Thames Injury may be a Blessing

Thames has done a lot of great things for the Tigers in his time in their uniform. Unfortunately, Thames appears to be a 1 trick pony with that trick being long home runs. While these are fun to watch and can be very helpful, it is no longer the way to win in the Major League Baseball league. This isn't to say Thames cannot help a team, I just do not think with the Tigers roster he will necessarily help the Tigers.

Josh Anderson is the reason. Anderson should be the Tigers everyday left fielder with Guillen hitting from the DH slot. With the injury to Thames this should happen on a much more frequent basis. Anderson is a much better defender then Guillen based strictly on speed alone. Combine that with Guillen moving to a new position and having legs that are going to pot and Anderson is clearly the right answer. Defense isn't all that Anderson brings to the table though. Anderson will hit for a higher average then Thames and once he is on the base paths, watch out, cuz he will be running. Speed does not go in to slumps in baseball because speed will turn infield outs in to infield singles. Speed will turn base hits in to doubles. Speed combined with a well placed bunt will yield a hit. These are all things Anderson can do, and has already done in limited playing time early in this season. The Tigers are a better team with Anderson than Thames.