The mighty Thames: After his homer barrage, the Brewers slugger shows staying power with keen adjustments.
Brewers slugger says he knew he’d have to adjust
Considering Eric Thames’ torrid start to the season, his inevitable first drop in production was certain to draw attention.
So there the Milwaukee Brewers first baseman sat at his locker earlier this month at PNC Park in Pittsburgh.
He wasn’t feeling all that well, still chilled from the previous night’s mid-40s temperatures, but nevertheless tried to explain that, despite a nine-game homerless streak, not much had changed for him at the plate.
“I feel like the way I’m being pitched is the same,” Thames said. “I’m a tad slower because I’m fouling everything off. But that’s the way it is. When I was going well, I wasn’t fouling those balls off. But now I’m fouling them off when it’s 0-2 and 2-2 and I have to grind and battle.
“A lot of that is on me and on my body.”
Then came that afternoon’s 6-2 victory against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park, and all seemed right with Thames again.
He singled in his first at-bat, doubled in his second, with help from a misplay by Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder John Jaso, and capped his day by homering in the ninth. That last part was good for his spirits.
“It was freezing the last three games,” he said with a laugh. The Brewers had battled rain and cold temperatures in St. Louis before facing more of the same in Pittsburgh.
“Timing was off, routine was off. It just felt good for the whole team. Sun was out, and it was a nice day for the bats to kind of come alive.
“For me, I’m still trying to work out some kinks in my shoulders, and I’m moving a little too much in my swing. But I’m trying to work through that and showing up every day to play.”
Since the beginning of that game (May 7), Thames was hitting .348 with two homers, five RBI and a 1.178 on-base-plus-slugging percentage (OPS).
Manager Craig Counsell typically laughs at overreactions to small sample sizes, and his response was predictable when he was asked what he had been seeing from Thames, who came into the May 7 game hitting .176 with one extra-base hit in a nine-game stretch.
Yet, a little more than a week later, he still led the National League with 13 homers.
“It’s just the baseball season,” Counsell said. “He’s hit some balls hard, they’ve been caught. Guys make pitches on him.
“He’s doing great. He’s doing fine. I don’t see that anything’s changed for him. It’s just part of the season.”
The first three or so weeks were incredible for Thames, who hit 11 homers in his first 20 games. He hit home runs in consecutive games from April 13-17, tying a Milwaukee franchise record, and his 11 homers and 28 runs scored in April set a record.
But, just as he and almost ev- eryone else expected, opposing scouting reports began catching up. So did a nagging hamstring injury.
The homers went away, as did the extra-base hits, and Thames was forced to adjust. Not having Ryan Braun (forearm and calf injuries) hitting behind him for all but three games in May hasn’t helped.
Still, he entered the week hitting .315 with a 1.128 OPS, the latter mark ranking fourth in the NL.
“I don’t see as many fastballs,” Thames said. “A lot of guys throw off-speed now. It depends who’s hitting behind me, too.
“Lot of breaking balls, lot of changeups. Hard and soft away. They’re pitching me like a power hitter. It’s expected. I thought they were going to do that. It’s on me now to make the adjustment physically and start pouncing on pitches.”
Thames learned all about patience and belief in himself and his talents as he tore up the Korean Baseball Organization the previ- ous three seasons, so he hasn’t made rash changes to his routine.
He can be found walking around the clubhouse with a bat in his hand, visualizing his swing. He’s doing a little more preventive maintenance with regard to his body, trying to stay as fresh as possible and ward off potential lingering injuries.
Thames has learned to say no to interview requests on occasion, too — not because his usual pleasant demeanor has suddenly changed, but because the constant attention had begun wearing him down.
“It was a blessing, obviously, but it was a little tiring talking,” he said. “There was just a lot of talking for a month straight. It was like, ‘OK, I just need to not talk for a few days and just focus on hitting and stuff.’ “It took a toll.” The Brewers took somewhat of a gamble this winter by signing Thames to a three-year, $16 million deal. He had shown power with the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners in 2011 and 2012, but not nearly this much.
Now, unlike before, left-handed-hitting Thames is actually hitting southpaws better than righties — .387 to .292 — so that won’t faze him. His OPS vs. lefties was 1.435 compared to 1.028 against righties.
He’s well aware that the video game numbers are likely to return to earth over the coming weeks and that another homerless spell could be around the corner. As Counsell says and Thames understands, it’s a baseball season.
“That’s how it is — the waves of the baseball season,” Thames said. “Sometimes you’re barreling everything up, and sometimes you just don’t. I’m doing the same stuff. Just got to stick with it.
“It’s a long season. I knew I wasn’t going to hit 100 home runs or 80 or whatever they were saying. Who cares about that? But there’s a lot more at-bats left, and I’m looking forward to it.”