Top 25 MLB stories of 2017

Top 25 MLB stories of 2017, from Aaron Judge to Houston Strong

HOUSTON, TX - NOVEMBER 03: Marwin Gonzalez #9 of the Houston Astros and Alex Bregman #2 hold the World Series Trophy during the Houston Astros Victory Parade on November 3, 2017 in Houston, Texas. The Astros defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-1 in Game 7 to win the 2017 World Series. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /

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20. From Korea with love

With limited options at the MLB level, 27-year-old Eric Thames elected to take his talents to South Korea following a 2013 season spent playing for the Triple-A squads of the Seattle Mariners and Baltimore Orioles. In the hitter-friendly KBO, Thames turned into a cartoonish figure. He played three seasons with the NC Dinos and hit .349/.451/.721 with 124 home runs and 382 RBI in 390 games. In 2015, Thames hit .381/.497/.790 with 47 home runs and 40 stolen bases and generally made his competitors look like junior-varsity players.

After three years overseas, Thames was ready to return to Major League Baseball. More importantly, the league, which had once cast him aside, was ready to find a spot for him. In Korea, Thames developed a much more disciplined approach at the plate and ability to hit breaking balls. While he was still viewed as more of a curiosity than a legitimate impact bat, Thames was going to get another chance after last playing in the big leagues in 2012.

Thames signed with the Milwaukee Brewers for three years and $16 million with a player option for a fourth year. He returned to U.S. soil and promptly began sending baseballs into orbit. Thames hit .345/.466/.810 in his first month back with 11 home runs and 19 RBI. He would eventually cool as the league began to figure him out but still recorded a respectable .247/.359/.518 line with 31 home runs, 63 RBI and 159 walks in 138 games.

The successful return to the big leagues for Eric Thames after a brief exile in Korea should serve to help other one-dimensional sluggers in need of a backdoor back into Major League Baseball. Instead of playing in obscurity at Triple-A while trying to fight back up to the big leagues, why not star in Asia while waiting for your call?

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