The Phillies have announced that this year’s Wall of Fame inductee will be Jim Thome
2003 Donruss Studio #165 Jim Thome
Jim Thome’s tenure in Philadelphia was short but it had an impact. He may not have been a member of the playoff teams but he was an important piece that the organization needed to generate publicity while ramping up to opening of a new stadium.
The numbers for Thome’s 3+ Years are impressive, 101 Home Runs including an NL leading 47 in 2003 when he finished 4th in the MVP voting. He followed that up with an All-Star appearance in 2004. During each of his first two seasons in Philadelphia he finished top 10 NL in a number of offensive categories Homers, RBIs, Walks, SLG, and OPS.
2003 Donruss Studio
Picked this one because it features Thome in front of Veteran’s Stadium – the outgoing stadium. Regardless the building was good to Big Jim, He hit 28 dingers in the building including one on September 27 2003 which was the Final Home Run ever hit at the Vet. Later in that game he would also be plated on a Chase Utley single as the winning run in the Phillies final Veteran’s Stadium Walk-off Win.
One of the things I like about this picture is that just beyond Thome’s shoulders it features one of the giant statues that were set at the entrances of the Vet. The sculptures were retained when Veteran's stadium was imploded and now sit around the former stadium’s perimeter.
Sources and Links
Phillies Wall of Fame Index
Phungo Jim Thome PC index
Baseball-ref
Jim Thome’s tenure in Philadelphia was short but it had an impact. He may not have been a member of the playoff teams but he was an important piece that the organization needed to generate publicity while ramping up to opening of a new stadium.
The numbers for Thome’s 3+ Years are impressive, 101 Home Runs including an NL leading 47 in 2003 when he finished 4th in the MVP voting. He followed that up with an All-Star appearance in 2004. During each of his first two seasons in Philadelphia he finished top 10 NL in a number of offensive categories Homers, RBIs, Walks, SLG, and OPS.
2003 Donruss Studio
Picked this one because it features Thome in front of Veteran’s Stadium – the outgoing stadium. Regardless the building was good to Big Jim, He hit 28 dingers in the building including one on September 27 2003 which was the Final Home Run ever hit at the Vet. Later in that game he would also be plated on a Chase Utley single as the winning run in the Phillies final Veteran’s Stadium Walk-off Win.
One of the things I like about this picture is that just beyond Thome’s shoulders it features one of the giant statues that were set at the entrances of the Vet. The sculptures were retained when Veteran's stadium was imploded and now sit around the former stadium’s perimeter.
Sources and Links
Phillies Wall of Fame Index
Phungo Jim Thome PC index
Baseball-ref
