Throughout his career, Frank Thomas prided himself on being one of the strongest and biggest hitters in the game. And now that he’s transitioned into an analyst’s role at Fox Sports 1, big and strong has taken a backseat to comfortable and informative. Thomas has quickly become one of the better baseball analysts, bringing his knowledge of hitting to the desk.
The 2014 Hall of Fame inductee is down in Cincinnati for the 2015 MLB All-Star Game doing some promotional work for Gillette and took some time to chat with Uproxx Sports about a variety of topics, including his 1994 season, the DH, the Frank Thomas Big Hurt Baseball video game, and more.
Martin Rickman: What was your favorite All-Star Game moment as a player?
Frank Thomas: I’d have to say 1995. I won the Home Run Derby, and the next night I hit a home run as a player. It was more of a coming-out party for me, and I think I got the national notoriety after that game.
What’s your relationship like with the All-Star Game today? Do you feel like it matters as much as it used to, or is it another situation where like anything else, we’re preconditioned to always be nostalgic for the past?
It’s not always the case [that the past is better], but I’m not a big fan of the fan vote anymore. You’re seeing it a lot, you can’t trust who’s voting, whether it’s the system or whatever else. I think they should get the natural voting back into the ballparks. There’s always people going to the ballpark, and that could fix it.
I always wondered about that 1994 season. You were having such a good year. How do you feel about that season in retrospect?
That’s a bitter place in my life. That’ll always be a bitter place in my life. That year everything clicked for me, and I really felt like I could’ve set a record that year or gotten very close to the real single home run record in that season. Or that RBI record. Everything could have had a chance that year. And now we’ll never know. In my time as a ballplayer, that season will always feel like it was stolen away from me.
How does it feel to be the one ‘Big Guy’ guys point to and can say definitively, “He didn’t do steroids?” Do you feel vindicated about that? How disappointed are you in the guys from that era who did?
It is one of those things where I had a chance at history earlier in the mid-’90s and it was cut short, I believe, because of that, of the steroid era. Like I said, I tell people I was blessed to have an unbelievable career. I don’t know if it’s vindication, but I do take pride in doing things the right way – and being the biggest and strongest guy in baseball. That was my advantage when I first got into the league.
Did you ever have any real desire to be a two-sport professional athlete? Is that something you ever considered or thought about?
Not at all. Once I quit [football] in college, I knew I made the right decision. It was all about longevity and taking baseball serious as a career. Football, yes I could’ve played in the NFL, but it would’ve been a short three- or four-year career. And that’s not what I wanted. I was looking in college to do something as a career, and that was baseball, and I was blessed to have the ability to do that at a high level.
I know the beer-brewing process is a lot of trial and error. What have you learned in the time you’ve spent making and branding your own beer?
I have a brewmaster who is a partner, and he’s extremely talented. He was a brewmaster before I met him, and he brought me into the game. I’ve just experienced making several brews, and I’m having a lot of fun with it.
What do you remember most about the motion capture experience from Big Hurt Baseball? What was that process like?
I see these guys do that now, and I’m like, ‘man, we did that back in the ’90s.’ We put those body sleeves on, the lights all over the body to track the actual movements. It’s just amazing where computer systems have gone and where technology has taken us over the last 15 years.
There are still a few copies of Big Hurt pinball out there – are you a pinball guy?
Oh yeah. I still have one at home. I love the Big Hurt pinball game. It’s definitely one of my favorites. And it’s still in commission.
What was the toughest part for you in adjusting to an analyst’s role? As a competitor you want to be the best, and I’ve seen you make such a big jump so quickly.
It’s all about being comfortable. I can sit there and do my homework, but my goal on TV is to come across natural, and have a lot of information that is credible from my experiences in a Major League clubhouse and playing the game on the field.
Which hitters playing today do you follow closely? Is there anybody who makes you stop and say, “Wow?”
Quite a few. The number one is Miguel Cabrera. Number two is Mike Trout. Number three is Giancarlo Stanton because I’ve never seen a guy as strong as him. I’ve seen some strong guys, but he’s the strongest I’ve seen in 30 years of watching Major League baseball. But Bryce Harper is right there. He’s coming fast because he’s an incredible young talent, and he has tremendous upside.
It seems like there’s a constant discussion on how to fix the game, whether it’s putting the DH in the NL, shortening games, shortening the season. Do you agree with any of these measures?
The DH needs to be in both leagues. Nobody wants to see pitchers hit. The premium is on pitching, and those guys are making $30 million to go out there and pitch. Let them focus on their craft. And that’s the number one thing I would do because you’re playing so many Interleague Games anyway, and it’s also providing more jobs in the Major Leagues.
Which players did you grow up admiring when you were playing?
Dave Winfield. Dale Murphy. And the great Hank Aaron. No one down in South Georgia didn’t know who Hank Aaron was. He was my dad’s favorite player. And when I went to the Hall of Fame last year, it was awesome to see him.
Speaking of the Hall of Fame, that’s such a pivotal moment. Now that you’ve had a little time to reflect, what was the best part of that experience for you?
It was overwhelming, man. It was one of those things where my father pushed me so hard to be something special. It was such a weird weekend because all the emotions just overcame me. To have a career that lasted so long and was so successful coming down to trying to put it in a 20-minute speech.
I’ve seen you comment in the past about trying to get more black players in the game. It seems like the decline of African-Americans in baseball has hurt the game in general. At the same time it’s hard to get those players back in. What would you do to fix it?
To be honest in the black community, especially down South, it’s the number-three sport. It’s not the cool sport. We have all the academies across the world. If we put a few down South, and paid for them and taught kids to play the game, you’re going to discover some great talent – like Bo Jackson and myself, all those guys – we all came from the South. If you give them access to a great academy and it’s run by Major League scouts who are teaching the game properly, you’re going to see so many great young players. It’ll be an overnight success. They’re doing a great job of it right now, and when they get four or five of them down South, watch out. You’ll see the era of the great young black ballplayers again.
We’ve just got to get those kids grown up a little bit and get them in the majors.
We’ve just got to really get them focusing in on baseball. If you put a nice shiny academy with free uniforms and gloves and guy out there being allowed to work on their craft, you’ll see it happen overnight.
Who do you have in this year’s Derby?
It’s going to be a toss-up. I’m happy to see Albert Pujols excited to be doing it again because he’s rejuvenated, you know what I mean? He might put on a show because he’s been there before. The guy you need to watch out for is Prince Fielder. He’s looking to find his home-run swing, and he didn’t get to do the Derby last year after missing out. This might be what he needs to make his season special. He’s had an unbelievable hitting season without the home runs. He’s won the Derby twice and he could do it again. Joc Pederson could be the surprise guy because watching him swing the whole time, he’s always looking to hit that 400-foot home run all the time. With him knowing the fast ball is coming, he could be pretty dangerous.
You’re doing a lot with Gillette down in Cincinnati. Do you want to get me up to speed on what they’ve got going on during the All-Star Break?
This is my second year with Gillette for me, and they’re the title sponsor of the Home Run Derby again. And at Fan Fest, I’ll be there, and people can come take a few swings in the batting cage and learn about their Shave Club. They deliver razors to your door, and I’m excited to be a part of it because I used their razors before they invited me. I’ve gotta give it two thumbs up because It works.
Are you a sensitive skin guy, or are you able to shave with no problems?
Oh, I’m a sensitive skin guy, but I use that cream also. I definitely shave every day. It keeps me young. I’m 47, but most people think I’m still in my 30s.
You probably can still hit like you’re in your 30s too.
I wish. I can still hit, but who’s going to run for me? [Laughs.]
