<P> Throughout his career, Thome's strength was power hitting . In six different seasons, he hit more than 40 home runs, and in 2003, he led the National League in home runs with 47 . His career on - base plus slugging (OPS) of . 956 is 19th all time . In 2011, he became the eighth MLB player to hit 600 home runs . As of 2017 Thome is the career leader in walk - off home runs with 13 . One of Thome's trademarks was his unique batting stance, in which he held the bat out with his right hand and pointed it at right field before the pitcher threw, something he first saw in The Natural . Thome was known for his consistently positive attitude and "gregarious" personality . An active philanthropist during his playing career, he was honored with two Marvin Miller Man of the Year Awards and a Lou Gehrig Memorial Award for his community involvement . In 2018, Thome was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame . </P> <P> Thome was born in Peoria, Illinois, on August 27, 1970, and is the youngest of five children . Many of the Thome family played sports: Jim's grandmother was hired at a local Caterpillar plant solely to play for the company's softball team; his father built bulldozers for Caterpillar and played slow - pitch softball; his aunt Caroline Thome Hart is in the Women's Softball Hall of Fame; and his two older brothers, Chuck III and Randy, played baseball at Limestone High School . Thome learned to play baseball from his father on a tennis court, and also played basketball in what he described as the "ghetto" of Peoria, noting that he was the only white kid there but that he earned the respect of his fellow players . One day during his youth, Thome sneaked into the Cubs' clubhouse at Wrigley Field in an unsuccessful attempt to obtain an autograph from his favorite player, Dave Kingman . Though Thome received signatures from several other players, this experience influenced him to be generous with signing autographs for fans during his playing career . </P> <P> Like his older brothers, Thome attended Limestone High School where he achieved all - state honors in basketball and as a baseball shortstop . He played American Legion Baseball for Bartonville Limestone Post 979 in his hometown, as well . Although he had hoped to draw the attention of scouts, at just 175 pounds (79 kg) he was relatively underweight for his 6 - foot - 2 - inch (188 cm) height, meaning that he attracted only passing interest--the average Major League Baseball (MLB) player weighed 195 pounds (88 kg) in 1993 . Thome graduated in 1988 and, after not being drafted, enrolled at Illinois Central College where he continued his baseball and basketball careers . After one season, he was drafted by MLB's Cleveland Indians as an "afterthought" in the 13th round of the 1989 MLB draft . </P> <P> For the 1989 season, Thome was assigned to the Gulf Coast League Indians, a minor league affiliate of the Cleveland Indians . He finished the year with a . 237 batting average, no home runs, and 22 runs batted in (RBIs). After his rookie season, he met "hitting guru" Charlie Manuel, who later became his manager and mentor . Unlike most Indians staff, Manuel saw potential in Thome and worked hard with him, particularly on his hip motion while swinging the bat . Thome later said, "(Manuel) saw something in me I didn't ." During this work, Manuel suggested to Thome that he point his bat out to center field before the pitch to relax himself like Roy Hobbs did when batting in the baseball film The Natural . The work paid off; in 1990, Thome hit . 340 and totaled 16 home runs and 50 RBIs playing at both the Rookie and Class A levels of the minor leagues . Thome spent most of the 1991 season splitting time between Double - A and Triple - A where, in combination, he hit . 319 with 7 home runs and 73 RBIs . </P>

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