The Woo Sox have a new veteran bat.
Who is he, and where does he come from?
He’s Nate Eaton. If you’re worried about the ballpark of Worcester not being patrolled by an all-time quadruple-A player now that Bobby Dalbec has, at long last, departed the team for Charlotte…. I mean, the Southside of Chicago, you may be in luck. Nate Eaton’s services with the Royals, the team that drafted him and the team with whom he debuted in the Majors with in 2021, were not renewed, and he comes to Boston as a non-roster invitee to spring training.
What position does he play?
In Alex Cora roster manipulation fashion, Eaton, who turned 28 about two weeks ago, can play just about every position on the diamond, although he spends the vast majority of his time on the left side of the field as either a third baseman or a left-fielder.
Is he any good?
If you’re referring to his chances in a Triston Casas lookalike contest, maybe. If you’re referring to his odds to fill the utility player with Major League experience role in Worcester that Narcisso Crook held, absolutely. He turns into Superman on a Triple-A diamond. If you’re referring to his skills as an actual Major League player, that’s where you strike out. So, too, does Eaton: in 54 plate appearances for Kansas City in 2023, he struck out 21 times and mustered just four hits. Our ever-analytical leader Dan Secatore posted a 2025 too-early ZiPS projection… and if you like listening to robots, even those that didn’t hear that we traded Mickey Gasper for Jovani Moran, know that this Zips calculator would project Eaton to get 10 home runs in 2025, if he were to get over 400 plate appearances as the next outfielder up in the Red Sox system (which… is not going to happen).
Tl;dr: Just give me his 2023 & 2024 stats.
2023 (KC/MLB): 28 G, .075/.125/.075, 0 HR, 3.6% BB%, 37.5 K%
2024 (OMA/AAA): 116 G, .252/.298/.439, 16 HR, 5.8% BB%, 23.3 K%
Show me a cool highlight.
Want to see an even more versatile part of Eaton? Here he is throwing a 94 mile an hour fastball during a game in which he struck out Adolis Garcia. He was a pitcher, specializing with a two-seamer, in college. Alex Verdugo wishes! (I admit it… that dig at Verdugo was, in fact, my entire praxis for putting this article together.)
What’s he doing in his picture up there?
Given his pitching performance, contemplating why he’s holding a bat in the first place.
What’s his role on the 2025 Red Sox?
Say it with me, because you’ve heard this from me before: If Nate Eaton plays a good amount of baseball at Fenway in 2025, it will signal an indictment on the offseason and a total collapse of depth. But, if Eaton’s Triple-A history is any indicator, at least Green Street in Worcester will be getting peppered with some long balls.