If there were any doubts there is a new Frank Thomas this season, he took another step toward dispelling them Tuesday.
Thomas went into manager Ozzie Guillen’s office and said he thought it would be best for the White Sox if he hit cleanup this season, with Magglio Ordonez moving into the third spot.
It’s a major concession for Thomas, who hasn’t hit fourth since the 1999 season, when he had just 13 at-bats and three hits in that spot. Former manager Jerry Manuel had suggested the move, but Thomas had stood adamantly against it.
Guillen said he had thought about going to Thomas to discuss the switch, but Thomas came to him first.
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“This kid comes to us and wants to be batting fourth because he thinks it will be better for the team, and so do I,” Guillen said.
The move will mean more at-bats for Ordonez. It also puts a faster base runner near the top of the order. If Thomas gets on base with two outs while batting third in the first inning, it normally would take two hits to score him.
“Not because [Thomas] doesn’t want to score, he just can’t,” Guillen said. “Having Magglio hit in front of him, Magglio gets a base hit and Frank hits a ball in the gap, he’s going to score.”
Thomas, for example, was thrown out at the plate trying to score from first base Tuesday on a Carlos Lee double off the center-field wall in the first inning.
Tuesday was the first day of the new order and it caught everyone by surprise. In the printed lineups distributed by the Sox’s media relations office, Thomas was listed third and Ordonez fourth.
For all the angst over the winter about potential bad feelings toward one another, it has been a honeymoon for Guillen and Thomas since the start of spring training.
After batting practice Tuesday, Thomas and Guillen rode together in a golf cart back to the clubhouse.
“Frank Thomas is the best guy we’ve had in spring training,” Guillen said. “He has done everything we’ve asked him to do, all the drills, have fun, stay with the guys, talk to the young kids.”
Thomas’ numbers hitting fourth pale compared to those in the three-spot so it will be interesting to see what happens if Thomas gets off to a slow start or begins to slump.
“I told him, `Don’t go 0-for-4, 0-for-8 and then all of a sudden you’re going to mope and complain about it,'” Guillen said. “You’re the one who made the decision.”
As a third-place hitter, Thomas has hit .315 in his career with 377 of his 418 home runs and 1,231 RBIs. While batting cleanup sporadically, Thomas is a .273 lifetime hitter with 22 home runs and 97 RBIs.
For Guillen, the fact Thomas suggested the move may be more important than the actual impact it will have on the offense.
“This is what I want to show that this clubhouse is going to be like while I’m here,” Guillen said. “I think Frank Thomas is not a selfish man, at least this year with me. I think it’s going to be better for the team.”