Thome vs. Thomas

By Benjy Lipsman in News on Sep 15, 2006 3:07PM

Remember back in the off-season, when the White Sox traded a gritty outfielder with a decent bat for a guy who, before injuries, had been one of the most feared sluggers in baseball? And then the White Sox cast away one of their own who, before injuries, had also been one of the great hitters in the game?

The White Sox head into Oakland for a 3-game set with the A's this weekend, and both Jim Thome and Frank Thomas will be in action, so we thought it would be a good time to compare their seasons thus far. And for those of you who haven't kept tabs on the Big Hurt since he left for the A's, you may be surprised!

Here are the two players' stats:

		G	AB	H	HRs	RBIs	BA
	Jim Thome	129	450	131	39	99	.291
		G	AB	H	HRs	RBIs	BA
	Frank Thomas	122	418	117	36	98	.280

Amazingly, their stats for the season are very close. And both are full-time designated hitters, so neither provides anything in the field. What looked like a tremendous upgrade to many doesn't look that way anymore, especially when money is factored into the caclulation.

Thome is making over $14 million this season -- although the Phillies are picking up part of that tab. The A's are paying Frank Thomas just $500,000 -- in addition to the $3.5 million buyout the White Sox paid him. $10 million is a lot of money, for 14 hits, 3 home runs and 1 RBI.

With both players making such dramatic returns from injury-plagued 2005 campaigns, the two will likely battle for Comeback Player of the Year honors. It's really a toss-up right now. However, even if Thomas misses out on the CPY award, he may still get the last laugh. His Oakland A's lead the AL West right now, while the Sox remain out of the playoff picture were the postseason to start today.