Eric Thames, Brewers

Thames has been the breakout story of the 2017 MLB season so far, blasting 11 home runs and a 1.184 OPS in 27 games for Milwaukee following a three-year stint in the Korean Baseball Organization.

You might be saying, “Wait, he was an Oriole?” Well, Thames never played a game in an Oriole uniform, but he was briefly in the organization in 2013. The club acquired him on June 30 from the Mariners for minor league infielder Ty Kelly (who is also still hanging around the majors, currently on the Phillies’ bench).

Thames played 36 games for Triple-A Norfolk, but didn’t earn a big league callup. It’s not as if his numbers screamed for a promotion; he had just a .671 OPS and three homers in 36 games for the Tides. The Orioles lost him on waivers to the Houston Astros in September, shortly before Thames washed out of MLB and ended up in Korea. The rest is history.

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