Frank Thomas (1968- ) was born in Columbus, Georgia. He became known as the Big Hurt because of his size and power hitting. His batting record from 1991 to 1997 made him the first player in major league history to post a batting average above .300 with at least 20 home runs, 100 runs batted in (RBIs), 100 walks, and 100 runs scored in 7 consecutive seasons.
The Chicago White Sox of the American League (AL) drafted him in 1989, and he made his major league debut during the 1990 season.
In 1991, his first full major league season, Thomas batted .318 with 32 home runs and 109 RBIs. The following season he posted equally impressive statistics, raising his average to .323 while amassing 24 home runs and 115 RBIs. In 1993, he hit 41 home runs and maintained a .317 average and was named most valuable player (MVP) of the AL. He earned a second MVP award in 1994 by posting a .353 batting average and hitting 38 home runs.
Thomas enjoyed two more years of excellent hitting in 1995 and 1996. He slugged 40 home runs in each of those seasons and batted .308 and .349, respectively. In 1997 Thomas was the AL batting champion, with a .347 average. He also totaled 125 RBIs and 35 home runs.
