First Base – Frank Thomas (1990-2005)
On June 11, 1989 the Chicago White Sox signed Frank Edward Thomas, the 7th pick in the 1989 MLB Draft. Little did anyone know at that time that Thomas would go on to become the greatest White Sox player in the franchises history. Thomas would eventually become known to White Sox fans as “The Big Hurt”, a nickname depicted from the pounding that he put on baseballs day in, and day out for 16 seasons on the south side of Chicago. Thomas would amass 448 home runs, 1465 RBI, 447 doubles, 2136 hits, and a stellar .307 BA over his 16 seasons with the White Sox. In 1993 and 1994 Frank Thomas won back-to-back American League Most Valuable Player Awards, he would also appear in five All-Star games, and win the Silver Slugger Award for first-basemen four times over his career. In 2005, his last season with the Chicago White Sox he added a Word Series Championship to his already illustrious resume. However, as all good things must come to an end in life, such is the case with sports as well. The White Sox believed that because of the injuries in recent years, the years played, and the fact that they had to shell out a big contract to Paul Konerko, the current first-basemen of the White Sox, that it was time for the franchise to move on from it’s greatest offensive player ever. Thomas would go on to play three more seasons, splitting time between Oakland and Toronto. In 2006 in Oakland The Big Hurt would play a full season, and hit 39 home runs, and 114 RBI while finishing third in MVP voting. In 2008 after 19 seasons, 521 home runs, 1,704 RBI, 495 doubles, 2468 hits, and .301 lifetime batting average Thomas called it a career. In 2014 he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, wearing a Chicago White Sox cap.
Runner-up – Paul Konerko (1999-2014)