Article: Nate Eaton's Emergence Has Helped Salvage Red Sox's Lineup In September

[Alex Mayes]

This late in the season, as superstars battle injuries and steady regulars endure bitter cold slumps, players that the general fan wouldn’t recognize if they passed them on the street have to step up to give their team a push towards the playoffs. For the month of September for the Boston Red Sox, that player has been the one and only Nate Eaton. Eaton has been shuttled between Worcester and Boston a handful of times this year and was called up in mid-August to very little fanfare. Since then, he’s been one of the most reliable offensive players in the organization.

This month, Eaton leads the team in batting average, OBP, SLG, BABIP, wOBA, and wRC+. He’s second only to Trevor Story in WAR, and he's slashing .387/.441/.548 with a 174 wRC+. His strikeout percentage is fifth on the team and his two stolen bases put him ahead of speed demons Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Romy Gonzalez. Who expected the driving force behind the Red Sox to be someone who was regulated to ‘Quadruple-A’ status mere months ago?

Admittedly, he’s not driving in runs. He only has two RBIs so far this month, but he is getting on base. He’s tied for second on the team in runs scored with Story at eight, just one less than Alex Bregman’s nine. Eaton doesn’t strike fear in the hearts of his opponents, but he serves a role that the Red Sox desperately need right now. He gets on base and puts himself in position to score more often than not. We’ve all seen how often each person that steps into the box is trying to swing for the fences to turn the game on its head. Eaton has instead employed a steady approach, never trying to do too much and letting the ball travel to him. He’s a singles machine, but as long as he is on base, he’s a threat to go first to third.

It can be argued that his sample size is small, and while that’s a valid argument for those suggesting Eaton isn't a long-term contributor, you have to catch lightning in a bottle this time of year. The Red Sox have been scuffling since Roman Anthony went down with an injury. They are playing the waiting game with Wilyer Abreu’s quad injury and hoping he can return in the near future, and Bregman remains mired in a funk. Eaton obviously doesn’t replace the production of any of those players, but he gives the Red Sox a chance to score. That’s something that few members of the roster are doing right now.

It's highly unlikely that Eaton will be some folk hero of the playoffs for the 2025 Red Sox, but at this moment, the team just needs someone who can be a capable glove in the field and can put the bat on the ball. Nate Eaton is proving to be that guy, along with Trevor Story. Sometimes, the roughest stretches of the season make unlikely names on the roster play above their heads. And sometimes, that pressure and roughness molds them into legitimate MLB contributors. Time will tell what happens with Nate Eaton, but for the month of September, he’s been one of the most consistent players for the Red Sox.

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[moonslav59]

The line-up was not "salvaged." He helped it be less putrid.

[TedYazPapiMookie]

First, it's presumptuous to suggest he would be a folk hero of the playoffs because Cora is manager and will probably find a way to finish one game behind the last WC spot.

Second, Eaton hasn't been good since college, and he played at a weaker school which inflated his talents.  He has done well in September BUT you failed to point out he can't hit on the road.

Home .371 average and .891 OPS

Road .235 average and .631 OPS

This is their Schedule - 3 games AT TB, 3 games AT TOR and 3 games at home vs DET.

Seems like he's going to have to learn to hit on the road if he's going to save our bacon vs DET.

Good luck with that. 

Maybe Cora should shake up the line-up and give the better players at the bottom of the order a chance to hit in the spots that are ice cold at the top of the order. 

September failure is nothing new, Cora has failed miserably in September since he arrived and had a great team who won despite his poor choices.  Once Bloom dumped the talent, Cora's mistakes were magnified, and failure has been a constant for half a decade.

Cora's September Record:

2024 - 11-15

2023 - 8-19

2022 - 12-14

2021 - 14-11

2019 - 11-15

5 seasons without the championship roster - 56-74 in September 

In 2025 - 7-8 with 9 games left.

83-70 record with 9 left to play means Boston needs to win 6 of 9 to have 89 wins which is borderline enough to make WC3. 

BOS 9 games - at TB, TOR and 3 at home vs DET

CLE 9 games - at MIN and 6 at home versus DET and TEX

TEX 9 games - 6 at home vs MIA and MIN and at CLE

CLE is on a roll with a 7-game winning streak and are 9-1 in their last 10.

BOS is 5-5 in their last 10 and lost their last game.

TEX is 6-4 in their last 10 and thanks to HOU they are on a 4-game losing streak.

Since MIN has not played well lately and TB has won 2 in a row, by the time the first series ends for each team there is a good chance CLE will likely have the 3rd WC spot or be tied for it.  Since both teams play DET then it comes down to whether CLE will beat TEX more than BOS will beat TOR.

Looks like another miserable September record for Cora.  Maybe Breslow should find a manager before he looks for an unnecessary GM!!

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

10 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

The line-up was not "salvaged." He helped it be less putrid.

Well said, Moon.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

Instead of hijacking a thread to spew another redundant, noxious diatribe of hatred, why not focus on the unsung hero in the title:

Eaton the sparkplug kept contributing last night, especially in the big 8th inning when he ripped an RBI single, stole a base, walked, scored a run, and blasted consecutive fouls into the Atlantic Ocean.

From my son's travel team coach who once played in the minors against Nate Eaton: "Great arm and wheels, but at the time there were a lot of other guys in that league we thought would make the majors before him. But Nate Eaton never stopped hustling."

 

[illinoisredsox]

Not sure what TYPM’s latest Cora rant has to do with Nate Eaton but okay.

Eaton is what he is, a nice backup.  He’s got some speed and he’s not going to embarrass himself in the field while playing multiple positions.  He’ll put the bat on the ball. He’s no savior but in a limited role, he’s fine.  Brock Holt comes to mind, though I think Holt had a more little raw ability.

[moonslav59]

3 minutes ago, illinoisredsox said:

Not sure what TYPM’s latest Cora rant has to do with Nate Eaton but okay.

Eaton is what he is, a nice backup.  He’s got some speed and he’s not going to embarrass himself in the field while playing multiple positions.  He’ll put the bat on the ball. He’s no savior but in a limited role, he’s fine.  Brock Holt comes to mind, though I think Holt had a little raw ability.

Good Holt comp.

I'm hoping we go into 2026 with Eaton and Sogard ahead of DHam and Grissom on the "Who We Keep List" or depth chart.

[Bellhorn04]

48 minutes ago, 5GoldGlovesOF,75 said:

Instead of hijacking a thread to spew another redundant, noxious diatribe of hatred

Now who would do that? 😉

[Bellhorn04]

24 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

Good Holt comp.

I'm hoping we go into 2026 with Eaton and Sogard ahead of DHam and Grissom on the "Who We Keep List" or depth chart.

Grissom is a goner.  Hamster I'm not sure about, he manages to stick around and he has flashes of being a decent player.  He has a 3.5 bWAR in less than a full season's play.

His back of the card offensive numbers stink, that is for sure.

[moonslav59]

24 minutes ago, Bellhorn04 said:

Grissom is a goner.  Hamster I'm not sure about, he manages to stick around and he has flashes of being a decent player.  He has a 3.5 bWAR in less than a full season's play.

His back of the card offensive numbers stink, that is for sure.

I think we trade DHam, but he does have defensive value at 2B and PR'ing skills. I'm not sure those two narrow skillsets is enough to keep him over Sogard and Eaton.

The only reason to keep Grissom is if you believe his upside potential outweighs his rock-bottom trade value, and 2B is still a big sore spot on our roster.

I can't see us having four 40man roster slots on opening day for Eaton, Sogard, DHam & Grissom, and if we add a real 2Bman, there will certainly not be enough room for these 4. (We also have Romy in the 2B mix, but I doubt we view KC as a 2B option, anymore.)

[mvp 78]

Nate Eaton has more career bWAR than any other VMI graduate. Josh Winder of the Twins is a close second.