Jim Thome Marquee Hall of Fame 2018

Cleveland signed him as a third baseman, moved him to first base, then made him a designated hitter, and through all of it the long left-handed uppercut stayed the same. He hit 30 home runs in twelve different seasons and 40 in six of them. He led the American League in walks three times and in home runs once, with 47 in 2003.

The walks totaled 1,747, seventh most in the game's history, and only Reggie Jackson has struck out more often. Twenty-two seasons carried him through six clubs, 337 of the home runs for Cleveland alone. He was 42 in his final season, hit .276 for his career, and drove in 1,699 runs.

His era put every large home run hitter under suspicion, and nothing was ever alleged against him. He won the Roberto Clemente Award in 2002 and the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award in 2004, both given for conduct rather than production. The writers elected him in 2018 with 379 votes of 422.