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I’m surprised that Thames was available so cheaply. It’s sort of like seeing KC throw Alex Gordon overboard for relief help in 2009 (or if you prefer a real example, trading Choo for mediocre deadline help). Thames is amazingly short to the ball. Totally rotational in that way we were talking about a couple of weeks ago, the Mike Sweeney style – except Thames obviously watched a lot of Gary Sheffield. Lots of aggression in that swing, even in the leadup to the swing, and so he strikes out a lot more.
BTW, Sheffield, first ~1300 major league plate appearances: .255/.315/.370. He was younger than Thames at the time, of course, but a lot of guys with the aggressive, rotational bat that Thames shows don’t master their ML timing for a few seasons.
Problems with Thames: sucks at D, can’t hit lefties yet, injury-prone.
Potential with Thames: 30+ HRs, breakout age 26 and 27 seasons ahead of him, under club control for another 5 years. At worst, Wells and Thames would be absolute crushers in a platoon together. One of them can play defense and hit lefties, one takes it to the house against righties. Clubs that get out the lefty reliever to contain Thames would run into a late-game Wells substitution instead.
Best case, both Wells and Thames are everydayers and plus power contributors in a way we haven’t had in the outfield corners in a long time.
Thames is a really interesting draw to me. Like finding someone giving away a lefty Catricala for nothing, and going “well, not all Catricalas work out but I only need one…here’s 5 bucks.” Intriguing.
~G