Eric Allyn Thames ( ; born November 10, 1986) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

and

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to catch ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...

, and

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...

, in the

KBO League The KBO League () is a professional baseball league in South Korea. The league comprises ten teams. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers are the most success ...

for the

NC Dinos The NC Dinos () are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Changwon. They are a member of the KBO League. Since 2019, their home stadium is Changwon NC Park. NC Dinos are owned by video game developer NCSoft Corporation. History On ...

, and in the

Nippon Professional Baseball is a professional baseball league and the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning simply ''Professional Baseball''; outside of Japan, NPB is often referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league ...

(NPB) for the

Yomiuri Giants The are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams based in Tokyo, the other being the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. They h ...

. Thames played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

for the

Pepperdine Waves The Pepperdine Waves are the athletics teams of Pepperdine University, located outside the city of Malibu, California. They compete at the NCAA Division I, Division I level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA. The school is a me ...

, and was chosen by the Blue Jays in the 2008 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut for Toronto in 2011, and was traded to the Mariners in 2012. After spending the 2013 season in

Minor League Baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...

, he signed with the Dinos for the 2014 season. He won the KBO League Most Valuable Player Award in 2015, and signed with the Brewers before the 2017 season.

Early life and career

Thames grew up in the San Jose-Santa Clara area. He attended

Bellarmine College Preparatory Bellarmine College Preparatory is an all-boys, Jesuit, private secondary school located in San Jose, California. Founded on May 8, 1851, it is the oldest Jesuit secondary school in California and the second-oldest west of the Mississippi River. ...

in San Jose. As a freshman, he was the

junior varsity A varsity team is the highest-level team in a sport or activity representing an educational institution. Varsity teams train to compete against each other during an athletic season or in periodic matches against rival institutions. At High school, ...

baseball team's third string

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball positions, baseball or softball fielding position between second base, second and third base, which is considered to be among the Defensive spectrum, most demanding defensive positions. Historically, the ...

. He became the starting shortstop as a sophomore, and then joined the

varsity team A varsity team is the highest-level team in a sport or activity representing an educational institution. Varsity teams train to compete against each other during an athletic season or in periodic matches against rival institutions. At high schools ...

in his junior year. He was an All-League player for two years and a team MVP as a senior in 2004. Thames then attended West Valley Community College after sitting a year at

Cabrillo College Cabrillo College is a public community college in Aptos, California. It is named after the conquistador Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo and opened in 1959. Cabrillo College has an enrollment of about 9,700 students per term. Facilities Classes are of ...

in 2005. During the 2006 season Thames made the Northern California all-state team, and he also made the first team all conference squad. From there, Thames transferred to

Pepperdine University Pepperdine University () is a private university, private Christianity, Christian research university affiliated with the Churches of Christ, with its main campus in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Pepperdine's main campus consists ...

to play for the

. The

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

selected Thames in the 39th round of the

2007 MLB draft The 2007 Major League Baseball draft, was an annual choosing of high school and college baseball players, held on June 7, 2007 and June 8, 2007. The first day session of the draft included the first 25 rounds and was scheduled to be broadcast "l ...

, with the 1,191st overall selection. He returned to Pepperdine for the 2008 season. In 2008, Thames batted .407 with 13

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

s for the Waves, and was named the

West Coast Conference The West Coast Conference (WCC) — known as the California Basketball Association from 1952 to 1956 and then as the West Coast Athletic Conference until 1989 — is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division I consisting o ...

most valuable player In team sports, a most valuable player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or ...

. Towards the end of the season, he tore a

quadriceps muscle The quadriceps femoris muscle (, also called the quadriceps extensor, quadriceps or quads) is a large muscle group that includes the four prevailing muscles on the front of the thigh. It is the sole extensor muscle of the knee, forming a large ...

during a game.

Professional career

Toronto Blue Jays

Due to his quadriceps injury, Thames fell in the 2008 MLB draft. Initially projected to be selected in the first three rounds, the

selected him in the seventh round, with the 219th overall selection. Thames signed with the Blue Jays and had surgery to repair the torn muscle. He began his professional career with the

Dunedin Blue Jays The Dunedin Blue Jays are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and are the Single-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays Major League Baseball club. They are located in Dunedin, Florida, and play their home games at TD Ballpark, ...

of the

Class A-Advanced High-A, officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing, is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A and D ...

Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...

in 2009, where he hit .313 with three home runs and 38

runs batted in A run batted in or runs batted in (RBI) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if th ...

(RBIs) in 52 games. His playing time was limited by recurring difficulty with the quadriceps injury, and he also played rehab games for the Gulf Coast League Blue Jays of the

Rookie-level Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National L ...

Gulf Coast League The Florida Complex League (FCL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in Florida, United States. Before 2021, it was known as the Gulf Coast League (GCL). Together with the Arizona Complex League (ACL), it forms the low ...

later that year. Thames spent the 2010 season with the

New Hampshire Fisher Cats The New Hampshire Fisher Cats are a Minor League Baseball team based in Manchester, New Hampshire. The team, which plays in the Eastern League (1938–present), Eastern League, is the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Ja ...

of the Double-A Eastern League. He hit 27 home runs for the Fisher Cats with 104 RBIs. He began the 2011 season with the Las Vegas 51s of the Triple-A

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

(PCL). In 32 games for Las Vegas, Thames batted .342 with six home runs and 30 RBIs. EricThames

Thames made his MLB debut on May 18, 2011, against the

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in the Tampa Bay area. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. They are one of two major ...

, recording his first career hit and RBI, driving in second baseman Aaron Hill. Thames also recorded his first career

walk Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined as an "inverted pendulum" gait in which the body vaults over ...

and run scored in that game. Thames hit his first career

double Double, The Double or Dubble may refer to: Mathematics and computing * Multiplication by 2 * Double precision, a floating-point representation of numbers that is typically 64 bits in length * A double number of the form x+yj, where j^2=+1 * A ...

against the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...

on May 21. On June 3, Thames was optioned to Las Vegas to make room for the return of

Adam Lind Adam Alan Lind (born July 17, 1983) is an American former professional baseball first baseman and designated hitter. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, Milwaukee Brewers, Seattle Mariners, and Washington Nationals ...

. On June 23, he was recalled to Toronto. On June 29, Thames hit his first career home run off

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

starter Paul Maholm. Thames played 95 games for the Blue Jays in 2011, finishing with a .262 batting average, 12 home runs, and 37 RBIs. The Blue Jays had Thames and Travis Snider compete for a role on their roster in spring training in 2012. Thames made the Blue Jays

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent year ...

roster and appeared in 46 games for the Blue Jays, in which he hit .243 with three home runs and 11 RBIs. The Blue Jays sent Thames to Las Vegas in late May. He batted .330 for Las Vegas after the demotion.

Seattle Mariners

On July 31, 2012, the Blue Jays traded Thames to the

for pitcher Steve Delabar. Thames made a notable running catch for the first out in

Félix Hernández Félix Abraham Hernández García (born April 8, 1986), nicknamed "King Félix", is a Venezuelan-American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners from 2005 through 2019. Hernánd ...

's perfect game on August 15. Thames batted .220 in 40 games for the Mariners. Before the 2013 season, the Mariners signed outfielders Raúl Ibañez and

Jason Bay Jason Raymond Bay (born September 20, 1978) is a Canadian-American former professional baseball left fielder who played 11 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Initially drafted by the Montreal Expos, he played for the San Diego Padres, Pitts ...

. The team optioned Thames to the Triple-A

Tacoma Rainiers The Tacoma Rainiers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. They are located in Tacoma, Washington, and play their home games at Cheney Stadium, ...

during spring training. He batted .295 in 57 games for Tacoma. On June 22, the Mariners designated Thames for assignment to clear room on the 40-man roster for the return of Franklin Gutiérrez from the 60-day disabled list.

Baltimore Orioles and Houston Astros

The Mariners traded Thames to the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

for minor league infielder Ty Kelly on June 30, 2013. Thames was immediately optioned to the

Norfolk Tides The Norfolk Tides are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. They are located in Norfolk, Virginia, and are named in nautical reference to the city's loc ...

of the Class AAA

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major ...

. He batted .252 with three homers and 13 RBIs for the Tides, and was designated for assignment on September 1. The

claimed Thames off waivers on September 5. He played for the

Oklahoma City Redhawks Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

of the PCL the next day. He had two hits (including a home run) in four at-bats as Oklahoma City lost and was eliminated from the playoffs.

NC Dinos

After the 2013 season, Thames played in the Venezuelan Winter League, where he was scouted by the

of the

. The Astros released Thames so that he could sign with the Dinos. He signed a one-year contract for $800,000. In the 2014 season, Thames batted .343 with 37 home runs, 121 RBIs, and an

on-base plus slugging On-base plus slugging (OPS) is a sabermetric baseball statistic calculated as the sum of a player's on-base percentage and slugging percentage. The ability of a player both to get on base and to hit for power, two important offensive skills, are ...

of 1.111. During the 2015 season, Thames became the first player in KBO history to

hit for the cycle Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust or HIT, a fictional organization ...

twice in one season. Thames then signed a two-year contract to remain with the Dinos. He batted .381 with 47 home runs and 40

stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base unaided by other actions and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or out ...

s in 2015, becoming the first KBO player to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in a season. On November 24, 2015, Thames won the KBO League Most Valuable Player Award. He became the third foreign-born player to win the award, joining

Tyrone Woods Walter Tyrone Woods (born August 16, 1969 is an American professional baseball player. He played five seasons with the Korea Baseball Organization then six further seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball, primarily as a first baseman. Career M ...

and Danny Rios. Also, Thames won the 2015 KBO Golden Glove Award for first basemen. Thames hit .321 in the 2016 season, adding 40 home runs and 121 RBIs.

Milwaukee Brewers

On November 29, 2016, Thames signed a three-year, $16 million contract with the

, with a $7.5 million club option for a fourth year. On April 3, 2017, Thames was the starting first baseman, making his Brewer debut on Opening Day against the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...

. He went 1-4, hitting a two-run double in the fifth inning, striking out twice, being walked once, and scoring a run. He set the Brewers club record for home runs in the month of April, with his 11th on April 25, in a 9−1 win versus the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

. In April 2018, the Brewers won back to back games against the Cincinnati Reds, with both games being decided by a two-run home run by Thames. In his first 22 games, Thames hit seven home runs. On April 25, he wound up on the disabled list due to a torn UCL in the thumb on his left hand. Thames returned to the Brewers' active roster on June 11, but due to the surge of fellow first baseman Jesús Aguilar, Thames was primarily used as an outfielder upon his return. Thames started 2019 as a bench player for the Brewers. He reclaimed the starting first base job from Aguilar, and batted .247 with 25 home runs in 149 games. In the

2019 National League Wild Card Game The 2019 National League Wild Card Game was a play-in game during Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2019 postseason contested between the National League's two wild card teams: the Washington Nationals and Milwaukee Brewers. Played on October 1, W ...

, Thames went 2-4 with a 2nd inning solo home run off of

Max Scherzer Maxwell Martin Scherzer (born July 27, 1984), nicknamed "Mad Max", is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Detroit Tige ...

, but the Brewers would lose the game and get eliminated from the 2019 postseason. The Brewers declined his $7.5 million option for the 2020 season, making Thames a free agent.

Washington Nationals

On January 8, 2020, Thames signed with the

for the 2020 season, agreeing to a one-year deal with a mutual option for the 2021 season. With

Ryan Zimmerman Ryan Wallace Zimmerman (born September 28, 1984) is an American former professional baseball infielder who spent his entire 17-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the Washington Nationals. Zimmerman graduated from Floyd E. Kellam High S ...

opting out of the 2020 season due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, Thames became the team's starting first baseman. Thames struggled in the role, hitting .203 with only three home runs and posting an OPS+ of 65, well below average.

Yomiuri Giants

On December 30, 2020, Thames signed with the

of the

(NPB). In his debut on April 27, 2021, he left the game in the third inning after suffering a leg injury trying to field a fly ball. He was later diagnosed with a ruptured Achilles tendon. He returned to the U.S. and underwent surgery on May 4. On August 23, the Giants released him.

Oakland Athletics

On February 18, 2022, Thames signed a minor league deal with the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

. Thames appeared in 22 games for the Triple-A

Las Vegas Aviators The Las Vegas Aviators, formerly known as the Las Vegas 51s and Las Vegas Stars, are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Athletics. They are located in Summerlin South, Nevada, a comm ...

, slashing .274/.337/.452 with 3 home runs and 16 RBI. On May 10, he was released by Oakland. On February 15, 2023, Thames announced his retirement from professional baseball.

Personal life

In April 2016,

Changwon Changwon (; ) is the capital and largest city of South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea (with a population of 1,025,702 ), and the 11th largest city of the South Korea, country. A port city, Changwon is bordered by Masan Bay to the south, and the ...

city awarded honorary citizenship to Thames. In February 2017, Thames won the James B. Pirtle Memorial Golf Classic tournament in Palm Springs, Florida, beating actor Dylan McDermott in the final round. In January 2019, Thames appeared on the Korean television show

King of Mask Singer ''The King of Mask Singer'' () is a South Korean singing competition program presented by Kim Sung-joo, with introductions by voice actor . It airs on MBC on Sunday, starting from April 5, 2015 as a part of MBC's '' Sunday Night'' programming ...

, singing

Isn't She Lovely "Isn't She Lovely" is a song by Stevie Wonder from his 1976 album, '' Songs in the Key of Life''. The lyrics celebrate the birth of his daughter, Aisha Morris. Wonder collaborated on the song with Harlem songwriter and studio owner Burnetta "Bunny ...

and the

K-pop K-pop (; an abbreviation of "Korean popular music") is a form of popular music originating in South Korea. It emerged in the 1990s as a form of youth subculture, with Korean musicians taking influence from Western Electronic dance music, danc ...

song Americano. Many were impressed by his legitimate vocal talent.

References

External links

Pepperdine Waves bio

Career statistics and player information
from

* *
Career statistics - NPB.jp
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thames, Eric 1986 births Living people African-American baseball players American expatriate baseball players in Canada American expatriate baseball players in South Korea Baseball players from Santa Clara, California Cabrillo Seahawks baseball players Dunedin Blue Jays players Gulf Coast Blue Jays players Gulf Coast Orioles players KBO League first basemen Las Vegas 51s players Leones del Caracas players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Major League Baseball first basemen Major League Baseball outfielders Milwaukee Brewers players NC Dinos players 21st-century American sportsmen New Hampshire Fisher Cats players Norfolk Tides players Peoria Javelinas players Pepperdine Waves baseball players Seattle Mariners players Tacoma Rainiers players Toronto Blue Jays players Washington Nationals players West Valley Vikings baseball players Yomiuri Giants players 21st-century African-American sportsmen La Crosse Loggers players Bellarmine College Preparatory alumni