Milwaukee Brewers: Is Eric Thames posting another crazy April?

Eric Thames tore through the National League last April. He’s back at it again this April. Will Thames continue to carry the Milwaukee Brewers, or is this just another hot streak before the cold streak?

In April 2017, Eric Thames posted the best month of his Major League career. He ended the month with a 1.276 OPS. Thames slashed .345/.466/.810. He blasted 11 homers, scored 28 runs, and drove in 19. Eric Thames was on fire for the entire start of the 2017 season. It looks like he’s doing it again in 2018.

How good is 2018 Eric Thames doing?

He’s not ‘April-2017-Thames’ good, but he’s close. In 12 games played, Thames already has five homers and owns a .263/.364/.711 slash line. He’s done the majority of his damage against right-handers. All five homers have come off a right-handed pitcher.

Will Thames keep this up?

In 2017, Thames faded during the summer with a few leg injuries, and conditioning concerns. However, he isn’t expected to play every day in 2018.

The Milwaukee Brewers still have Jesus Aguilar on the roster, and Ryan Braun is picking up starts at first base. Aguilar and Braun are both right-handed, and are much better suited to face tough lefties than Thames is.

Thames will get more off days early in the year with the Milwaukee Brewers current depth at first base. Hopefully, the additional rest combined with a full off season strength and conditioning program will help Thames stay on the field and produce this year.

Can Thames continue to post an OPS over 1.000 for the entire season? Probably not, but he’s proven that he can mash right-handed pitching, and he’ll get the rest that he didn’t get last year. The current pace is unsustainable, but Thames is more likely to continue to produce with the extra off days.

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The Milwaukee Brewers need another hot start from Thames if they want to stay in the race for a playoff spot. The Brewers have a lot of injuries right now. Five key players are on the DL. Manny Pina and Lorenzo Cain are hurting. They need a huge month from Thames to drive the offense while his teammates heal.