Milwaukee Brewers: Five impact players down the stretch

Eric Thames

Thames averaged 130 games played, with a .349 batting average  and 41 home runs with 127 runs batted in, while playing in Korea. He turned that success into a three-year contract with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Through the first month of the season, Eric Thames was on an absolute tear for the Milwaukee Brewers. His .345/.466/.810 slash line made him look like the bargain of the off-season. He added 11 home runs with 19 runs batted in and a solid 1.28:1 K/BB ratio. Unfortunately, he hasn’t come close to matching that production in the months since.

From the start of May, through the end of July, he has hit a paltry .218, with a modest 13 home runs and an underwhelming 26 runs batted in. His strikeout to walk ratio also ballooned to 2.41:1. To say Thames was struggling, would qualify for the understatement of the year.

The Milwaukee Brewers don’t need Thames to hit 11 home runs a month to succeed, they need him to get on base more consistently. Batting number two in the order brings a lot of responsibility, and Thames is not holding up his end of the bargain. He has shown life at the plate as of late, which is a welcome site for all Brewers fans.

If Thames is unable to help clean the table, he at least needs to help set it up moving forward. Ryan Braun has been on fire recently, while Travis Shaw has remained consistent throughout, they need people on base in front of them. This team needs Thames to turn it around if they are going to make a serious playoff push.