Eric Thames - From Sleeper to Stardom

Milwaukee Brewers slugger Eric Thames is all the rave right now in baseball after returning to the big leagues from the Korean Baseball Championship (KBO) where he not only revived his career but set records while doing so. After being selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the seventh round of the 2008 Major League Baseball draft where he saw little success in his limited time while bouncing around between the Jays and the Minor Leagues from 2011 to 2012 before being traded to the Seattle Mariners, Thames elected to play overseas by signing with the NC Dinos in 2014. The move would not only summon a new found power in Thames' swing, it would make him a cult hero as his hot hitting and base stealing helped gain him instant stardom. During his three seasons in the KBO, Thames averaged over 41 home runs and became the first player in league history to hit for the cycle twice in one season as well as become the league's first ever member of the 40-40 club by stealing 40 bases and hitting 40 home runs on his way to an MVP Award in 2015.

Thames was so admired in the KBO that he was given the nickname "God" by Korean baseball fans and was seen in cartoons. He even had his own theme song that the Dinos and their fans would play whenever Thames would hit a home run. It wouldn't be long before his old stomping grounds in the MLB began to take notice of Thames' success which resulted in the Milwaukee Brewers taking a flyer on him by offering the 30-year old Thames a $16 Million, multi-year contract despite not seeing him play in person and relying strictly on video and game play footage. The lofty expectations for the Brewers newest slugger would be noticed right out the gates as the move prompted the ball club to designate first baseman Chris Carter for assignment even after he led the league in home runs with 41. With deeper ballparks and all around better talent in the MLB than what Thames grew accustomed to in the KBO, Thames hasn't skipped a beat in his first 15 games of the season with Milwaukee who's off to a 9-8 start. Currently leading the league in home runs (8), slugging percentage (.981) extra-base hits (14) and total-bases (52) as well as being atop the National League with a .415 batting average, Thames has fit in quite nicely and appears to be worth every dime the Brew Crew dished out to acquire him in the small sample size we've seen thus far.

Having hit a home run in five straight games this year and becoming the first Brewer to achieve that feat since Jeromy Burnitz in 1997, not even Thames can explain what changed in his approach. Regardless, he's enjoying every minute of it and is relishing at the fact that he can go unnoticed in public (at least for now) unlike his time spent in Korea. I think we can all expect Thames to return to earth sooner than later, but here's to hoping this wave continues. 


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