Published On: May 19th, 2011

Former La Crosse Logger and current Toronto Blue Jay Eric Thames made his Major League debut Wednesday night against the Tampa Bay Rays.  Thames, a former Pepperdine University standout, was recently added to the Blue Jays roster when Adam Lind was placed on the 15-day disabled list.  The left-handed hitting outfielder was 1-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored in his MLB debut at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL.

Thames became the first La Crosse Logger position player to make it to the Major Leagues.  The Santa Clara, CA native follows former Logger pitchers Max Scherzer, Daniel Herrera and Chris Sale in making it to the big leagues.  Thames played in the Northwoods League in 2007 and hit .301 with three home runs, 43 RBIs and 15 stolen bases. In one memorable game, Thames hit for the cycle in a 6-for-6 performance at Thunder Bay.

After playing for the Loggers, Thames was drafted in the 7th round of the 2008 MLB Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays.  Through 36 games with the Las Vegas 51’s (Triple-A) of the Pacific Coast League, the former NCAA All-American is hitting .342 with six homers, 30 RBIs, and a 1.029 on-base plus slugging percentage.  Thames joins former Pepperdine Wave and Northwoods League standout Danny Worth in the Majors after Worth’s 2010 debut with Detroit. 

Thames made his professional debut in 2009 with Dunedin (Single-A) of the Florida State League and started his career with a 10-game hitting streak. He then spent all of 2010 with New Hampshire (Double-A) and earned the R. Howard Webster award as New Hampshire’s MVP after leading the club with 27 home runs and 104 RBI’s.

Thames entered the 2011 season ranked by Baseball America as the No. 12 prospect in the Blue Jays system.  He becomes the 77th former Northwoods League player to reach the Major Leagues.

The Northwoods League is currently preparing for an exciting and successful 18th season as games begin June 1st, 2011.  The Northwoods League has more teams, plays more games, and draws more fans than any Summer Collegiate Baseball League in North America. 

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