Adam Eaton Makes MLB Debut in Style
Multiple media outlets, including Baseball News Source, have speculated about an off-season deal that would send Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Justin Upton to the Texas Rangers for shortstop Elvis Andrus. The initial performance of 23-year-old outfield prospect Adam Eaton could make the potential trade more palatable for Arizona.
The diminutive Eaton, who stands at 5-foot-8 and was a 19th round pick in 2010 out of Miami (Ohio) University, has hit safely in all three games since he was called up from Triple-A Reno when center fielder Chris Young experienced a quad injury last Monday. The left-handed hitting Eaton is 5-for-16 (.313) and has made several spectacular catches in his brief Major League stint.
The Diamondbacks traded underperforming shortstop Stephen Drew to the A’s last month but do no have a clear-cut shortstop of the future in their farm system that is Major League ready. Chris Owings, a 21-year-old shortstop at Double-A Mobile, is not expected to be Major League ready until 2014, so Andrus would fill a void in Arizona.
The Diamondbacks already have Jason Kubel and Young as established Major League starting outfielders. The 25-year-old Gerardo Parra is hitting .270 in 345 at-bats, but he appears best suited as a fourth outfielder. That leaves an opportunity for a hungry prospect like Eaton if Upton is traded.
Eaton has worked his way to top prospect status. According to MLB.com, he is Arizona’s sixth-best prospect and the highest-rated outfielder in the system. Eaton offers proof that size doesn’t necessarily matter in baseball. In parts of three minor league seasons, he has a .355 average, a .456 on-base percentage, a .510 slugging percentage and a .966 OPS in 1,451 plate appearances.
In 2012, Eaton led the minors by hitting .375 with 198 hits, 47 doubles and 130 runs between Double-A Mobile and Triple-A Reno. His .456 on-base percentage was second overall in the minors, and he added seven home runs, 48 RBI, five triples and 44 stolen bases.
