Big Hurt Says He Lost 20-Points Off His Career Batting Average
Former Chicago White Sox legend Frank Thomas has a career .301 batting average, but if he hadn't spent so much time as a designated hitter, he thinks it could have been much higher.
"To be honest, I probably lost 20 points off my career batting average by DHing everyday," Thomas said on the Mully and Hanley Show.
LISTEN: Frank Thomas On The Mully And Hanley Show
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Over the course of his 19-year career, Thomas played 1,311 games as a designated hitter. Over time he was able to find a routine to stay active and into the game, it helped having a batting cage directly behind the White Sox dugout at U.S. Cellular field.
But being an effective DH is no easy task.
"It's pinch-hitting four times a day," Thomas said. "That's exactly what it is...You have to stay involved. You have to feel like you're part of the game, but when you're not out there physically active, moving around, staying loose, you know, you're really not that much a part of the game"