January is around the corner.

Frank Thomas is that close to becoming a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer.

Regardless of the criteria, the White Sox legend ranks among the best right-handed hitters of all time.

And, the “Big Hurt” was clean. Imagine if he had not been robbed by steroid users.

“I was the one player who was hurt the most,” said Thomas, who won back-to-back American League MVP awards in 1993 and ’94. “All those years I finished second, third, fourth behind those guys, I probably could have won four more MVPs.”

In Joliet to serve as guest speaker at Monday’s University of St. Francis Brown & Gold Night, Thomas made his feelings on steroids known.

“But I was never outspoken about it,” he said. “That’s something the media put on me. I was asked about it and answered how I felt, and the questions escalated.”

Thomas played in 19 major league seasons, most with the Sox, but also with Oakland and Toronto. He was a five-time All-Star and won four Silver Slugger awards.

He finished with 521 home runs, 495 doubles, a .301 batting average, .419 on-base percentage and .555 slugging percentage. He averaged 35 doubles, 36 homers and 119 RBI per 162-game season.

He’s the only player in history to have seven consecutive seasons hitting .300 with at least 100 walks, 100 runs, 100 RBI and 20 homers. He did it in 1991 through ’97. He played in only 113 games in 1994 because of the players’ strike, yet kept that streak alive.

The only player to accomplish that feat in six consecutive seasons? Ted Williams.

Thomas never swayed from his approach at the plate. He knew the strike zone and refused to go fishing for bad pitches, even when pitchers didn’t give him anything to hit.

“I had one of the best hitting coaches of all time in Walt Hriniak (with the Sox),” he said. “His consistency led to my consistency.”

Thomas said his longtime teammate, current Sox manager Robin Ventura, has a consistency about him as well.

“I always thought Robin had coaching qualities but maybe was too quiet to be a manager,” Thomas said. “But now the team is part of his family, and he’s letting loose a lot more.”

The Sox are coming off a dreadful 99-loss season, and general manager Rick Hahn primarily is responsible for improving the product.

“I have confidence in Rick Hahn,” Thomas said. “He’s a good guy. But maybe he’s lacking the heartbeat of the locker room. I always thought baseball guys should be assistant GMs. But he’s not the only one. There are lots of guys out there who study all the statistics.”

It’s statistics that now may open the Hall of Fame door for Thomas. Very few who ever played the game can match his numbers.

“My fingers are crossed,” he said. “The body of work is there. It’s frustrating because it’s something you can’t control. I just hope the voting is fair this time.”

White Sox Nation is right there with him.