MLB Hall of Fame: Jim Thome crushes induction weekend

For those who watched him crush pitches against their favorite team, he was a menace. For those who argue for high-level athleticism in the game, he was a plodding ogre with a stick. On Sunday, Jim Thome crushed the MLB Hall of Fame induction like he did so many hanging breaking pitches in his career.

MLB Hall of Fame weekend was tremendously well-done, as it always is. Even for this Atlanta Braves fan, there was a clear leader in the induction speech department, however, and that was Jim Thome.

Thome’s background

Originally from Peoria, Illinois, Thome was drafted in the 13th round by the Cleveland Indians from Illinois Central College. Thome was a big (6’4″, 225 pound) guy when he was drafted, and he only added strength as a pro, making his initial position of third base a struggle for him, and the Indians had a tough time initially finding a spot for him after he breezed through their system in two years to make his major league debut, as he spent the next two seasons doing the AAA/MLB shuffle.

Given a full-time role in 1994, Thome exploded on the scene, hitting 20 home runs in just 98 games, opening the door for his brilliant 1995, when he cemented himself in the middle of the Indians lineup with a .314/.438/.558 season with 25 home runs as the Indians made a run to the World Series.

Incredibly, Thome would go on to hit 612 home runs in his major league career, yet he only led the league in home runs once. He was incredibly consistent, walking a ton, hitting the ball out of the park, and still putting up a tremendous batting line, hitting .300 three times and finishing with a career .276 average.

The difficult part for Thome was that his numbers came in the middle of an offensive explosion in the game, and while it seemed Jim Thome was made to hit the way he hit, many guys who weren’t made that way were putting up numbers that compared with his, and it now puts a shadow on the entire era of hitting.

While sabermetricians will debate whether there is such a thing as “clutch”, Thome was always the best argument for a player being clutch, as his 13 walk-off home runs are a major league record. He also put balls out of the stadium at a greater pace in the postseason, stepping up with a home run every 15.71 plate appearances compared to one every 16.85 plate appearances over his career in the regular season.

While it really has no bearing on his MLB Hall of Fame merits, Thome was also known as one of the absolute best people in the game. Those who spent time around him loved him, and he poured himself into every community that he was part of in his MLB career.

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MLB Hall of Fame induction speech

While many could give Jim Thome a hard time for reading nearly word-for-word from the sheet he’d laid out before him and at times sounding a bit rehearsed because of it, hearing the emotion just at the surface throughout the speech made it clear that if he had attempted to go “off the cuff”, he very well may not have made it!

Thome’s big day was opened by his daughter singing the national anthem, and he was visibly moved by that moment. He’d already written it into his speech, but when he closed his thanks to those who had helped his baseball career along, he turned to his family, and he had something very special planned for them.

For roughly 5 minutes, Thome addressed his family, starting with his father, deceased mother, and brothers, then moving on to his in-laws. He saved the best for last, as he then spent the majority of those 5 minutes using his platform to tell his daughter and son how much he loved them and how special they were to him. Fittingly, he saved his last mention for his wife, whom he called “the best teammate I could have ever had.”

He closed out his MLB Hall of Fame speech with a closing typical of the man with the most walk-offs in MLB history as this is one of the best closings you may ever read.

"My experience has taught me that, if you try to conduct yourself with authenticity and honesty, the end result is one of the most natural highs any human being can have. I’m so honored to be a part of something so special, something greater than the individual. It’s been my great privilege to have played the game for as long as I did. And I can say this with certainty: the possibilities are just as important as the outcome. In living the dream that is MLB, the best part is not the result, but taking the journey with the people whose contributions make it all possible. Baseball is beautiful, and I am forever in its service.”"