Congrats Jim Thome!

[brianborsch]

Jim Thome has officially retired! HOF is next! A great player and person. Legendary.

[ChiGuy1]

Great to see. He is a class act and friendly guy.

[Wrigley2010]

Hands down one of the best hitters I've ever had the privilege to see in person. Can't wait to watch his HOF speech!

[sportsnbikes]

Are we sure he gets in the HOF? He was in that era of steroids. If Craig Biggio isn't in as a 3000 hit guy, is anyone a lock anymore?

[brianborsch]

He's not a sure thing. But Frank Thomas got in. Also, Thome is one of just 8 players in history with 600+ HR's. 3 of those 8 are in the HOF(Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, and Willie Mays) and the others are not in either because they have been confirmed/directly linked to steroids (Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa), or they haven't met the waiting period (Jim Thome, Ken Griffey Jr.), or both (Alex Rodriguez). On top of that, of the players with 600+ HR's, Thome is 1 of 3 with a career OBP of .400 or higher!

[ShaimOnYou]

He had one of the most devastatingly powerful home run swings I have ever seen in the game. A swing-thing of beauty.

Unless some unforeseen horrible news comes out linking him to ground-up horse hoof/Rhino horn "Jack-me-UP" powder stirred in with anabolic breakfast shakes, I would say Thome is a first rounder lock for the Hall.

[Chess2899]

He has also been incredibly nice to people over the years. He has never displayed the " steroid rage" characteristic you see with Bonds, Clemens, A-Rod etc.

[sox83cubs84]

Despite the games Thome played with me for years when I tried to get his autograph, I nonetheless recognize him as a solid citizen, a great slugger, and a clubhouse dream. If he doesn't make it in on the first ballot, I would be angry.

Dave Miedema