Marcus Thames

Marcus Markley Thames, born on 6 March 1977, is an American professional baseball player turned coach who has worked as a hitting coach in Major League Baseball. As a left fielder and designated hitter he played in the major leagues from 2002 through 2011 for the New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Dodgers. He played baseball, basketball and football at Louisville High School in Mississippi and attended East Central Community College on a football scholarship before walking onto the baseball team. The Yankees selected him in the 30th round of the 1996 draft, and he hit a home run on the first pitch he saw in his major league debut in June 2002, off Randy Johnson. Over his career he averaged a home run every 15.9 at-bats and holds the Tigers franchise record for average at-bats per home run, 14.8.