Thames back in a platoon?

[NZ Eff]

Thames is roster worthy in most roto leagues for that 'decent pop' alone. This quoted sentence makes NZ sound like he only plays in light, 8-team MLB universe leagues. Thames is the definition of waiver wire value, man.

I disagree totally. He is a decent waiver wire pick up in most league formats for a Monday / Thursday when the Tigers are facing a leftie SP but not many rosters can afford to carry a career journeyman that plays 3-4 times a week. If you are and you play in a standard league then you are not fully maximising your team scoring potential. It's a mistake that the majority of fantasy baseball players continue to make year in and year out.

[moochman]

Another negative about Thames is that he only has 13 more RBI than HRs. That is not getting the production you'd expect for 20 dings. He isn't driving in runs like he should, so he must not be hitting well with runners on base. I wonder how many LOBs he has.

[MashinSpuds]

Thames is roster worthy in most roto leagues for that 'decent pop' alone. This quoted sentence makes NZ sound like he only plays in light, 8-team MLB universe leagues. Thames is the definition of waiver wire value, man.

I disagree totally. He is a decent waiver wire pick up in most league formats for a Monday / Thursday when the Tigers are facing a leftie SP but not many rosters can afford to carry a career journeyman that plays 3-4 times a week. If you are and you play in a standard league then you are not fully maximising your team scoring potential. It's a mistake that the majority of fantasy baseball players continue to make year in and year out.

Unless you have full-time guys with pop on your wire, like Edwin Encarnacion or Chad Tracy, then yeah, Thames is best left alone because of his erratic starting schedule. However, if you're in a deep roto league, desperately need pop, and are starting someone like Paul Konerko in the hopes that he snaps out of it while your numbers suffer, then you would probably be better off with Thames and his .260ish average and numbers most of the time.

Ultimately, if people want Thames on their team they should pair his bat with a platoon mate and start one or the other based on matchups in a daily league. A weekly league makes it a tougher decision, of course. Either way, continuing to drop the 'career journeyman' label on a guy as a knock (he only hopped teams twice early in his career and has been on the Tigers for 5 years straight... hardly the definition of journeyman anyway) shouldn't prevent people from utilizing Thames' ability with the right setup. Starting him day in and day out is folly, but he is not someone to be totally ignored if he keeps up the production in that lineup. Whether you disagree or not, he is waiver wire value that can be "maximising your team scoring potential" if one is crafty enough.

[NZ Eff]

Thames has just 4 hits in his past 40 AB's with 21 k's

[MashinSpuds]

Thames has just 4 hits in his past 40 AB's with 21 k's

You've been keeping this thread handy for a week, eh? Whatever makes you feel good... no one ever said he was Ichiro with the bat.

[moochman]

Thames has just 4 hits in his past 40 AB's with 21 k's

You've been keeping this thread handy for a week, eh? Whatever makes you feel good... no one ever said he was Ichiro with the bat.

Ichiro? Thames isn't even Nefi Perez right now. The man is a windmill. I think he got caught up in the trappings of the HR. It is literally impossible to throw a first pitch toward home plate and not have him swinging out of his heels at it. He needs a total reset.