Photo: US Presswire
- Adam Parker
Longtime slugger Jim Thome is packing his bags and leaving the city of Brotherly Love to Baltimore, to bolster a lineup in dire need of some pop.
The trade between the Phillies and Orioles was consummated Saturday when the Orioles sent two young minor leaguers -- right-hander Kyle Simon, 21, and catcher Gabriel Lino, 19, to Philly in exchange for Thome.
The 41-year-old Thome is a five-time All-Star whose 609 big flies are tied with heralded Cubs' slugger Sammy Sosa for seventh place on the all-time list, and his 1,689 RBI's over the span of a 22-year career rank 25th all-time.
Thome will immediately step into the designated hitter role with the Orioles, who, at (42-35), have been a surprising contender in the usually Yankees/Red Sox dominated American League East. As it stands, O's skipper Buck Showalter has his young team playing inspired baseball, and they currently sit five games back from the division-leading New York Yankees.
With Ryan Howard out in Philadelphia for an extended period of time while rehabbing after having surgery on a torn achilles he tore running to first base in the Phillies' season finale, Thome, despite his age, figured to be a godsend and a much needed power source in a depleted Phillies lineup also missing Chase Utley up until recently.
Thome was also likely to see considerable time at first base, as in the National League, that's the only way the Phillies could get him significant at-bats.
Fast forward to now, and the severely underwhelming and slumping Phillies (36-44) have not had much use for Thome as of late seeing as how he's missed the majority of the season to this point with a lower back strain. In 30 games for the Phillies this season, Thome hit .242 with five home runs and 15 RBIs.
The Orioles, on other hand, are welcoming the veteran southpaw slugger with open arms.
Thome had this to say about the trade, "There's a part of me that's happy to go and get a chance to play a little bit. Baltimore is having a nice year (go figure) and it will be exciting to go over there and try to help those guys win and get some at-bats. I'm excited about that, for sure," Thome said.
"There's always emotions when you're traded because you have so much respect for the Phillies organization," he said.
"I think the disappointing thing for me is that I wasn't able to play as much first base as I thought," he said.
Needless to say, I'm sure Thome's weary bones are overjoyed to know that he can now focus entirely on hitting in the DH role.
Hitting -- something the Orioles, despite their above .500 record, could certainly use more of.
The Orioles have scored more than three runs in only two of their last 12 games and is averaging a measly six hits over their last 14 contests.
"We felt Thome's presence and our need on the major league team were worth the value we had to give up in a trade," said Dan Duquette, the Orioles executive vice president of baseball operations. "We like both young players. They're both in A ball. We needed some help to bolster our lineup."
Thome, as he has in countless other scenarios prior to this one, appears to be the perfect fit.
"Jim Thome's a real pro, and he specializes in hitting home runs and getting on base," Duquette said. "He's done that consistently his whole career. Beyond that, he's a terrific teammate and a steady presence. He's a veteran, he's been around league. He's been in the pennant race and he's been in the playoffs. We like all those things that he brings to our team."
Take notes kids. If you have a dream to play Major League Baseball for a long time, namely into your late 30s/early 40s, you'll want to emulate everything about Thome. The guy is the consummate professional, is still productive in the right role, and the value of being a great teammate and a veteran leader in the clubhouse for such a young roster cannot be understated.
"I think he gives us a little more depth to our lineup with the injuries we've had (most notably the loss of incumbent Designated Hitter Nick Johnson), the left-handed hitters in our lineup. I think his presence in the lineup will make the opposing pitchers work harder," Duquette said. "Because he gets on base and hits home runs and can hit the ball out of any part of this ballpark, we think he'll be an asset to the team."
I can see now why Thome remains arguably one of the most popular players in the sport. That patented wide stance in the batter's box has led to many a moonshot, including 18 in 67 career games at Camden Yards. That's one home run every 13.6 at-bats.
"I think everybody in baseball has been a fan of Jim, the way he carries himself and conducts himself," Showalter said. "The most important thing is this is a guy can help us with some things between the lines and outside the lines. If you have an opportunity to add him to the mix, you always want to try to do it."
Well said, Buck.
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