Eaton Stands Tall In Fall League
http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/winter-baseball/arizona-fall-league/2011/2612527.html
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.—Adam Eaton goes through a similar routine before just
about every one of his Arizona Fall League games. The Salt River Rafters
outfielder stops to sign autographs for the fans positioned along the
outfield wall, chatting away the entire time and occasionally pausing to pose
for a photograph. When approached by autograph collectors to sign a large
volume of his baseball cards, he'll ask to keep a few of the cards so that he
can hand them out to kids waiting for an autograph.
"For guys like us to sign autographs for kids," Eaton said, "it really makes
their day. For me, they almost make MY day. I take pride in pleasing the
fans."
Signing a few autographs each day isn't the only way Eaton, a member of the
Diamondbacks organization, connects with his followers. His grinder mentality
and consistent all-out effort make him a favorite wherever he plays. It's the
only way he knows to play the game.
"To be honest, I don't think there's any other type of baseball player,"
Eaton said. "Being a gamer I've always held to be one of the greatest
compliments a ballplayer can receive . . . I've never been the flashiest
player, I've never been the most polished player, but just going out and
playing hard and giving my all day in and day out is all I can do."
Eaton's style of play hasn't gone unnoticed by the Diamondbacks organization.
"He plays with as much energy as I've seen anyone play on a consistent
basis," said Mike Bell, Arizona's farm director. "He plays harder than anyone
else on the field . . . it's unbelievable that he's able to sustain it
consistently."
His way of playing the game has helped Eaton move through the Diamondbacks
system more quickly than originally anticipated. Coming out of college, he
didn't exactly fit the profile of someone who would zoom through the minor
leagues. The 22-year-old stands only 5-foot-9 and didn't get picked until the
19th round of the 2010 draft after his junior season at Miami (Ohio).
Expecting to be chosen higher, Eaton contemplated going back to Miami for his
senior season before deciding to sign with Arizona for a $35,000 bonus.
Since starting his pro career last summer in the Rookie-level Pioneer League,
Eaton just keeps hitting. He batted .385/.500/.575 with Missoula in 2010,
ranking as the best pure hitter in the Diamondbacks 2010 draft class. He was
assigned to high Class A Visalia after his first spring training, skipping
over the short season and low Class A levels. Eaton didn't slow down in the
California League, batting .332/.455/.492 in 65 games before moving up to
Double-A Mobile, where he hit .302.409/.429 and helped the Bay Bears capture
the Southern League championship.
Despite the flashy numbers at every stop in his minor league career, there
are still areas for improvement in his approach at the plate. The lefthanded
hitter is still much better against righthanded pitchers, hitting .337 with
nine of his 10 homers against them while batting just .263 against southpaws.
That has held true so far in the Fall League, where he was hitting .333
(16-for-48) but was just 3-for-16 against lefthanders.
He also tends to hit with what one scout called "a Japanese style" in which
he starts to drift out the batter's box before making contact. Eaton
acknowledged that he's working to cut down on the drift. But he mainly just
needs to get more experience against advanced pitching.
"Adam just finished up his first full season and I'm hard pressed to find a
lot of flaws or areas of improvement for him," Bell said. "He's put up good
numbers wherever he's at. The goals are for him to just continue doing what
he's been doing against better competition."
But for all this talk about his hitting, it's his work on defense that brings
Eaton the most pride. He's got a plus arm and good range at all three
outfield positions.
"There are days that the bat's not going to be there," Eaton said, "but (on
defense) you can play hard, you can run into fences, throw guys out, and
really be the backbone."
He also professes to be a student of the game. When asked what he's learning
from his time in the AFL, in which he's teamed with players from four other
organizations, Eaton confesses to listening to the pitchers on his Rafters
team to try to pick up some tidbit of information that will help him if he
gets to face any of them in the regular season. But he also enjoys talking
with other hitters.
"I like hearing other approaches," Eaton said. "There are different
approaches, other ways of playing baseball. I'm a student of the game. I
absolutely love the game of baseball, love learning about it . . . I soak it
in."
Eaton has good speed and uses it aggressively, stealing 34 bases in 48
attempts during the regular season and getting off to a 5-for-6 start in the
AFL. With his bat, speed and glove, he continues to prove he's got a future
as a major league regular, a projection that exceeds the fourth-outfielder
profile he might wear with less gaudy production. Anyone that's been around
Eaton knows not to sell him short.
"He gets the most out of his talent that he can," Bell said. "He's confident
and he's got the talent to back it up. He keeps proving to everybody that he
belongs at the next level and that he's a big leaguer."
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