Eric Thames is on fire after leaving the KBO and returning to Major League Baseball this season, so naturally, he’s picked up a few haters along the way.
The Brewers first baseman has homered in nine of Milwaukee’s 22 games to lead the league with 11, while also posting six doubles, 19 RBIs, a .371 average and a league-high 1.411 OPS. And despite the factThames already has been drug tested and was tested again Tuesday, plenty of people still are accusing the 30-year-old of taking performance-enhancing drugs.
But Thames seems pretty confident in his own abilities.
“This whole thing is surprising to me, as well,” Thames said Tuesday after the Brewers’ 9-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds. “I really have no goals for this year. I’m not trying to break any records or set anything. I just want to apply what I learned in Korea to see how it’d fare here. I’m shocked at all the results. I’m just here to play ball and do my best to stay healthy and stretch as much as I can. If people keep thinking I’m on stuff, I’ll be here every day. I have lots of blood and urine.”
Eric Thames was drug tested again tonight. "If people keep thinking I'm on stuff, I'll be here every day. I have a lot of blood and urine." pic.twitter.com/De1smFWVj7
— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) April 26, 2017
Accusing Thames of taking PEDs just because he’s had a good month not only is insulting to the player himself but to the Korean Baseball Organization, as well. Baseball players in South Korea aren’t just shooting up steroids in the clubhouse. In fact, the KBO uses International Olympic Committee drug testing, meaning Thames and other players are tested just as regularly as MLB players and even are denied certain exceptions that the U.S. grants to its players. Plus, Thames is far from the first player to benefit from getting more experience in another country.
Unfortunately for Thames, though, the takes likely won’t stop until he comes back to earth. If he ever does, that is.
Thumbnail photo via Benny Sieu/USA TODAY Sports Images
