Earlier this week, the Toronto Blue Jays reached down to the minor leagues yet again in search of a little offensive punch after David Cooper didn't quite pan out. The team wasn't quite ready to call up highly touted prospect Brett Lawrie, so hot-hitting left fielder Eric Thames got the call.

With the club in search of a viable left-handed bat, Thames is expected to get a chance to play regularly against right-handed pitching, and I like Thames' chances to stick much more than Cooper's.Thames was a seventh-round pick in the 2008 draft out of Pepperdine; he would have gone higher had he not torn a quad muscle before the draft. He had his breakout season last year at Double-A, hitting 27 homers and driving in 104 runs in just under 500 at-bats while also posting a .370 on-base percentage. He began this season at Triple-A and was hitting .342 with six homers in his first 36 contests before Monday's call-up.The 24-year-old lefty hitter's calling card is his power, and he's not just a pull hitter; he can drive the ball to the opposite field and has a willingness to go that way as needed. He has a short, compact stroke with not a lot of a load for a power hitter, relying on solid bat speed and his upper-body strength to get the job done. Thames does a solid job of keeping his hands inside the ball and gets a good extension and finish to his swing, staying on the ball well. He is fairly patient at the plate, but as is the case with most young power hitters, he must be careful about expanding the zone, especially against lefty breaking balls, and not let his swing get too big or too long.I got to see a lot of Thames at last year's Arizona Fall League, and though I was a bit skeptical at first, I did eventually conclude that he could be at least a solid platoon bat against right-handed pitching, if not a solid regular left fielder. He was a better left fielder than I expected, tracking balls well, and he's athletic enough that he should be fine there.That said, even with extended playing time, Thames isn't really a consideration in mixed leagues, although he should have some short-term value in single-league formats. Just be aware that a cold start could get him sent back down, and the club does have other options (Adam Lind and Travis Snider's eventual returns and Lawrie's eventual promotion). Thames needs to hit and stay hitting to remain in the lineup. He has the capability to hit at the big league level -- he had a walk and an RBI single in his major league debut -- but he's going to have to overcome that rookie adjustment period quickly.

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