Thames, 48, enjoyed a decade-long big league career as an outfielder and design hitter from 2002-2011. Shortly after his playing career ended, he took a job as a minor league hitting coach in the Yankees system. Within three years he had been promoted to the Major League staff in the Bronx.
From 2016 to 2021, Thames was an assistant hitting coach on the Yankees’ big league staff. Since then, he has jumped to the Marlins, Angels and White Sox, earning hitting coach titles within each system. The Mississippi native spent the past two seasons as the White Sox hitting coach but was fired at the end of the season as part of a coaching staff shake-up.
Thames played in 640 Major League games and scored a total of 2016 goals as a big leaguer. In that time, the former 30th-round pick slashed .246/.309/.485 with 115 home runs, 83 doubles, four triples, a 7.9% walk rate and a 25.3% strikeout rate. Thames’ bat was particularly powerful against left-handed pitching in his playing days, as evidenced by a career .260/.328/.496 line. The 2026 season marks his eleventh consecutive year on the big league coaching staff.
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