With August injuries to Lance Berkman and Alex Rodriguez, the Yankees didn’t figure to have an offensive upgrade. But they have. In the six games Marcus Thames has started since those two injuries, the Bronx Bombers have averaged more than eight runs per game.
Thames is the only Yankee hitting over .300 in August, and he’s sitting at a cool .368 AVG with a .772 SLG.
However, with Berkman rehabbing in Trenton, Thames is likely to lose some playing time. Here’s what Joe Girardi had to say on the matter.
“He’s been big for us, there’s no doubt about it,” Girardi said (of Thames). “The key thing for us is getting people back healthy. That’s really important. I have some decisions to make, but the best thing would be for me to have to make some hard decisions.”
I think when Berkman returns you’ll see him starting strictly against righties while Thames will earn starts against southpaws.
Feel free to express your love for Thames in the comments.
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Joe C. · 760 weeks ago
Alex Taffet · 760 weeks ago
J.BigLeagues 44p · 760 weeks ago
Having been around a lot of professional baseball players in my life, Marcus Thames is the real deal in terms of being a good person. He doesn't have an over-inflated ego or act ****y. He's soft-spoken, genuine, direct and remains one of my favorite players.
His whole career has been driven by the need to provide for his handicapped Mother and siblings. He was robbed of the Eastern League MVP when he was with the Norwich Navigators (when they were the Yankees' AA affiliate).
If you follow Marcus career trajectory he has always had a rough first year, followed by measured improvement the next year, and so on. Even as he approaches his mid-30's, if someone gave Thames a full season to show what he can do with a bat, I think a lot of people would be asking why they didn't do it earlier.