HOFer Jim Thome named President of MLB Players Alumni Association

Baseball Hall of Famer Jim Thome was named the President of the MLB Players Alumni Association (MLBPAA) on Wednesday. Thome, who spent 22 seasons in the majors including with the then-named Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox, will take over as President for fellow Baseball Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson, who has been the President of the MLBPAA since 1989.

Baseball Hall of Famer Jim Thome is the new President of the MLBPAA

The MLBPAA was established in 1982 to connect MLB players and to keep them connected with the game. Baseball Hall of Famer Jim Thome will become just the fourth President of the organization, which also celebrated its 40th anniversary last week.

Originally, the MLBPAA was created to connect former MLB players in the Baltimore/Washington D.C. area as it started with 15 former Baltimore Orioles players and a handful of former Washington Senators players.

Since then, the MLBPAA has expanded extensively as nearly 9,000 former players, managers, coaches, umpires, front office staff, and broadcasters are part of the organization.

The program helps connect members to those still in the industry but it also connects members to fans. MLBPAA holds children’s clinics, autograph signing events, special dinners (for local and national charities), and many other events around in over a dozen countries year-round.

Thome, who has been a member of the MLBPAA since 1999, said in a statement that of all of the events the organization does, he likes the clinics for the children the most.

“I love the youth clinic part because at the end of the day, it is about our young kids and educating them with great information to be able to grow,” Thome said. “Anytime you can pass on information to our youth, and talk about the game’s integrity and how to play, it is a good thing.”

Thome will continue to be a “special assistant” to Chicago White Sox GM Rick Hahn and as an analyst for MLB Network.