My Take
Eric Thames is one of those guys who genuinely makes you believe in second acts. He came up through the Blue Jays and Mariners systems but never quite locked down a permanent MLB roster spot, and at that point most players quietly fade out — but Thames packed his bags and headed to South Korea to play for the NC Dinos in the KBO League, and what happened next was one of the more jaw-dropping turnaround stories in recent baseball memory. He absolutely demolished the KBO for three seasons, posting home run and OPS numbers that looked like a video game stat line, and suddenly everyone in Milwaukee wanted to see if it was real. He signed with the Brewers in 2017, came into spring training jacked and confident, and the early stretch of that season was electric — he was launching bombs and drawing walks like a man on a mission. The KBO-to-MLB reinvention arc he pulled off is something I think gets undersold, and honestly, it's a pretty inspiring reminder that detours can sometimes be the whole journey.
Overview
Eric Allyn Thames ( THAYMZ; born November 10, 1986) is an American former professional baseball first baseman and outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, Seattle Mariners, Milwaukee Brewers, and Washington Nationals, in the KBO League for the NC Dinos, and in the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Yomiuri Giants.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Eric Thames
- Name (Japanese)
- エリック・テームズ
- Reading
- えりっく・てーむず
- Born
- November 10, 1986 (age 39)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Scorpio / Tiger
- Origin
- Santa Clara, California, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- 183 cm
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- baseball player
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Pepperdine University
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.