Frank Thomas: 'I probably lost more than anybody else in that steroid era'

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Frank Thomas will reach the pinnacle of his professional career Sunday when the two-time MVP is inducted into baseball's Hall of Fame.

But that didn't stop him Saturday from reminiscing what could have been had he not played out his prime during an era that included rampant use of performance-enhancing drugs.

"I probably lost more than anybody else in that steroid era," Thomas told Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY Sports. "I could have had more MVPs, bigger contracts, things that I deserved."

One of the most feared power hitters in the game for more than a decade, the "Big Hurt" clubbed at least 24 homers in 11 of 13 seasons between 1991 and 2003. 

Thomas, however, said steroids diminished his numbers.

The first eight years, I couldn't be touched. There were crazy numbers I put up. When I came into the league, if you were hitting 30 homers and driving in 100, you were a great major-league baseball player. Not good. Not great. So I set my goal every year at 40 and 120. But overnight, everybody caught up.

My 40 home runs, and my 120 RBI wasn't what it once was. Guys started ramping up 50 and 60 home runs. They were doing things that were crazy. 

So people started talking like my numbers were just average, and I took a lot of flak for that. They looked at me like, 'What are you doing? You're not working out.' That's the one thing I was pissed off about.

He is considered the first slugger from the era to be elected into the Hall, a distinction not lost on Thomas.

That means a lot to me, because this is the pinnacle, and it was all done by hard work and dedication. I can look at them in the face, and tell them I worked my ass off. 

...

I really believe that I deserve this.

Thomas is the first 500-home run hitter to be inducted since Eddie Murray in 2003. His 521 career homers place him in a tie for 18th place with Willie McCovey and Ted Williams on the all-time leaderboard.

The former first baseman and desginated hitter spent his first 16 seasons in the league with the Chicago White Sox before stops in Oakland and Toronto.