Brewers: Is Eric Thames a sell-high candidate?

By Bill Pivetz | Apr 22, 2017

Apr 17, 2017; Chicago, IL, USA; Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Eric Thames (7) hits a single during the first inning of the game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports /

Brewers’ first baseman/outfielder Eric Thames is crushing the ball this month. Is he someone you can sell high on before it’s too late?

The Milwaukee Brewers offense is hitting well this season. The team is carried by the power explosion of first baseman/outfielder Eric Thames. He has brought his power over from Korea and all of his fantasy owners are loving it. Should you capitalize on that and trade him?

No one expected Thames to hit this well. He hit 102 home runs in his three years in the Korean Baseball Organization. He also averaged .349 with 293 strikeouts and 235 walks. The Korean pitching is known to be a bit slower than the MLB, especially with the number of pitchers that can reach 100 MPH. But maybe Thames didn’t get the memo.

In just 16 games this season, Thames has eight homers, 14 RBI and a .379/.463/.897 line. He also has a 15:8 K:BB ratio. He had a 214.3 ADP (22nd round) in ESPN leagues. I drafted him with pick No. 254 in my 10-team league. The return on investment is ridiculously high that it probably can’t get any higher.

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Thames has a 22.4 strikeout and 11.9 walk rate. If he can stay as patient as he’s been, he can finish as the top first baseman.

The unfortunate thing is that I don’t think his walk rate will stay that high. In his previous stint in the majors, he didn’t post a walk rate higher than 5.8 percent.

There will be a dropoff in his average and walk rate and his strikeouts will rise. His counting stats will also depend on the success of his teammates. Looking at the numbers from the team last season, the rest of the year won’t be as good.

If you are looking to trade Thames, you can get a nice haul for him. If another team needs some power and average, aim for one of their top players. Recent mock trades have offered Thames for the struggling Edwin Encarnacion. If I were a Thames owner (and I am), I would have a tough time passing that up. In that Cleveland lineup, once Encarnacion gets things going, he’ll be hard to stop.

It all depends on what your needs are now and if you can afford to lose his production now for a long-term goal. And that goal is your league’s championship.

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I ranked Thames just inside my top-20 first basemen. When I made the list, I only put him that high because he had the starting job in Milwaukee. This start to the season was far outside my expectations.

It would be hard to trade Thames because of how successful he’s been. It is important to send feelers out to your opponents because the fall could be coming soon.

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