Camp is a process for Thames
PHOENIX – In general, spring training is viewed as a relaxed time for established players, who use the six weeks to get ready for the regular season at a pace far from frenetic.
Just don’t tell that to Eric Thames. “There’s not much time to do much (other than drills),” the Milwaukee Brewers first baseman said. “The days are long; you’ve got to grind it out.”
Let it be said that Thames is a bit more intense than most players when it comes to workouts and game preparation. He didn’t get his Herculean physique by lounging around in the clubhouse eating jelly doughnuts.
Figuring out the proper ratio of work vs. rest has been a test for Thames since returning from three years playing in South Korea, where players were pretty much on their own in preparing to play.
At certain points in his first season with the Brewers in 2017, Thames discovered he had not allowed enough recovery time between games, and he was forced to make adjustments. Manager Craig Counsell provided some guidance in that area, trying to prevent Thames from becoming his own worst enemy.
“Eric, as much as anything, I’m trying to keep him 100% healthy heading into the season,” said Counsell, who eased Thames into action this spring while giving Ryan Braun action at first base to see if he might be able to play there at times to ease an outfield logjam.
“My impression of Eric is it takes him a little bit of time to get baseball ready. I’m perfectly fine with that. That’s just how that player is.”
Thames has yet to find a groove in exhibition action. Entering the Brewers’ game Friday against Cincinnati in Goodyear, he was batting .156 (5 for 32) with one home run, three runs batted in and a .510 OPS.
Thames didn’t tear it up in camp last year, either, batting .263 with one homer and three RBI while adjusting to facing major-league pitching for the first time since 2013. But that didn’t stop him from busting out with a record-setting April, slugging 11 home runs with 19 RBI and a .345 average.
The rest of 2017 was a roller-coaster ride for Thames, but the point is that sluggish spring camps don’t necessarily portend a slow start to the season, or vice versa.
“He didn’t have a great camp last spring as far as hitting the cover off the ball,” Counsell said. “We all try to figure that stuff out but that’s not how it works.
“Eric’s at-bats are starting to improve. I think he’s in a really good spot, actually. There haven’t been great results but I’m happy with how he’s progressing toward the end of camp. I wasn’t expecting much the first couple of weeks because it just takes him a little longer to get his timing and baseball legs under him.”
Thames made it clear he was not worried in the slightest about on-field results at this juncture. His daily challenge remains staying as flexible as possible while built like a human bulldozer.
“It’s all about being physically ready,” Thames said. “I’m just trying to get my work in. It’s really too hectic; it really is. I’m looking forward to the regular season.”
New name, new year: This season will serve as a fresh start for prospect Trent Grisham in a couple ways.
First and most obvious is the last name. He was known as Trent Clark when the Brewers made him the 15th overall pick in 2015, but he changed his name to Grisham in the off-season to honor his mother, Michelle.
“My mom raised me growing up by herself so it was always in the plans when I turned 18 to change my name,” Grisham said. “We just made it a priority this off-season, got all the paperwork and went to court and did all that stuff. It was a real priority for me for that side of the family.
“Went through it, changed my name, mom was really happy, that whole side of the family was really happy.”
His family matters settled, Grisham will now try to find the groove at the plate that’s been eluding him for most of his tenure with the Brewers.
Grisham, regarded as the top high school hitter in that 2015 draft, batted a combined .309 in 55 games as a rookie before slipping to .231 at Class A Wisconsin in 2016 and .223 at advanced Class A Carolina in 2017.
A nagging right-hamstring strain limited him to just 59 games in 2016. He was healthy enough to play in career-high 133 in 2017, but struck out 141 times on a prospect-laden Mudcats team that also saw Corey Ray, Lucas Erceg and Isan Diaz struggle.
“Kind of an up-and-down year, really,” Grisham said. “None of the stuff that people look at really jumped off the page. But we had a lot of good discussions with Kenny Graham, our hitting coordinator, Tom Flanagan and those guys, and they were really excited – as was I – when they started bringing out the stuff I actually did well and stopped looking at the negatives like the batting average and stuff like that.
“I did a lot of things well. I have things to hang my hat on from last season.”
Among the positives for Grisham were 21 doubles, six triples, eight homers and 98 walks, with the free-pass total ranking him tops in the Carolina League.
“A lot of line drives, a lot of using the middle of the field,” he said. “A good amount of plate discipline – maybe a little too much. Just trying to find a happy medium of swinging at the pitches I like as well as laying off the pitches that I did last year.
“There were a lot of good things that happened, like the stolen bases and the low percentage of getting thrown out. I had a lot of things to be happy about and be proud of. There’s still some things I need to work on.”
Grisham’s next stop on the minorleague ladder will be Class AA Biloxi. What does he see awaiting him this season and beyond in a franchise that’s now well-stocked with outfielders at the major-league level?
“It’s tough to judge,” he said. “I do my best to stay away from it and let the front-office guys handle that. Really, just try to grow as a player, grow as a teammate and try to figure out what’s going to help me get to the big leagues.”