Eric Thames comics: Volume 1
At first glance, Eric Thames’ thick build and stern facial features – including his trademark, creative facial hair – give him an intimidating look. His upper body resembles that of a superhero, with tattoos running through distinct arm lines created by bulging muscles on his large frame.
Upon talking to him, though, you realize that not only is he one of the nicest players in baseball, but that he also possesses a superhero-like work ethic and interest in the game.
Aside from the obvious physical comparisons, elements of Thames’ game and personality easily spark multiple comparisons to fictional figures and comic book characters that anyone can relate to.
Here are but a few examples.
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Captain America
Captain America represents the pinnacle of human physical perfection, thanks to a daily regimen of rigorous exercise consisting of aerobics, gymnastics, and weightlifting that keeps him in peak physical condition. He is an expert tactician with high intelligence and strength, and his impressive work ethic drives him to be the best he can be at anything he does.
Sounds a lot like Eric Thames, too.
Not only is Thames physically similar in height, weight, and body type, he too has sculpted an extensive workout routine that has built him into the tank that he is today. His high intelligence is evident in all aspects of his life, as one of his top hobbies is reading and his favorite book is the dictionary, but around the baseball diamond he is constantly studying pitchers to improve his craft. He also turned down the Yankees when they drafted him in the 39th round in 2007, which is the work of a genius.
Furthermore, just ask the California native what aspect of his game he takes the most pride in.
“Work ethic,” Thames told The Good Point, without hesitation. “My ability to get better and improve. If a pitcher got me out on a certain pitch one night, the next night I’ll be ready for it. If my swing is long, I’ll start cutting inches and inches out to get better.”
“I’m trying to not be a plateau guy that just gets to a certain point and that’s it.”
Dhalsim (Street Fighter)
On the surface, it would appear that Thames has nothing in common with Street Fighter’s Dhalsim. After all, Dhalsim’s story is that he’s a slender monk that lives in India, providing advice to those that desire it when he’s not fighting in tournaments. Dhalsim, however, is also a wise man who has mastered the inner mysteries of Yoga, something that a wise Thames became familiar with prior to the 2010 season.
After tearing a quad muscle prior to being drafted by the Blue Jays in 2008, Thames was forced to postpone his professional debut until 2009 as a result. He showed flashes of brilliance that season with a .313 average and .874 OPS, but was limited to just 52 games because of the same nagging quad injury.
After starting to second-guess his future in baseball, Thames took up Yoga in an effort to finally be healthy the following season and live up to his potential.
“It’s one of those things where either you start stretching more and start training according to your body, or keep getting hurt and eventually pack groceries instead back home,” Thames said.
The rest, they say, is history. Thames went on a tear with New Hampshire last season and carried that over to Triple-A Las Vegas this season, managing a .342/.419/.610 line with 17 doubles, six home runs, and 17 walks in 36 games.
“It’s just one of those things where I had to adapt to my body, to my age, and to my previous injuries,” he said. “I just had to swallow my pride and stop getting big and just start getting flexible.”
Consistently healthy at last for the first time in his career, Thames arrived with the Blue Jays this week and could very well stay with the team indefinitely.
Mjolnir, the hammer of Thor
Mjolnir, the God of Thunder’s beloved unstoppable hammer built from metal, is strong and can channel energy into powerful blasts. It obeys Thor’s commands and listens to him as if it were alive, and can pass through any barrier to get to Thor should it so desire.
Not only has Thames looked unbreakable on the diamond since the beginning of last season, he too can channel his energy into powerful blasts, ones over 400 feet in length that sail over outfield fences. Thames can also break through any barrier to get to what he desires, as shown by his early call up to the Majors this season and overcoming injury.
The likeness to Mjolnir that stands out the most about Thames, though, is his willingness to listen and take direction from his coaches, sincerely valuing their input to help make him a better player.
“[In Spring Training], I worked with Torey [Lovullo, Blue Jays first base coach] pretty much every day, taking batting practice seriously, shagging, and it’s paid off big time,” Thames said regarding his efforts to improve his defense and not be known only for his bat.
Coming to the Jays organization from Boston this year along with manager John Farrell, Lovullo established relationships with a lot of the Jays’ players right from the start of Spring Training, but his work has stood out even more so to Thames.
“Off the bat, he asked the outfield ‘okay, if you guys want to work extra let me know and we’ll talk about it, we’ll get a plan going’ and I love it,” Thames said.”He’s so proactive.”
“It just shows the direction that this organization is going towards, defense and small ball, and I think he’s a great addition.”
Thames’ promotion to the Jays has generated a buzz around the city and amongst the fan base, and many are eagerly pulling for him to succeed. Once people see his personality in interviews, they warm up to him even more. Some even think that he could be a solution in left field or at DH going forward for the Jays.
“I try my best not to get caught up in that kind of stuff, because otherwise things will happen and then you start focusing outside of the game and start suppressing at the plate, so I don’t worry about that,” the 24-year-old said.
“Just focus on the game, and everything else will take care of itself.”
Should everything take care of itself for Thames in Toronto, fans could be watching the sweet-swinging hitter for quite some time.
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