MILWAUKEE BREWERS

Notes: Eric Thames' power translates to the big leagues

Tom Haudricourt
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Brewers first baseman Eric Thames and second baseman Jonathan Villar react after the Brewers defeated the Reds, 4-2, at Great American Ball Park.

CINCINNATI – No baseball player ever has been able to hit home runs on command. Not Babe Ruth. Not Hank Aaron. Not Barry Bonds.

But if you have power, the home runs eventually will come. And sometimes the wait is not long.

As Exhibit A, we give you Brewers first baseman Eric Thames. After spending three seasons in Korea compiling fantasy league numbers, including 124 home runs in 388 games, he spent much of spring training just trying to see what big-league pitchers feature these days.

Thames, 30, hit only one home run in 57 spring at-bats, making some wonder how the power he displayed in Korea would translate to the majors.

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“I wasn’t trying to swing as hard as I could,” he said. “I was trying to take pitches and see how guys throw, the stuff they have. Now, I’m trying to drive the ball.”

With impressive results. He hit home runs in all four games against Cincinnati in Great American Ball Park, including two on Saturday, to give him six in 11 games this season. No other player in Brewers history knocked six out of the park in his first 11 games with the club.

Two of those home runs came against lefties, dispelling the notion that the left-handed hitter will have to be platooned at first base.

“I’ve faced so many lefties in my career and I’m used to playing every day,” said Thames, who has a 1.376 OPS, tops in the majors. “But if I pinch hit, they’re going to bring in a left-handed reliever throwing 98 (mph) with a good slider. So, the more at-bats I have against those guys, it will help me out.

“Teams are going to be studying me harder and make adjustments. It’s on me to also adjust and keep up with that cat-and-mouse game. Some stuff you want to know but otherwise I’m just trying to react.”

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That self-awareness will help Thames, because opponents certainly will pitch him differently if they detect patterns. This is the information age of baseball more than ever, so there are no secrets.

“He’s a good offensive player in a good spot right now. He’s locked in,” manager Craig Counsell said. “He is putting good swings on the baseball. When he gets his pitch to hit, he’s hitting it right now. And hitting it a long ways.

“Pitch to pitch, he’s very competitive. There’s intent on every pitch. He’s competing in every at-bat. He’s going to have adjustments to make. He’s not going to finish the season with a 1.300 OPS. But he’s off to a good start. This is proof to him that he can do this, and he’s going to succeed here.

“The guys that last, adjust. That’s how you last. You adjust. Every player has to do it. Eric realizes people are going to make adjustments to him. He’s got an open mind to that coming in the future.”

Villar rests: Second baseman Jonathan Villar became the last position player to get a day off when he was replaced in the lineup by Nick Franklin. Counsell said the move had nothing to do with Villar getting picked off second base in the first inning Saturday.

Getting picked off base has been an ongoing problem for Villar since joining the club before the 2016 season but this one was particularly bad because of the situation. Cincinnati pitcher Brandon Finnegan walked three of the first four hitters, including Villar to open the game.

“That’s a mistake you’ve got to avoid,” Counsell said. “You can’t make that mistake. You have to recognize the situation. We have the pitcher on the ropes. You have to force him to make the pitches.

“Finnegan was at the point where we needed to force him to make pitches. He put himself on the ropes. There are times in the game where you have to let that play out. Yesterday was one of them.”

Villar led the majors with 62 steals last season and as a fairly inexperienced player, needs to be given room for some mistakes, according to Counsell. But what do you do when a player keeps getting picked off without demonstrating any learned behavior?

“Teach. That’s the answer,” Counsell said. “There are players that the teaching takes longer with. We’ve got to stick with it, keep teaching them and stick with it. That’s how we’re going to get the most out of him eventually.

“The other alternative doesn’t work. Do you want to quit on it? We can quit on it but that doesn’t make any sense. All of these players are very good at certain things. They need to improve at other things. The timing of that process, how fast it happens, when exactly it happens, we’re working as hard as we can to make it happen really fast.

“We also have to understand it’s not the same timeframe for every player.”