Former Phillies slugger Jim Thome named MLBPAA president

Phillies Wall of Famer Jim Thome becomes MLBPAA’s fourth-ever president.

A Philadelphia Phillies legend has a new role in Major League Baseball. Wednesday morning, the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association (MLBPAA) named Hall of Fame slugger Jim Thome as its new president.

Replacing Brooks Robinson as President, Thome will lead MLBPAA alongside several Vice Presidents, including 1980 World Series-winning Phillies catcher Bob Boone. Other VPs include George Brett, Carl Erskine, Chipper Jones, Barry Larkin, Edgar Martinez, and Robin Yount.

Formed in 1982, the MLBPAA non-profit promotes the game of baseball, raises money for charity, inspires and educates youth through positive sport images, and protects the dignity of the game through former players.

Headquartered in Colorado, MLBPAA has more than 8,500 members, comprised of current and former Major League players, umpires, managers, coaches, front-office staff, and fans.

Robinson will remain available to guide Thome, who said it is a “great honor” and “very humbling” to be MLBPAA president. He looks forward to continuing to grow baseball among younger generations through MLBPAA’s popular Legends for Youth Clinic Series:

"“I love the youth clinic part because at the end of the day, it is about our young kids and educating them with great information to be able to grow. Anytime you can pass on information to our youth, and talk about the game’s integrity and how to play, it is a good thing.”"

Thome — the Major League Baseball leader in all-time walk-off home runs (13) — was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2018 after a widely successful 22-season career.

Thome played parts of four seasons and nearly 400 games in red pinstripes, slugging 101 home runs and 281 RBI. Overall, the five-time All-Star’s 612 career home runs ranks as the eighth-most in MLB history — trailing only Barry Bonds (762), Hank Aaron (755), Babe Ruth (714), Alex Rodriguez (696), Albert Pujols (679), Willie Mays (660), and Ken Griffey Jr. (630).