Thome family ecstatic to stick with White Sox

White Sox scouting director Mike Shirley, who played in the minor leagues with Jim Thome, had an interesting description of the retired slugger.

“I always say this about Jim Thome,” Shirley said. “He's the happiest baseball player I ever played with. Behind that exterior was a guy who was so competitive and relentless.”

Maybe the happiest of times at the Thome household arrived Saturday morning, when son Landon Thome was chosen by the White Sox with the No. 34 overall draft pick. Landon, who played in high school at Nazareth Academy, was at Rate Field on Sunday and spoke to reporters before the Sox beat the Athletics 9-1.

“(Father Jim) was so excited,” Landon said. “That was probably the most nervous I've ever seen him yesterday. I tried to keep as relaxed as possible, even though I was feeling those nerves too. When we got that call and he told me, it was a flood of emotion.”

Even though Jim Thome works for the White Sox as a special assistant to the general manager, he wasn't sure which team would draft his son until it happened. Landon said the Sox called after pick No. 24 to say they planned to take him if he was still on the board.

“I was like, 'Please let it be the White Sox, please let it be the White Sox,'” Landon said. “It's a dream come true. I've been growing up, coming to games here since I was a little kid.

“I grew up wanting to put a banner somewhere, because my dad never got to. That's something I dream about every day, is to be able to win a World Series, especially for this city.”

Jim Thome, who grew up near Peoria, spent the first 12 years of his career in Cleveland, followed by three in Philadelphia. He was traded to the White Sox on Nov. 25, 2005, less than a month after the team brought a World Series title to the South Side.

When Thome hit his 500th career home run on Sept. 16, 2007, his wife Andrea was pregnant with Landon. He played three more years after leaving the White Sox in 2009, and Landon said he doesn't really remember watching his dad play.

“I just remember growing up watching the highlights when I was a little kid and trying to model my game after my dad,” Landon said. “Trying to model my swing after him. It's pretty cool to have a guy with that knowledge in your house every day.

“It's funny because sometimes I point my bat out to center field. It's kind of just natural, it's not something I really took up after him. But it's something I feel is genetic. It's pretty cool when he shows me pictures of me doing it in high school.”

Landon said he's looking forward to getting out to Arizona or Charlotte soon, so he can start playing every day, something that's tough to do during Chicago winters. The thing is, dad won't be there every step of the way like he has been.

“I was always able to keep it together as a player. This is tough,” Jim Thome said. “This is so special. What a day, just to watch your son go through that and his name be called, it's a dream come true, right?”

Shirley raved about the future upside of Landon and the Sox's second-round pick, Cole Prosek, another high school left-handed hitter from Senatobia, Miss. Shirley talked about Landon working with Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman over the winter.

“We think (Thome) is an elite hitter who's going to grow into power, who's going to develop his game rapidly,” Shirley said. “The speed got better. (Bregman) really rubbed off on him, and I think he understood what he needed to do to be better.

“Bloodlines are real. These guys that have it in their DNA, they have a chance to continue to expedite their careers.”

Landon threw out a first pitch to his dad before Sunday's game, while top pick Roch Cholowsky did the same, throwing to Harold Baines, the White Sox's last No. 1 overall draft pick.