Frank Thomas? All time great slugger?

[healer677]

....or just an average home run hitter?
Up until 1996 in almost 100 years of baseball only 14 players hit 500 home runs in their career.

But since 1996, Thomas is the 7th player to reach this milestone and the first of possibly as many as five who can get there this season. So does 500 mean anything anymore? Unlike Biggio's 3000 which most people still consider an automatic ticket - has 500 become a statistical sbomination of an era of baseball gone bad?

 

[Brownie69]

....or just an average home run hitter?
Up until 1996 in almost 100 years of baseball only 14 players hit 500 home runs in their career.

But since 1996, Thomas is the 7th player to reach this milestone and the first of possibly as many as five who can get there this season. So does 500 mean anything anymore? Unlike Biggio's 3000 which most people still consider an automatic ticket - has 500 become a statistical sbomination of an era of baseball gone bad?

I think Biggio's 300 hits is being over rated, the guy did it over a 20 year career. Thats only an average of 150 per year, hardly earth shattering. Biggio has longevity, which will get him into the HOF.

As for the Big Hurt, of all the guys who have recently hit the 500 plateau, with the exception of Griffey Jr., there is no question that he is steroid clean in comparison to all of them. I think the 500 plateau still has value, but it will be judged with what the player was deemed to have done, or not done, during his career in regards to steroids.