thome in the Hall of Fame?
Yes. Jim Thome was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2018 as a first-ballot selection, receiving 89.8% of votes from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.
What teams did Jim Thome play for?
Jim Thome played for six MLB teams over his 22-year career: the Cleveland Indians, Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago White Sox, Minnesota Twins, Chicago Cubs, and Los Angeles Dodgers.
Did Jim Thome ever win a home run title?
Yes, but just once. Jim Thome won the National League home run title in 2003 with the Philadelphia Phillies, hitting 47 home runs. Despite six 40-homer seasons and one 50-homer campaign, that remains his only home run crown.
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