Former major league slugger Frank Thomas, who was the American League MVP in 1993 and 1994, believes he was a victim of baseball's so-called steroids era.
“I was the one player who was hurt the most,” Thomas said at a recent event in Joilet, Ill., according to The Herald-News. “All those years I finished second, third, fourth behind those guys, I probably could have won four more MVPs.”
Thomas, who will appear on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot for the first time when it is released next week, played in the AL from 1990 to 2008. As such, he was a comtemporary of such PED-stained players as Alex Rodriguez, Jason Giambi, Mark McGwire, Manny Ramirez and Rafael Palmeiro.
The five-time All-Star never has shied away from being critical of those who took steroids.
“But I was never outspoken about it,” he said. “That’s something the media put on me. I was asked about it and answered how I felt, and the questions escalated.”
Thomas stands a good chance of being elected to Cooperstown when the results are announced in January. His lifetime numbers (.301/.419/.555, 521 home runs) certainly are Hall-worthy. He led the AL in OPS four times and was consistently among the league leaders in home runs, hits, RBIs, runs, total bases, batting average and other offensive categories.
And unlike McGwire and Palmeiro, who have received little Hall support during their time on the ballot, he generally is believed to have played clean.
But it's hard to see how he could have four more MVPs.
Other than 1993 and 1994, his highest MVP finishes were:
• Third in 1990, behind Cal Ripken and Cecil Fielder;
• Third in 1997, behind Ken Griffey Jr. and Tino Martinez;
• Second in 2000, behind Giambi.
Of the players to finish ahead of him, only Giambi has been tied to PED use.