The guy who made it cool for top tier free agents and players to want to come to Philadelphia joined an elite group by bashing his 599th and 600th career home runs into the night skies in Detroit on Monday.

Of course we refer to Jim Thome, who became just the eighth player is baseball history to hit 600 long balls in a career (and just the fifth to do it cleanly from what we know).

The man who connected with the Phillies fans during his free agency tour in 2003, thanks in part to John Dougherty and IBEW Local 98, took a gamble on a team that hadn’t been to the postseason in ten years and a franchise that was a laughingstock around The Show.

While Thome never made the playoffs in Philly, he surely helped set a tone for winning and the team you see before you now. Yes, Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins had a lot to do with it, too. But, Thome took a chance on a team and city that not many athletes were willing to at the time.

Should the Phillies look into bringing back Jim Thome for the playoff push?

As Thome’s career is winding down, — he turns 41 this month — the thought of adding him to the Phillies bench for the stretch run at the August trade deadline has crossed some people’s minds.

It’s a great thought. Bring him back and get one of baseball’s truly great guys a ring.

It’s a great thought from the heart. But, does it make baseball sense? Does Thome strengthen your team? Or does he actually weaken your bench?

To start, you need to figure out whose spot he would take. Thome would be nothing more than a pinch hitter now and I think everyone agrees on that. So, you have to look at your bench players who are pretty much used for their bats. And, when you look at the roster, you quickly realize you’re down to outfielders who fit that bill.

The Phillies carry two infielders not named Utley, Rollins, Howard and Polanco. With Polanco’s back issues, Wilson Valdez and Michael Martinez are both needed and aren’t going anywhere.

That leaves the outfielders. Hunter Pence, Shane Victorino and Raul Ibanez are your starters.

John Mayberry Jr. has proven to be a valuable guy who can platoon with Ibanez and give Ryan Howard a rest at first. He’s also the right handed bat off the bench this team has searched for since Matt Stairs. He’s launched four long balls in his last 22 at bats (1/4.5 at bats). Mayberry is here to stay.

That leaves Ben Francisco and Ross Gload. Both are being used about the same amount — which is to say sparingly. They are relegated to pinch hitters. In their last ten appearances, only Francisco has a start — one to be exact. The guess here is that the Phillies would keep Francisco and his right handed bat and ship out Gload’s left handed bat. Thome is a lefty.

Jim Thome's return to Philly might be a good thing for the team's bench.

So, now you need to compare Thome and Gload. Is Thome an improvement or would he be a detriment?

Let’s look at their 2011 numbers:

The average  is the same, while Thome has a better OBP. Thome has about 2.5 times the ABs that Gload does. The Power numbers are what you look for from a bat come the stretch run and in October.

Thome has homered once-per-16.8 ABs. Gload has yet to go yard. Thome has walked at a much better rate. Yet, he’s also struck out once every 3.18 ABs, compared to one every 4.4 times.

Now, it looks like Thome is the better option to come off the bench and provide a Matt Stairsesque moment this fall. But, keep in mind that most of his  ABs come as a DH, so he can get into a rhythm seeing the starting pitcher a couple of times. Gload has done most of his work coming off the bench cold.

As such, let’s look at the last time Thome filled such a role: 2009 with the Dodgers. In his broef LA career, Thome had just 17 ABs. He hit .235 with no homers and 3 RBI. He also struck out seven times. Far from the power numbers you want.

But, even with that, is he a better option than Gload? It’s not clearly decisive. But, it’s not like Thome is a downgrade that hurts the team, either.

If Ruben Amaro wants to get Jim Thome and the Twins would take a marginal prospect, then it wouldn’t be a bad move. If nothing else, Thome can give you a legit power threat off the bench and some Mike Sweeney hugs in the clubhouse.

Just don’t expect the guy to be a guaranteed run producer. He literally would be Matt Stairs at this stage of his career. And, you know what, that worked out just fine in 2008, didn’t it?