Davidi on MLB: Mind over batter
Posted May 18, 2011 10:15 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
TORONTO – There are times when Eric Thames’ mind begins to race, and there is plenty to stimulate his thoughts right now.
The Toronto Blue Jays outfielder with an imposing physique and gentle smile made his big-league debut Wednesday night, and the opportunity before him is one every young prospect dreams of.
Play well, and his stay in the majors will be a long one. If not, Travis Snider remains at triple-A Las Vegas, still in the club’s plans even if he has fallen a notch in the organizational pecking order.
The 24-year-old Thames, however, wants no part of that kind of analysis.
“I’m avoiding digging into it too much because knowing myself, I am an overthinker and I will just self-implode,” he said in the Blue Jays clubhouse three hours before serving as DH in the series opener with the Tampa Bay Rays. “I’m just basically going to work hard, leave it all on the field, play as hard as I can and whatever happens, happens. But I’m going to compete and I’m going to fight.
“I’m one of those guys where if I overthink a pitcher and what he’s going to do, I’ll take meatballs and fastballs down the middle instead of going up with an open mind and see ball, hit ball. I’m just one of those deep thinkers and it’s kind of bad, but you’ve got to learn to control it.”
However he’s been doing it, Thames would be wise to stick with that approach.
In 36 games with Las Vegas, he was batting .342 with six homers, 17 doubles and 30 RBIs, picking up right where he left off from during his breakout 2010 with double-A New Hampshire.
Called up late Monday night when first baseman Adam Lind was placed on the disabled list, Thames gives the Blue Jays an aggressive hitter with some left-handed pop that they desperately need. For now he’ll share time in left field with Corey Patterson and Juan Rivera and get some time at DH.
More on Thames: March 11: Arms like Thor
The jump will test his work this season on becoming more selective at the plate.
He batted .288 with 27 homers and 104 RBIs last year for the Fisher Cats, but walked just 50 times against 121 strikeouts.
The ratio so far this year is much better at 17-30 against the tougher pitching at triple-A.
“That’s been a minor goal, besides just adjusting to the triple-A pitching,” said Thames. “It’s a lot different at that level than it was at double-A and high-A, those guys (in triple-A) put a changeup just an inch off the outer black and just keep painting it there until you swing at it, teasing you.
“It’s just matter of getting used to it and making adjustments off of that. I just want to see how it is here. You see on TV all the perfect games and that stuff, these guys are studs up here, obviously. It’ll be nice to get up here, get in the box, and see what these guys can do.”
Thames first captured manager John Farrell’s eye in the spring, and his progress this season has been monitored closely. He says Thames has made gains both defensively and on the basepaths and that “in general, he’s becoming a more confident player because of the success he’s had.”
“This isn’t just what he did in the last week,” Farrell continued. “This is what he did last year, this spring training, for the time in Las Vegas. We needed a left-handed bat to give us some balance. There’s progress being made with Travis. Eric was selected over Travis because we felt it was not the time to interrupt the adjustments that are gradually taking hold in games. And he’s earned his selection here.”
Thames’ arrival has generated plenty of excitement among fans, many of whom have long demanded his call up while Rivera and others have struggled. Even his mom, the first person he phoned after getting the news Monday, was wondering when he was finally going to break through.
“She was freaking out,” he said. “She’s always keeping up with the Jays, she listens to the radio shows and everything. She had a feeling it was coming, I had no idea, she was like, ‘Oh yeah, it’s about time,’ just freaking out. She’s a hardcore baseball fan, she was all over it.’”
