Jim Thome

Jim Thome is one of the great all-time baseball sluggers.  In his 22 seasons, Thome hit 612 home runs.  He made five All-Star teams and led a revitalization of the Cleveland Indians franchise during the 1990s.  The Indians won the American League pennant with Thome in 1995 and 1997.  He is Cleveland’s all-time leader in home runs.  In six different seasons, Thome hit over 40 home runs and led the National League with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2003.  Following his time with the Phillies, he had a successful three-year run as the Chicago White Sox designated hitter and currently serves as a special assistant to their general manager. Despite playing in the heart of the steroid era, he was known to be a clean player, but consistently got overlooked due to the skyrocketing offensive numbers around him.  The Indians originally selected the Peoria, Illinois native in the 13th round of the 1989 MLB Draft.  Thome and his wife remain active in many charities and he received two Marvin Miller Man of the Year Awards along with the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award during his playing career for his philanthropic efforts.