Nathan Eaton (born December 22, 1996) is an American professional baseball infielder and outfielder in the Kansas City Royals organization. He played college baseball at the Virginia Military Institute, and was drafted by the Royals in the 21st round of the 2018 Major League Baseball draft. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut in 2022.
Career
Eaton attended Thomas Dale High School in Chester, Virginia and played college baseball at the Virginia Military Institute. In 2018 he batted .287/.402/.507 while leading the Southern Conference with 36 steals and being caught five times.[1] He was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 21st round of the 2018 Major League Baseball draft.[2] He made his professional debut with the Idaho Falls Chukars and played in 2019 with the Lexington Legends, batting .233/.305/.336 in 497 at bats and stealing 18 bases in 19 attempts.[3][4]
Eaton did not play for a team in 2020 due to the Minor League Baseball season being cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He played 2021 with the Arizona Complex League Royals and Quad Cities River Bandits, and for three minor league teams that season batted .243/.350/.368 in 272 at bats with 23 stolen bases in 26 attempts.[4] After the season, he played in the Arizona Fall League and was selected to play in the Fall Stars Game.[5]
Eaton started 2022 with Northwest Arkansas Naturals before being promoted to the Omaha Storm Chasers, and in 2022 between the two teams he batted .285/.358/.465 in 388 at bats with 23 stolen bases in 28 attempts.[4]
The Royals promoted Eaton to the major leagues for the first time on July 14, 2022.[6] That same day, Eaton logged his first career hit, a solo home run off of Anthony Banda. The blast helped fuel the Royals to a 3-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays.[7] He was removed from the 40-man roster and returned to the minors on July 18. He had his contract selected back to the major league roster on August 3. In 2022 with the Royals he batted .264/.331/.387 in 106 at bats with 11 steals in 12 attempts.[4]
Eaton made Kansas City's Opening Day roster to start the 2023 season.[8] Eaton made his pitching debut on April 10, 2023 against the Texas Rangers. He pitched a scoreless ninth inning, hitting 94 mph (151 km/h) with his fastball and striking out Adolis García.[9] Eaton struggled for Kansas City in 2023, playing in 28 games and hitting just .075/.125/.075 with no home runs, one RBI, and three stolen bases. Following the season on November 2, Eaton was designated for assignment by the Royals.[10] He cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple–A Omaha on November 8.[11]
References
- ^ "2018 Southern Conference Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "VMI baseball's Nathan Eaton taken in 21st round of MLB Draft". June 6, 2018.
- ^ "Royals See a Lot to Like from Nathan Eaton".
- ^ a b c d "Nate Eaton College, Minor & Fall Leagues Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "Royals prospects Matias, Eaton named Arizona Fall Stars".
- ^ The Kansas City Star [dead link]
- ^ "Mom's voice the only one Eaton hears on 1st career HR". mlb.com. Retrieved 2023-05-23.
- ^ Rogers, Anne (March 30, 2023). "Royals announce 2023 Opening Day roster". MLB.com. Major League Baseball. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
- ^ Kerkhoff, Blair (April 11, 2023). "Pitching muscle memory kicks in for KC Royals outfielder Nate Eaton vs. Texas Rangers". Kansas City Star. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
- ^ "Royals' Nate Eaton: Dropped from 40-man roster". cbssports.com. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
- ^ "Royals' Nate Eaton: Outrighted to Triple-A". cbssports.com. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet