Eric Thames (1B/OF, MIL) - Week 6 Waiver Wire Pickups

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OWNED IN: 16% of leagues

ANALYSIS: Eric Thames has consistently demonstrated that he is in short, a beast, over the course of the last three seasons. The tide definitely seemed to turn once he joined the Milwaukee Brewers, as he has produced 52 HR, 11 SB, and a slash of .240/.342/.505 over the course of 780 AB with the organization. Specifically, in 2019, "Sang Namja" has gotten off to a torrid start. He has already hit five homers and put up a .266/.351/.516 slash with the support of a phenomenal 48.7% hard contact and 5.1% soft contact, culminating in a .250 ISO being applied to 48.7% fly balls. That's going to go a long way in power-friendly Miller Park while Thames is blasting balls at 92.4 MPH.

He certainly strikes out at an unfortunate clip of 35.1%, and in fact struck out at similarly unsightly rates of 34.9% and 29.6% over the last two seasons. To put it less than elegantly, whatever. He only makes high-quality contact on batted-balls, has been one of the sneakiest base-stealing power-hitters over the last few campaigns, and is an integral part of a Brewers squad ranked fifth in runs scored (165) and tenth in OPS (.778). Though Jesus Aguilar has started to warm up and earn some playing time back, Eric Thames has been off to an excellent start of his own while having the defensive versatility to man first base and right field. For his downright bully-like work against the Cincinnati Reds alone, he is worthy of acquisition.