Fantasy Profile: Adam Eaton, OF, Chicago White Sox

Welcome back to the 2015 Last Word on Fantasy Baseball Guide.  Over the next several months we will be releasing player profiles, projections, position rankings, and a number of other articles that will help you dominate your fantasy league this season.  Whether you play rotisserie or head-to-head; whether you have a standard draft, a snake or an auction league, and whether it’s keeper league or a one-year deal; we have all the fantasy information you need.

For the rest of our fantasy baseball profiles and articles, please check out our Fantasy Baseball Guide Page

FANTASY PROFILE: ADAM EATON, OF, CHICAGO WHITE SOX

LWOS Ranking 53, Captains’ Value: $8.14

In his first full season in the majors, Adam Eaton showed off the tools that can make him an effective leadoff man for the Chicago White Sox for years to come, and they rewarded him with a 5-year contract extension worth $23 million. He posted above-average BB (8.0%) and K (15.4%) rates and finished with a batting average of .300 and an on-base percentage of .360—all excellent numbers for a leadoff man– while adding 15 steals and 76 runs scored.

The worries with Eaton lie in his balls-to-the-wall style of play. While playing the game with intensity and reckless abandon is both admirable and fun to watch, it can leave one prone to injury. That is the case with Eaton, whose tendency to run into walls and launch his body all over the field put him on the DL two separate times in 2014 and limited him to just 123 games.

Not only was he reckless with his body, but, as evidenced by his stolen base numbers, he was reckless on the base paths. Despite excellent speed he managed only 15 steals on 24 attempts for a measly 62.5% success rate. Part of that could be related to a thigh injury at the beginning of the year, as 6 of the 9 times he was caught stealing occurred in the first half (74 games). In the 49 games he played in the second half before going down with an abdominal injury, he was 7 for 10 in steal attempts. Fortunately, it appears manager Robin Ventura has still given him the green light, so if Eaton stays healthy he could swipe 30+ bags like he did in the minors on a regular basis.

Barring any more injuries, Adam Eaton could be a good breakout candidate for 2015. In what looks to be an improved lineup on an up-and-coming ball club, he could score 90 runs and steal 30+ bases while hitting for average. Getting that kind of production from an outfielder going in the 50s at his position in fantasy drafts could be one of the moves that helps you win your fantasy crown.

Main Photo