Jim Thome was a 175-pound afterthought, drafted in the 13th round, who engineered himself into one of the greatest power hitters in baseball history. This episode explores how a blue-collar Illinois upbringing, a rejected childhood autograph, and a mentor’s mechanical fixes built a Hall of Fame career.

Known as the kindest man in a cutthroat sport, Thome paired an unteachable rotational swing with an unshakable emotional equilibrium learned from veterans.

• Hit zero home runs in his first minor league season before coach Charlie Manuel rebuilt his swing.
• Pointed his bat toward center field before pitches, a mental-reset ritual inspired by the film “The Natural.”
• Volunteered to move from third base to first base in 1997 to accommodate a teammate.
• Hit his 500th home run as a walk-off, the first player ever to do so, on his own bobblehead night.
• Finished with 612 home runs and a record 13 walk-off homers, entering the Hall of Fame on the first ballot.