Marcus Thames

Marcus Markley Thames (/ˈtɪmz/ TIMZ) (born March 6, 1977) is the assistant hitting coach for the New York Yankees. A former American professional baseball left fielder and designated hitter, he played for the New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Dodgers from 2002 through 2011.

For his career, Thames averaged a home run every 15.9 at-bats and holds the Tigers franchise record for average at-bats per home run, at 14.8.

Collegiate career

He attended East Central Community College in Decatur, Mississippi.

Professional career

First stint with the Yankees

He was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 30th round of the 1996 Major League Baseball Draft.

Thames warranted "prospect" status from the Yankees following a standout 2001 season for the AA affiliate Norwich Navigators, in which he batted .321 with 31 home runs and 97 runs batted in. For his efforts he was named to the Baseball America minor league all-star team.

On June 10, 2002, Thames began his major league career with a bang as he was the 80th player in history to hit a home run in his first at bat. Thames hit the home run off the first pitch he saw from Randy Johnson of the Arizona Diamondbacks. As his coaches and teammates were laughing in amazement, Thames stepped out of the dugout for a curtain call to a capacity crowd at Yankee Stadium.