ROCHESTER, N.Y. — This year's Day of Champions dinner had a big name as its headliner — MLB Hall of Famer Jim Thome.

The slugger took home honors as the 2018 sports personality of the year.

Thome smashed 612 home runs in his big-league career, the eighth-most all-time.

He had a simple message for the more than 700 people who came to the charity dinner.

"Believe in your dreams. Your dreams can come true," Thome said. "And for young kids, take it one day at a time. Don't get ahead of yourself. Trust the process. Trust going to school. Trust your parents. Trust your family. Trust everything that's involved with how you grow as a person and believe in yourself. Truly you can live and make your dreams come true."

Thome will be inducted into Cooperstown on July 29th.

Among the other honorees at the Press-Radio Club dinner, Hilton native Yianni Diakomihalis He picked up the amateur athlete of the year award after winning a national championship wrestling at Cornell.

Saint John Fisher softball coach Bari Mance won the Christine Wagner-Welch award for her battle with cancer, and Olympic skier Jonathan Lillis earns the professional athlete award. The Rochester native competed during the winter Olympics earlier this year.