Andre Thornton

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André Thornton (born August 13, 1949 in Tuskegee, Alabama), nicknamed "Thunder," is a former first baseman and designated hitter in Major League Baseball who played for the Chicago Cubs, Montreal Expos and Cleveland Indians during a 14-year career.

André grew up in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, in a family of athletes, and graduated from Phoenixville High School. In 1967, a week before his 18th birthday, the Philadelphia Phillies signed Thornton as an amateur free agent. In 1972, the Phillies traded André to the Atlanta Braves, who traded him to the Cubs the following year. Thornton, playing first base, made his major-league debut with the Cubs on July 28, 1973 and played for the Cubs until May 1976. He was named to the 1974 All-Rookie Team as a first baseman by Baseball Digest. Thornton had one of his best seasons in 1975; although his 18 home runs were only the seventh-best season total of his career, he hit .293 with a .428 on base percentage and a slugging percentage of .516. It was the first of six seasons in which Thornton walked more than he struck out.

After a relatively disappointing 1976 season, in which he battled injuries and split time between the Cubs and the Montreal Expos, the Expos traded Thornton to the Cleveland Indians. He sustained high levels of production through much of his Cleveland career. After hitting 28 home runs in his debut season in Cleveland, Thornton hit a career-high 33 home runs in 1978 (a total he would match in 1984). In 1979, he was honored with the Roberto Clemente Award, given to the player who best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement, and team contribution. In 1982, Thornton hit 32 home runs and batted in 116 runs, a career high. He also had 109 walks. From 1980 to 1984, he played primarily as a designated hitter; he won a Silver Slugger award as a designated hitter in 1984. Thornton played exclusively as a designated hitter from 1985 to 1987. He is a two-time American League All-Star.

He finished his career with 244 doubles, 253 home runs, a batting average of .254, an on base percentage of .360, and a slugging percentage of .452. For three seasons, he was in the top 5 in home runs in his league, and he was in his league's top 5 in walks four times. Thornton finished his career with more bases on balls (876) than strikeouts (851).

[edit] Personal history

In 1977, Thornton and his son Andy (André Jr.) were injured in an automobile accident that took the life of his wife Gertrude and three-year old daughter Theresa Gertrude. In 1983 he wrote the book Triumph Born of Tragedy, which is an account of the accident and his Christian faith.

In 1979, Thornton married Gail Jones, a gifted singer and former member of the Jones Sisters gospel group. In addition to André Jr., the couple have two other sons Jonathan and Dean. Today, Thornton is a successful businessman. He owns Global Procurement Management Company, which specializes in management consulting, promotional products, and event planning.

Thornton continues to be involved in the Cleveland community. He sits on the Board of the Cleveland Council on World Affairs, The Cleveland Zoological Society, and the Cuyahoga Community College Fund. He is a member of Leadership Cleveland. He is also involved with The First Tee of Cleveland Program, a golf program which is geared to provide youth with educational programs and facilities that promote character development. Finally, he is a member of the Board of Trustees of Nyack College.

In August 2007, he was inducted into the Cleveland Indians Hall of Fame along with Jim Bagby Sr., Mike Garcia, and Charles Nagy. Thornton is also a member of the Reading Phillies Hall of Fame.

[edit] See also

• Top 500 home run hitters of all time
• Hitting for the cycle

[edit] External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference
• Indians All-Time Team