Nate Eaton Showcases The Need For Veteran Minor League Deals

[Nick John]

When the Boston Red Sox signed Nate Eaton to a minor league deal over the offseason, no one thought anything of it. As is the usual standard for all 30 major league clubs, the Red Sox brought in players who they felt could be good depth pieces should injuries occur.

Eaton had previously played in the majors with the Kansas City Royals and was defensively versatile thanks to his ability to play all three outfield positions, along with third base and a little bit of second base. Projected to open the season with Triple-A Worcester, Eaton put together a spring training that had him in conversation as possibly making the Opening Day roster due to the thought that Wilyer Abreu may not have been ready in time after recovering from his illness.

That wasn’t the case, and as expected, Eaton opened the season with Worcester, where he has played well, though success at the Triple-A level has been common for him. In 301 games as of this writing, Eaton is hitting .263/.327/.452 with 44 home runs and 153 RBI in 1131 at-bats. For Worcester alone, he’s hitting .276/.362/.435 with four home runs and 22 RBI in 46 games.

Eaton has worked hard with Worcester, climbing his way up the batting order. On Opening Day, he was hitting ninth in the order for Chad Tracy and Worcester, but since May 11th, he has routinely been hitting fourth. And while he hasn’t been hitting the ball extremely hard (a hard-hit rate of only 42.7%), he’s still managing to barrel the ball up at 8.9%, putting him slightly above the Triple-A average of 6.6%.

There are other offensive issues with his game, as he chases 26% of the pitches thrown to him outside of the zone while whiffing on 28.3% of all pitches thrown to him, which has led to a 24.1% strikeout rate. Something relatively high for a 28-year-old in Triple-A, especially when his walk rate is only 9.7%.

Eaton, however, has shown hustle and grit while with Worcester as he is third on the team in RBI with 22, tied for second in walks with 20, tied for third in runs with 29, is second out of qualified hitters in batting average, and leads the team in doubles with 15. He may not have the power to impact the game, but should he put the ball in play, there’s a good chance he can use his speed to stretch hits or take extra bases when a teammate hits.

Defensively, he has been good in the outfield, having played 29 games there. He has yet to commit an error in 70 chances and has five outfield assists in that span. Since moving to third base in early May, Eaton has struggled a little with three errors in his first 15 games. For Worcester, he has seemed to be at his best defensively while in the outfield thanks to his strong arm, excellent speed, and a showcase of solid range.

Eaton will probably never see playing time in Boston, barring a huge injury, but the right-handed hitter is precisely the kind of player you’re looking for to round out a Triple-A roster. A veteran leader who can continue to develop himself and be a voice for the younger guys, thanks to his experience at the major league level and from his previous time in Triple-A. Should Eaton continue to play at this level leading up to the trade deadline, it should not be surprising to see another team needing outfield help call the Red Sox for the versatile player.

With many players from Worcester being called up to Boston the past couple of weeks, Eaton will likely be leaned on to help carry the team both offensively and defensively.

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[Dale]

One of the many guys in the minors who are good enough, but not quite good enough. It has to be frustrating.