Frank Thomas is not a man known for subtlety when he feels disrespected, and on Sunday, the Chicago White Sox struck a nerve with one of the most important figures in franchise history.
A Black History Month Graphic That Missed a Giant
In an effort to recognize Black History Month, the White Sox posted a graphic highlighting what they described as “momentous firsts” in organizational history. The post included important milestones such as Minnie Miñoso breaking the franchise’s color barrier in 1951 and Al Smith becoming the first Black All-Star in team history. Those moments unquestionably deserve recognition. What stood out, however, was who was missing. Frank Thomas, the most accomplished Black player the franchise has ever employed, was nowhere to be found.
For many fans, the omission was confusing. For Thomas, it was personal. The Hall of Famer took to social media and made his feelings unmistakably clear. “I guess the black player who made you rich over there and holds all your records is forgettable! Don’t worry, I’m taking Receipts!” he wrote on X. It was a sharp response, but one grounded in a career that helped define the White Sox for nearly two decades.
A Career That Defined the White Sox
Thomas spent 16 seasons with the White Sox and was the face of the organization throughout the 1990s. A five-time All-Star and two-time American League MVP, he was one of the most dominant hitters of his generation. He won four Silver Slugger Awards, surpassed the 500-home-run mark, and finished his career with a staggering slash line of .301/.419/.555. His first-ballot induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014 was widely seen as a formality rather than a debate.
Beyond the accolades, Thomas’s imprint on the White Sox record book is overwhelming. He holds franchise records in home runs, RBIs, runs scored, doubles, walks, slugging percentage, and on-base percentage. These are not fringe categories or obscure stats; they are the core measurements of offensive excellence. Any historical reflection on the White Sox that omits Thomas is, by definition, incomplete.
An Omission That’s Hard to Defend
What makes the situation even more perplexing is that Thomas fits perfectly into the very theme the White Sox were attempting to showcase. In 1994, he became the first Black player to win back-to-back American League MVP awards, a historic achievement that aligns directly with the idea of “momentous firsts.” Including him would not have required stretching the premise at all.
The reaction to the post has been swift, and the criticism justified. When an organization overlooks a figure as central as Frank Thomas, especially in the context of Black history, it raises uncomfortable questions. Given the outcry and Thomas’s pointed response, it would be surprising if the White Sox did not move quickly to correct the oversight and acknowledge a player whose legacy is impossible to ignore.
