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Portrait of Eric Thames

Eric Thames 1BNationals

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2019 Projections (Preseason PECOTA - seasonal age 32)
PA AVG HR R RBI SB DRC+ WARP
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Birth Date11-10-1986
Height5' 11"
Weight235 lbs
Age37 years, 5 months, 13 days
BatsL
ThrowsR
2015
2016
1.42017
0.62018
1.12019
proj
WARP Summary

MLB Statistics

YEAR TEAM AGE G PA H 2B 3B HR BB SO HBP SB CS AVG OBP SLG DRC+ DRAA BRR FRAA BWARP
2011 TOR 24 95 394 95 24 5 12 23 88 5 2 1 .262 .313 .456 100 0.3 4.5 -3.0 0.9
2012 SEA 25 40 130 27 5 2 6 6 47 0 1 0 .220 .256 .439 84 -2.4 -0.3 -0.7 -0.1
2012 TOR 25 46 160 36 7 1 3 9 40 1 0 1 .243 .288 .365 79 -3.8 0.0 0.3 0.0
2017 MIL 30 138 551 116 26 4 31 75 163 7 4 2 .247 .359 .518 117 13.7 -2.7 -4.1 1.4
2018 MIL 31 96 278 54 10 3 16 29 97 2 7 0 .219 .306 .478 96 -0.3 2.3 -0.5 0.6
2019 MIL 32 149 459 98 23 2 25 51 140 10 3 2 .247 .346 .505 112 9.1 1.8 -1.6 1.5
Career564197242695179319357525176.244.327.47810416.55.6-9.54.4

Statistics for All Levels

'opp' stats - Quality of opponents faced - have been moved and are available only as OPP_QUAL in the Statistics reports now.
Minor league stats are currently shown —Click to hide.
YEAR Team Lg LG G PA oppAVG oppOBP oppSLG BABIP BPF BRAA repLVL POS_ADJ DRC+ DRC+ SD FRAA BRR DRAA BWARP
2009 DUN A+ FSL 52 220 .259 .324 .373 .382 106 9.8 6.3 -2.3 146 0 -3.4 -0.2 9.5 1.0
2009 BLJ Rk GCL 7 25 .238 .314 .361 .375 96 1.5 0.8 -0.3 140 0 -0.2 0.0 1.7 0.2
2010 NHP AA EAS 130 573 .260 .338 .400 .331 107 26 16.5 -5.6 132 0 -0.6 0.0 19.7 3.0
2011 TOR MLB AL 95 394 .257 .315 .405 .313 108 1 10.6 -3.5 100 7 -3.0 4.5 0.3 0.9
2011 LVG AAA PCL 53 241 .289 .358 .454 .406 114 16.8 7.5 -2 135 0 -2.8 0.7 11.5 1.4
2012 SEA MLB AL 40 130 .248 .310 .408 .300 91 2.1 3.6 -1.3 84 7 -0.7 -0.3 -2.4 -0.1
2012 TOR MLB AL 46 160 .248 .312 .396 .308 104 -5.4 4.4 -1 79 7 0.3 0.0 -3.8 0.0
2012 LVG AAA PCL 54 231 .281 .343 .428 .383 107 11.3 6.9 -2.7 127 0 1.2 -1.3 8.1 1.2
2013 NOR AAA INT 36 149 .251 .319 .374 .310 97 -2.7 4.2 -1.7 94 0 -0.1 -0.8 -2.7 -0.1
2013 TAC AAA PCL 57 249 .278 .350 .430 .383 96 8.7 7.1 -3 125 0 -3.0 -0.7 4.6 0.5
2013 ORI Rk GCL 5 22 .249 .334 .347 .400 93 3.1 0.7 -0.3 177 0 0.7 0.2 0.8 0.2
2017 MIL MLB NL 138 551 .253 .321 .421 .309 96 24.6 16.1 -9.1 117 9 -4.1 -2.7 13.7 1.4
2018 MIL MLB NL 96 278 .247 .317 .398 .284 92 7.1 7.8 -3.2 96 9 -0.5 2.3 -0.3 0.6
2018 CSP AAA PCL 4 15 .276 .339 .404 .385 93 2.2 0.4 -0.2 146 0 -0.1 0.2 0.9 0.1
2019 MIL MLB NL 149 459 .248 .321 .429 .313 96 19.7 13.9 -7.7 112 12 -1.6 1.8 9.1 1.5

Statistics For All Levels

Minor league stats are currently shown —Click to hide.
Year Team lvl LG PA AB R H 2B 3B HR TB RBI BB SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG ISO SF SH
2009 DUN A+ FSL 220 195 33 61 15 5 3 95 38 21 40 1 1 .313 .388 .487 .174 0 0
2009 BLJ Rk GCL 25 21 4 6 3 0 0 9 1 3 5 0 0 .286 .375 .429 .143 0 0
2010 NHP AA EAS 573 496 95 143 25 6 27 261 104 50 121 8 5 .288 .373 .526 .238 2 2
2011 TOR MLB AL 394 362 58 95 24 5 12 165 37 23 88 2 1 .262 .313 .456 .193 3 1
2011 LVG AAA PCL 241 210 38 74 25 4 7 128 45 23 41 5 2 .352 .423 .610 .257 3 0
2012 SEA MLB AL 130 123 10 27 5 2 6 54 14 6 47 1 0 .220 .256 .439 .220 0 1
2012 TOR MLB AL 160 148 17 36 7 1 3 54 11 9 40 0 1 .243 .288 .365 .122 2 0
2012 LVG AAA PCL 231 197 31 65 15 3 6 104 32 26 42 1 1 .330 .407 .528 .198 5 0
2013 ORI Rk GCL 22 16 4 6 1 0 0 7 3 4 1 2 0 .375 .545 .438 .063 0 0
2013 NOR AAA INT 149 135 17 34 5 0 3 48 13 11 33 3 1 .252 .315 .356 .104 1 0
2013 TAC AAA PCL 249 217 32 64 15 2 7 104 33 29 62 3 1 .295 .382 .479 .184 1 0
2017 MIL MLB NL 551 469 83 116 26 4 31 243 63 75 163 4 2 .247 .359 .518 .271 0 0
2018 MIL MLB NL 278 247 41 54 10 3 16 118 37 29 97 7 0 .219 .306 .478 .259 0 0
2018 CSP AAA PCL 15 14 3 6 0 0 1 9 3 1 0 0 0 .429 .467 .643 .214 0 0
2019 MIL MLB NL 459 396 67 98 23 2 25 200 61 51 140 3 2 .247 .346 .505 .258 2 0

Plate Discipline

YEAR Pits Zone% Swing% Contact% Z-Swing% O-Swing% Z-Contact% O-Contact% SwStr% CSAA
2011 1418 0.4718 0.5035 0.7535 0.6741 0.3511 0.8581 0.5741 0.2465 0.0054
2012 1133 0.4987 0.4907 0.7104 0.6513 0.3310 0.8016 0.5319 0.2896 0.0082
2017 2328 0.4467 0.4313 0.6843 0.6173 0.2811 0.7882 0.5000 0.3157 0.0000
2018 1110 0.4883 0.4793 0.6598 0.6458 0.3204 0.7771 0.4341 0.3402 0.0000
2019 1846 0.4399 0.4718 0.6728 0.6761 0.3114 0.7668 0.5124 0.3272 0.0000
Career78350.46310.46930.69440.65040.31370.79620.51160.30560.0022

Injury History  —  No longer being updated

Last Update: 12/31/2014 23:59 ET

Date On Date Off Transaction Days Games Side Body Part Injury Severity Surgery Date Reaggravation
2012-03-21 2012-03-22 Camp 1 0 - Cramp - -
2011-09-03 2011-09-03 DTD 0 0 - General Medical Illness - -
2009-07-02 2009-08-27 Minors 56 0 Not Disclosed -
2009-05-11 2009-06-10 Minors 30 0 Thigh Strain Quadriceps -

Compensation

Year Team Salary
2022 OAK $
2021 WAS $1,000,000
2020 WAS $3,000,000
2019 MIL $6,000,000
2018 MIL $5,000,000
2017 MIL $4,000,000
2013 SEA $
2012 TOR $485,900
YearsDescriptionSalary
6 yrPrevious$19,485,900
6 yrTotal$19,485,900

 

Service TimeAgentContract Status
5 y 63 dApex1 year (2022)

Details
  • 1 year (2022). Signed by Oakland as a free agent 2/11/22 (minor-league contract). Retired 2/16/23.
  • 1 year (2021). Signed by Yomiuri Giants of Japan 12/30/20. Salary of about $1.2M.
  • 1 year/$4M (2020), plus 2021 mutual option. Signed by Washington as a free agent 1/8/20. 20:$3M. 21:$4M mutual option ($1M buyout). Washington declined 2021 option 10/31/20.
  • 3 years/$16M (2017-19), plus 2020 club option. Signed by Milwaukee as a free agent 11/29/16. 17:$4M, 18:$5M, 19:$6M, 20:$7.5M club option ($1M buyout). May earn additional $0.5M annually in performance bonuses. Assignment bonus if traded. Player may not be optioned or assigned without his permission. Milwaukee may not tender a contract to Thames and must release him at contract's end.
  • 2016: NC Dinos of Korea.
  • 2015: NC Dinos of Korea.
  • 2014. Signed to play for NC Dinos of Korea Professional Baseball League 12/13.
  • 1 year (2013). Re-signed by Seattle 3/13. Acquired by Baltimore in trade 6/30/13 after being DFA by Seattle 6/22/13. Claimed by Houston off waivers 9/5/13 after being DFA by Baltimore 9/1/13.
  • 1 year/$485,900 (2012). Re-signed by Toronto 3/12. Acquired by Seattle in trade from Toronto 7/31/12.
  • 1 year (2011). Contract purchased by Toronto 5/17/11.
  • Drafted by Toronto 2008 (7-219) (Pepperdine). $150,000 signing bonus.

2019 Preseason Forecast

Last Update: 1/27/2017 12:35 ET

PCT PA R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG DRC+ VORP FRAA WARP
90o 51 12 3 0 2 6 15 1 0 .267 .365 .467 125 0.0 1B 0, 0.0
80o 34 8 2 0 2 4 10 0 0 .267 .353 .533 118 0.0 1B 0, 0.0
70o 22 5 1 0 1 2 7 0 0 .263 .333 .474 114 0.0 1B 0, 0.0
60o 12 3 1 0 1 1 4 0 0 .300 .364 .700 109 0.0 1B 0, 0.0
50o 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .000 .000 .000 106 0.0 1B 0, 0.0
Weighted Mean300000100.000.000.0001060.01B 0,0.0

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BP Annual Player Comments

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BP Articles

Click here to see articles tagged with Eric Thames

BP Chats

DateQuestionAnswer
2021-02-04 13:00:00 (link to chat)What type of eta and projection do you see for ha-seong kim? Can he be a viable 2b option, enough to beat out profar etc.
(dzemens from Toledo, OH)		No need to reinvent the wheel so here is my writeup on Ha-seong Kim from the Top-50 Signees from 2020/2021, noting also the Padres resigned Jurickson Profar to add even more competition:

The re-tooling Padres signed Kim to a four-year, $28-million deal to immediately slot in at second base. This comes on the heels of an excellent season in the Korea Baseball Organization, in which he hit .306/.398/.523 with 30 home runs and 23 stolen bases. Already, Kim has climbed into the Top 150 in redraft ADP on NFC since his signing. Now, time for the cold water…

First, when was the last time a hitter from the KBO performed well in the majors? Jung Ho Kang and Eric Thames for a hot minute. Yet, Kang was coming off an epic .356/.459/.739 performance in the KBO, and Thames enjoyed back-to-back monstrous campaigns, including his 2015 season when he hit .381/.497/.790 with 47 homers and 40 stolen bases. (Notably, however, the KBO adjusted the ball in 2019 to mute offensive production. Of course, Mel Rojas also still hit .349/.414/.679 with 42 home runs, so, y’know.) Understandably, the transition from the KBO to Major League Baseball is difficult for hitters. The average fastball velocity in the KBO last year was 88-89 mph, approximately five mph slower than the majors. Even presuming Kim receives regular playing time, his offensive production likely will underwhelm.

Next, Kim does not have loud tools, with most grading out around average. Standing at just 5-foot-9, Kim lacks a ton of raw power despite his gaudy home-run totals in the KBO. His game power routinely receives borderline average grades and mostly plays to the pull-side. Arguably, his best tool is his plus speed, which he—and, most importantly, the steal-happy Padres—likely will utilize often on the bases. Kim also possesses solid bat speed and plate discipline, as evidenced by his healthy strikeout-to-walk totals in the KBO, and he profiles as an average-to-above hitter in the majors.

Finally, Jake Cronenworth enjoyed a breakout performance in 2020 before cratering over the final month. This swoon likely provided the impetus to acquire Kim. Still, Cronenworth will receive plenty of playing time, especially in a right-handed-heavy lineup, and likely will send Kim to the bench more often than many expect.

Nevertheless, Kim is not without upside, though expectations should be tempered. If you’re seeking a rough statistical comparison, he profiles similarly to Kolten Wong, circa 2019, with a touch more power and a touch less batting average. That is quite a valuable fantasy player. For win-now teams, Kim should bump ahead of Lacy and Mitchell. However, Kim remains well outside of cracking the top four on this list.

[New notes]

At the moment, I think both Kim and Cronenworth are overvalued in redraft and dynasty leagues. I do not see Profar as a serious impediment to playing time considering he spent so much time in the outfield last year. That said, as a semi-full-time player, I could see Kim still amassing 500 PA over a full season. I think a .260/10/15 type performance over 500 PA is a reasonable expectation which plays in most formats. Kim will certainly begin the season in the majors absent some unforeseen issue. (Jesse Roche)
2020-05-15 13:00:00 (link to chat)Who do you see replacing Ryan Zimmerman Castro,and adam Eaton for the nats by 2022. Anything internally interesting?
(Angel bravo from Cincinnati)		Ryan Zimmerman is already a part-time player, likely ceding at-bats against right-handed pitching to Eric Thames at first base. The Nationals recently drafted Drew Mendoza and immediately moved him from third to first base. He is a polished college bat (Florida State) who should move quickly. That said, he may not be much more than a typical 4/6 (hit/power) type with a long swing (6-foot-5) and average bat speed. At second base, I would expect Luis Garcia will arrive by 2022. While his numbers in Double-A are far from inspiring, he was extremely young for the level and displays excellent bat-to-ball ability to go along with a touch of power and speed. Garcia is also a solid defender. A 2022 infield of Mendoza, Garcia, Turner, and Kieboom is quite good (though, Turner will be a UFA after 2022). The Nationals do not have any obvious internal outfield options other than organizational depth. I would imagine Eaton is replaced by a free agent. (Jesse Roche)
2019-11-07 14:00:00 (link to chat)What do you make of Milwaukee declining the contract for Thames without having an established 1B on the roster. Think they try to bring him back at a reduced cost?
(sportsguy21792 from Madison)		There are quite a few 1Bs available this offseason and none who are expected to cost all that much. They could and probably will bring back Eric Thames, but could also go after Mitch Moreland, Jose Abreu, Justin Smoak, Howie Kendrick, Yoshitomo Tsutsugo. Thames is cool, but if I were a Brewers fan I'd rather they get someone capable of playing every day. Thames is a platoon bat. (Free Agent Chat w/Collin Whitchurch)
2019-05-10 13:00:00 (link to chat)Does Jesus Aguilar keep the starting Brewers 1B job for the season? What are you projecting from him?
(Andrew from Jersey)		I'm not sure he has sole custody of the job right now. Eric Thames has been getting a bulk of starts there against righties, so Aguilar is going to need to keep hitting if he wants to keep playing. (Mark Barry)
2017-04-28 13:30:00 (link to chat)Would you trade Otani for Eric Thames straight up in an OBP Dynatsy league/ Otani is clearly my best trade chip, so I want to get something good, but I'm nervous this is just a hot start. What do you think?
(Alberto Tirado from Queens)		I mean hell. Otani is doing nothing for you right now and we don't know when he's coming over. I'd still exercise caution and Thames is already over 30 so you better be competing on a championship level to consider this. I'd like to know more about Eric Thames when he isn't facing Cincinnati pitching (he's still been great, but 8 of 11 homers against Cincy) (Craig Goldstein)
2017-01-18 20:00:00 (link to chat)Feelings on Eric Thames vs Tommy Joseph?
(ryangong from Vancouver BC)		Both solid values in really nice home parks. I think I'd lean Thames very slightly, but it's close. (Bret Sayre)
2016-01-20 13:00:00 (link to chat)It seems like Byung-ho Park has 70+ raw power, but there understandably remains uncertainty about his ability to adjust and make contact in the show. He was near-top or really good in the KBO in walk rate, strikeout rate, and ISO (but so was Eric Thames). 20HR seems like a good baseline, but is 30 HRs too much to dream on?
(Jimmy from Texas)		That's a great question. I really don't know if it's fair to answer that question. From what I've seen, I think 20-25 is pretty likely if he hits enough to play everyday. The difference in pitching in the MLB and the KBO is just so different in terms of quality/need to make adjustments, though. I think we'll get a better idea in Spring Training. Sorry to answer your question with a non-answer. (Christopher Crawford)
2012-04-23 14:00:00 (link to chat)How long would you give Eric Thames in the Blue Jays outfield before considering a change? He is already being benched in favour of Rajai Davis/Ben Francisco vs. LHP and his power has yet to show up vs. RHP. Blue Jays fans should know that AA is pretty committed to giving Eric Thames a fair chance to keep the LF job. However, if his current offensive production is determined to be roughly in the neighbourhood of his ceiling and his defence remains painful to watch, how long will it be until they give the major league at-bats to Snider who has offensive upside for days and can actually play above average D in LF. He's not going to learn to hit breaking balls in the thin air of Vegas, so the choice for me is obvious. I'd honestly only give him 3 more weeks, but I'm admittedly partial to Snider. What do you think is a reasonable sample size to allow AA to show players he didn't mess with Thames and gave him the fair shot that he was promised?
(Mike Fuji from Ottawa, ON)		You wrote so much I had to answer it.

I think it depends on what AA thinks. I know that's a terrible answer, but with this kind of sample size I think you have to fall back on scouting. Can he hack it at this level? I don't know. The other thing is that the Jays are tied for first place. Are they going to try to stay there? If so they might need to get some offense at the position. If they're going to play for next year then maybe you try to give the young guy some ABs and hope he gets it. That's probably what I'd do. (Matthew Kory)
2012-04-12 14:00:00 (link to chat)My #4 OF is Dexter Fowler. Considering swapping him out for the following waiver wire options. H2H league, speed not as valuable, keeper value irrelevant. Jordan Schafer, Juan Rivera, josh reddick, Alex Presley, Dayan viciedo, or Eric Thames. Thoughts?
(NJTomatoes from Oregon)		Yeah, if speed is devalued, I like Viciedo's power potential, Thames should post a solid average with a little power, Presley could hit for a good average and score runs leading off. (Derek Carty)
2012-03-06 13:00:00 (link to chat)Travis Snider or Eric Thames in LF for the Jays? between the two who has a bigger bat this season? avg. and power wise.
(CheeCheesh(Starsky) from Canada)		I like Thames better, simply because I don't have a good answer for what happened to Snider this past year, and anyone I've tried to talk to who might be close to the situation has been tight-lipped about it. I like Thames's bat anyway, though, and as long as he gets some ABs, he's a great AL-only pick. And if he's playing full-time, he's deep-mixed-worthy too. That said, Snider has bigger power upside. (Derek Carty)
2012-01-10 13:00:00 (link to chat)Any "sophomores" you like to break out this season
(moehk21 from NYC)		I like Ben Revere, Eric Thames, Lucas Duda, Cory Luebke, Danny Duffy, Henderson Alvarez all to various degrees. (Derek Carty)
2011-07-21 16:00:00 (link to chat)Eric Thames or Coco Crisp--who's more productive the rest of the season? I'm especially worried about TOR sitting Thames against LHP.
(Rob H from Ontario)		Thames also got hurt today as he rolled his ankle. LHP has been a problem for him but the power is very real and he may have been the most impressive thing I saw in the Grapefruit League this season. Crisp is always an injury risk. (Jason Collette)
2011-06-27 14:00:00 (link to chat)What do you think is Eric Thames' upside as a major leaguer?
(Ryan from Winnipeg)		Solid every day corner outfielder. I'm a fan. (Kevin Goldstein)
2011-02-14 13:00:00 (link to chat)Every year as a youngster/teenager, I'd pick a hitter and a pitcher for the Jays on whom the season rested: not the stars (expected) or scrubs (no hope). Who are those guys for this year? I'm thinking Snider and Drabek, but JPA and Frank Frank work, too.
(JT from Michigan)		The player I'm most rooting for on the Jays is Eric Thames. Drabek will be solid-I have little doubt. (Tommy Bennett)


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PITCHf/x Hitter Profile

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