CLEARWATER, Fla. – This winter, Jim Thome knew there was only one way to prepare his 41-year-old body for the final stretch of a certain Hall of Fame career that has reunited him with the Philadelphia Phillies.
He needed to do some extra stretching of his own.
So the barrel-chested 6-foot-3, 250-pound slugger, eighth on the all-time home-run list, with 604 blasts, immersed himself in a rigorous yoga regimen to limber up his back and leg muscles.
With All-Star first baseman Ryan Howard still recovering from surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles tendon — and a subsequent infection that has delayed his progress — Thome wanted to be as loose and lithe as possible if manager Charlie Manuel needs him to fill in for Howard at first base. And because Thome hasn’t seen any real action at the position since 2007, yoga seemed like a perfect way to get primed for the physical demands of defensive work.
“I just wanted to do more stretching, since I’d be playing more at first,” he said. “I researched it and had done a little yoga before, but just not to the degree that I did it this winter. And it was great. You really feel the difference.”
During his first stint with the Phillies, Thome lost his job at first base after he injured his elbow in 2005. That opened the door for Howard, who went on to win the National League Rookie of the Year Award. That spelled the end of Thome’s three-season Phillies run, during which he clubbed 47 homers in 2003 and 42 in 2004, surpassing the 400 milestone.
Now, he likely will be part of a committee to spell Howard, along with free-agent signee Ty Wigginton and John Mayberry Jr.
“I feel good,” Thome said. “The main thing is that I’m out there more, taking ground balls every day, so I wanted to put my body in a position where I could take a little bit of stress off my back. It’s not that I’d never done that in the past, but it’s different playing first base than just DH-ing. It’s going to be a little bit of an adjustment, so I cleaned my diet up and some things to put my body in the best situation it could be.
“You know, if this is going to be my last year, why not go out with a bang and give yourself the best opportunity to succeed?”
Does Thome expect this season to be the end of a long road? He began with the Cleveland Indians (1991-2002) and then had stops with Philly (2003-05), the White Sox (2006-09), Dodgers (’09), Twins (2010-11), Indians again (2011) — and now back to the City of Brotherly Love in 2012 as a bench player and backup.
“I don’t know,” he said. “I don’t take anything for granted. If this is gonna be it, you know what? Enjoy it. I feel like I’ve been a part of some great organizations, including this one. I know I’m certainly not a young guy in baseball. I know my time is coming, and I’m very content with that. And I feel blessed that I was put in this situation to be able to come over here.”
The reason for that is two-fold. For starters, he would love to finally earn a World Series ring. He reached the Series twice in Cleveland, in 1995 and 1997, but the Indians fell short each time
“I’m here to try and win a World Series,” he said. “That should be every player’s dream. And these guys have a very good chance. I should say, ‘we’ have a very good chance. Over the last five years, they’ve gone deep into the postseason a lot of times. And, really, that’s what it’s all about — giving yourself that opportunity.”
For Thome, having that opportunity to give it a shot with Manuel makes this season even more meaningful.
“My relationship with Charlie is very special,” he said. “I’ve played for him a long time. So getting the chance to be back with him is pretty awesome.”
Manuel managed Thome in Cleveland’s farm system and later with the Indians and Phillies. The veteran skipper spoke to the media about their long history when Philadelphia signed him to a one-year, $1.25 million deal during the offseason.
“I’ve been around Jimmy about the first 15 years of his career,” he said at the time. “I’ll tell you something: When I look at him sometimes, for him to hit 600 home runs, I never thought he would hit 600 home runs. But, when he was young, and I used to sit and talk to John Hart and these guys, you know, the general manager and the assistant GM Danny O’Dowd, about what he was going to do, I used to say that he’s gonna hit close to 500 home runs. I used to definitely think that.”
Manuel foresees Thome getting some 200 at-bats as a pinch-hitter or as a sub this season and is encouraged by the fact the slugger has hit 40 homers in his past 553 combined at-bats the past two seasons. In fact, Manual explained that he hoped to get Thome at the end of the 2011 season to reinforce the offense, but the veteran wound getting traded to Cleveland in August.
The Indians celebrated his return with a pregame ceremony in September that included their announcement of plans to put a statue of Thome in Heritage Park, located beyond the center-field wall of Progressive Field, the spot he blasted a 511-foot shot in 1999. As if on cue, in the very same game, Thome proceeded to hit a home run — his 604th — only a few feet from the spot the statue is to be erected, to the absolute delight and amazement of the crowd.
Thome’s combined totals with Minnesota and Cleveland last year: 15 homers, 16 doubles and 50 RBI in 277 at-bats and an average of .256 (including .350 with runners in scoring position). In 21 seasons, Thome has a lifetime batting average of .277, with 1,674 RBI in 2,485 games.
“I’m proud that I’ve been on some great teams with some great players,” he said. “Individual things, that’s for other people to write about and talk about. Sure, I’m proud of my career, but I’m also proud that I’ve been able to be with some really good players, coaches and managers, and I’ve been in some good organizations. I love the Twins. I love the White Sox. Cleveland, obviously, that was my home for many years. And then here — I’m very, very lucky.”
Thome is working hard these days at first base but has no illusions that he’ll see frequent action there. In fact, he says Howard’s presence there is vital.
“Everyone knows we need him,” he said. “He’s a tremendous player, and in order for us to win and be successful, Ryan Howard has to play a big role. My job coming over here is to be a guy off the bench, play whenever Charlie puts me in there and also be a mentor to some of the other guys, too. There are more intangibles to the game than just what you do on the field. And if I can play a little part in that and help in some capacity, maybe that’s what I’m here for.”
That’s no stretch at all for the man in his stretch run.
