On this day in 1968, Frank Edward Thomas Jr. was born in Columbus, Georgia.
Long before he became “the Big Hurt,” Thomas was a three-sport standout at Columbus High School, playing baseball, football and basketball. He wanted a professional baseball contract out of high school, but no team drafted him in 1986.
Thomas went to Auburn on a football scholarship, but baseball quickly became his path. He hit .359 as a freshman, later batted .403 as a junior and finished his college career with a school-record 49 home runs. The Chicago White Sox selected Thomas seventh overall in the 1989 MLB draft, and he reached the majors the next year.
By 1991, Thomas was already one of the toughest outs in baseball. In his first full season, he hit .318 with 32 home runs, 109 RBIs and 138 walks. He did not just swing for power. He controlled the strike zone, hit for average and forced pitchers to work.
His best stretch remains one of the most complete runs by any hitter. From 1991 to 1997, Thomas became the only player in major league history with seven straight seasons of at least a .300 batting average, 100 runs, 100 RBIs, 100 walks and 20 home runs. He won American League MVP awards in 1993 and 1994, and his 1993 season helped carry the White Sox to a division title.
In Chicago, Thomas became the face of the franchise. He set team records in home runs, RBIs, runs, doubles, walks, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. Injuries later changed how often he could play the field, but they did not erase his bat. In 2000, he hit 43 home runs with 143 RBIs and won AL Comeback Player of the Year.
Thomas was limited by injury during the White Sox’s 2005 World Series run, but he received a ring for his regular-season contributions. He later played for Oakland and Toronto, hitting his 500th career home run in 2007. He retired with 521 homers, 1,704 RBIs, 1,667 walks and a .301 batting average.
The White Sox retired his No. 35 in 2010. Four years later, Thomas entered the Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot.
