Jim Thome - A True Ambassador for the Game of Baseball

Coming into the 2010 baseball season I have to say that I was not much of a Jim Thome fan. This can mostly be attributed to him playing on division rivals of the Minnesota Twins for many years, and to him hitting countless big home runs against the Twins (most notably in game 163 in 2008). In 2010 that all changed though when he decided to sign with the Twins. Right after he signed I knew he would be an asset, but I never expected him to help out the Twins as much as he did.

For the first half of the season Jim got starts at DH here and there, and he hit a few home runs. He just wasn't able to get into a solid hitting groove, and his batting average at the time reflected that. Then Justin Morneau went down, and Jim was vaulted into the regular starting lineup. This is when I, as well as everyone else, found out that signing Jim Thome was indeed the right decision. Over the next few months Jim hit numerous big home runs. Most notable of these were his walk off against the White Sox, his shot off the flagpole that would have left the stadium if it was not inhibited, his home run to pass Harmon Killebrew on the all time home runs list, and his home run to break a 0-0 tie in extra innings in Cleveland. What makes Jim Thome's season even more impressive is that he hit his 25 home runs in only 276 at bats, and he hit a lot of them at Target Field, which was the toughest ballpark to hit home runs in last year (Except for the Toronto Blue Jays). In addition, Jim hit his home runs to all fields, and many of them were well over the fence. Just think if he had played the bulk of his games at Yankee "It looks like he popped this one up to the second baseman, wait a second, it's ten rows back!" Stadium. If he had played the majority of his games there this season he probably would have hit 40+ home runs (That might be a bold statement, but sometimes a bold statement needs to be made).

Now he may have had a tough postseason, but I think I speak for just about everybody in Twins Territory when I say that I would like to see Jim Thome in a Twins uniform again next season. Of course one reason I would like to see Jim back next year is because he is still a great hitter, but the main reason why I would like to see him back in a Twins uniform is that he is a true ambassador for the game of baseball. I feel that this is the case because he plays the game the right way, he is a great person to have in the clubhouse, he conducts himself with integrity on and off the field, and his home run total of 589 doesn't need any punctuation next to it.

Overall it would be great to see Jim Thome, who is indeed a true ambassador for the game of baseball, make one more bid for a world series title with the Minnesota Twins. And one more thing, it would be pretty sweet to see Jimmy hit number 600 in a Twins uniform.