When Fox Sports hired Derek Jeter, the writing was on the wall that Frank Thomas’ days behind the studio desk were numbered. Now it appears they are officially done.
According to the NY Post’s Andrew Marchand, Thomas is officially off of Fox’s pregame and postgame shows during the regular season and postseason.
The Baseball Hall-of-Famer had not been included in Fox’s analyst announcement for the upcoming season, leading to speculation that there was no role for him in the upcoming season. That was confirmed by a Fox Sports spokesman on Saturday.
“Frank has been an integral member of the FOX MLB studio team for nearly a decade and has helped raise the bar on our coverage while continuously growing the game of baseball,” a Fox Sports spokesman told The Post. “Although he is not a part of our coverage this season, ‘The Big Hurt’ will always be a member of our Fox Sports family and we wish him all the best in his future endeavors.”
Jeter will be moving into the seat previously occupied by Thomas for June’s London Series, July’s All-Star Game, and the playoffs in October.
“The Big Hurt,” who was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014, joined Fox Sports as a studio analyst that same year.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.