Marcus Thames

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Marcus Thames

Detroit Tigers — No. 33
Left fielder
Bats: Right Throws: Right
Major League Baseball debut
June 10, 2002 for the New York Yankees
Selected MLB statistics
(through 2006)
Batting Average     .241
Home Runs     45
Runs Batted In     115
Teams

    Marcus Markley Thames (born March 6, 1977, in Louisville, Mississippi) is a left fielder who currently plays for the Detroit Tigers. He attended East Central Junior College and was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 30th Round of the 1996 amateur draft. Thames has a reputation as a dangerous hitter with raw power.

    Thames warranted "prospect" status from the Yankees following a standout 2001 season for the AA affiliate Norwich Navigators, in which he batted .321 with 31 home runs and 97 RBIs. For his efforts he was named to the Baseball America minor league all star team.

    On June 10, 2002, Thames began his major league career with a bang as he was the 17th player in history to hit a home run in his first at-bat. The pitcher was non other than Cy Young Award winner Randy Johnson who at the time was pitching for the Arizona Diamondbacks. As his coaches and teammates were laughing in amazement, Thames stepped out of the dugout for a curtain call to a capacity crowd at Yankee Stadium [1].

    On June 6, 2003, the Yankees (looking for a left-handed batter) traded Thames to the Texas Rangers for Ruben Sierra. Thames was granted free-agency on October 15 and signed with the Detroit Tigers on December 7.

    The next two seasons saw Thames splitting time between the Tigers and their AAA affiliate Toledo Mud Hens. While dominating the AAA level, he found it difficult to crack the outfield rotation in place with the parent club. However, in 2006 Thames made his first opening day roster with the blessing of new manager Jim Leyland. Playing sparsly early in the season, he soon seized his opportunity for extended playing time due to injuries to Dmitri Young and Craig Monroe. Although he suffered through a slump near the end of the season, Marcus Thames was a key component to the Tigers vast improvement in the 2006 season. He set career highs in every offensive category, hitting .256 with 26 home runs and 60 RBIs in only 348 at-bats, finishing with a solid .882 OPS.

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