There are Hall of Fame players, and there are Hall of Fame people.
Jim Thome represents the rarest of breeds as someone who is actually both.
He's a man who brought the best of himself to the clubhouse and the baseball field every single day he wore a uniform.
He didn't know any other way to be, any other way to play.
This is only part of what made Thome so special. Of course, he was also supremely talented at hitting a baseball.
His power, swing and dedication (let's call it "obsession") to hitting helped produce those 612 home runs (eighth most all-time) as well as his 13 walk-off home runs, which remain a major league record.