So a below avg corner outfield bat suddenly plays better at 1b?

Agree. Lind has been very good defensively.

I've suggested considering Thames for 1B for several weeks now.

Thames is a better bitter than Lind, but he's a liability if LF. Snider may finally be ML ready and we know he's a much better outfielder.

The issue is how well do his skills (or lack of) project at 1B. Has he got reflexes and flexibility? I agree simply catching the ball reliably is more important than range.

Also, how do you train him for it? 6 weeks in AAA then grow him out there? (that might hurt our offense while he's gone and costs an option). DH him every day but do drills at practices focusing on learning to play first? That might throw him off somehow. I dunno. I like the general idea because we seem so highly unlikely to pick up a true top 10 1B by FA or trade. But I'm sure there are logistic issues that most of us don't comprehend.

Then there's Adam Lind. He may realize the writing is on the wall for him or he may not. You can't question his hustle this year - he looks very determined but struggles to hit for average or power. He may be a tradeable asset along with some pitching prospects that could net us an upgraded hitter or starting pitcher (three for one deal, say). Or maybe no one really wants him in which case he become a platoon player loading his value. His contract is good value if he plays every day and hits well. If he sits half the time then it's not. He's not DFA/release bad. He's just not good enough to be even an average AL first baseman.

So yeah, just flowing here, but there's lots to think about. And it's not as simple as just plugging him in.

He's hitting almost .300. I would not classify him as a below average OF bat. He may or may not sustain that but he's hitting well now and is clearly, at this point in time, a better hitter than Adam Lind.

Yes, some of those hits are infield singles. But so are Lawrie's.

Sure, his offense does not project as elite for a first baseman. But there's no one else to put there that's better. He's not a Votto or a Fielder or AGon, but we can't have those guys so it's irrelevant. He may be *our* best option this year and next.

Why are we trying so hard to find Thames a defensive position?

I don't dislike Thames at all, but I can't imagine a player with his poor defensive instincts in LF becoming passable at 1B. Certainly such a transition should not take place at the major league level.

If Thames had an elite bat, or a potentially elite bat, I could see trying to shoe-horn him into the lineup more, but he is what he is, a high-floor/low-ceiling bat who has no business putting a glove on.

I could tolerate him in LF if we didn't have a better option, but we do. I could tolerate him getting ABs at DH if we didn't have a better All-Bat-No-Glove option in EE. I could tolerate him on the bench if he had the defensive skills to cover off all three outfield positions, but he doesn't.

I really have no idea what to do with Thames unless his hit skill takes a quantum leap forward.

"So a below avg corner outfield bat suddenly plays better at 1b? "

Certainly better then the worst hitter in baseball coming up on 2 and a half years now. Numbers speak for themselves, and Lind's are beyond horrible.

Lets carry on with the .700 OPS, and hope that he somehow regains his magical form

I tossed around the idea of Thames transitioning to first last year when he was still a prospect. At this point, it just seems like it would be good for him to have positional versatility. He probably isn't quite good enough to cut it as an everyday player but he'd make a nice bat of the bench if there was more than one position where you could play him. I like his bat but I just don't think it's quite good enough to make up for consistently poor fielding performances.

Why didn't we pull a Seattle Mariners-like move this spring for Montero and convert him to first base?

I think a package of McGowan, Litsch, Farina, Santos, and Cecil could have snagged him.

How does that Pineda trade look for Yankees now?

If any player is converted into being a first baseman, it should be Arencebia, and then there would be room for both Arencebia and d'Arnaud on the ML roster. (Lots of catchers move to 1st base.)

Sadly, I doubt Lind has much trade value. He's turned into another Lyle Overbay.

New York wanted a ML-ready young starter, not a package of solid yet mediocre arms. Unless we gave up Romero, there wasn't really a way for the Jays to be a match.

"I think a package of McGowan, Litsch, Farina, Santos, and Cecil could have snagged him."

Well it's like they knew Pineda would get injured so there's no way they would have taken that package instead. They really were looking to get one impact starting pitching not a bunch of fringy guys, a minor league reliever and a closer. The closest comparison to Pineda would have probably been Alvarez. Maybe Alvarez and a GOOD prospect would have gotten it done but I still think the Yankees would have went with Pineda.

Why can't he become a better or at least equivalent 1b in terms of defense? Do you remember how god awful Lind looked in LF? If Lind can make that position adjustment then I think that Thames can make it also. However I don't think that this will happen so it's kind of irrelevant.

Lind had coordination. Thames just looks completely awkward the way he fields and even catches the ball.

Thames doesn't have the 1B experience that Lind had. His odds of making the transition are a bit longer but I do agree that Lind gives reason for hope. Clearly bad outfielders can become solid 1B. Of course as you said, it's not going to happen. Even if Thames were sent to the minors , the Jays wouldn't want to have him compete with either McDade or Cooper for playing time. In fact they kept McDade at AA so the two wouldn't have to compete for playing time with each other much less Eric Thames.

"If any player is converted into being a first baseman, it should be Arencebia, and then there would be room for both Arencebia and d'Arnaud on the ML roster."

I don't think Arencibia's bat plays anywhere else but catcher, and only there if his defense improves.

You know we had this exact same issue with a out fielder that is playing first base right now. Lind was a converted out fielder with crappy defence, not sure why ppl assume Thames could not make the same transition, as I remember ppl lost it when that happened to as far as Lind defence foes he has done quite a good job

Not that I'm advocating giving up on Lind, but

For all the people suggesting that a poor corner outfielder can't learn to play 1st base.
That's exactly what we did with Lind. In fact, he was even worse than Thames out there.

your advocating using Logic, against people who have none

To people on this forum

Lind is an allstar firstbaseman ( Two and a half years of .700 OPS which would be okay if he was a gold glove shortstop, but for a First Baseman those might be all time worst numbers)
Snider is a future superstar (Despite failing miserably for years in MLB)

And you cant change their minds, even if Thames hits .300 Snider is always better no matter what. Snider will be bald, and 35 and they will still be like OMG SNIDER IS KILLING IT IN JAPAN OMG

"You know we had this exact same issue with a out fielder that is playing first base right now."

Lind played 1B in college, so it wasn't so much a transition for Lind to a new position, but rather a reacquaintance with a previous position.

And yes, Lind wasn't great in left, but if I'm remembering correctly, it was more due to his lack of athleticism than his lack of instincts.

In summary, they both have their limitations in left, but I don't think we're comparing apples to apples here.