Washington Nationals: Adam Eaton still a dynamic talent despite injuries

Another day, another 2018 Report Card. The Washington Nationals finally got their first extended look at Adam Eaton, and when healthy, liked what they say.

Finally, in 2018, the Washington Nationals were able to keep Adam Eaton on the field for a prolonged period of time. We put together his end of season report card to look at the positives and areas that he can improve in.

After his devastating torn ACL last season, Eaton was able to start the season on the active roster, and even won NL Player of the Week in the first week of the season. But soon after, he hit the DL with an ankle injury that kept him out for two months.

During that time off he had ankle surgery which seemed to finally fix him, as he looked healthy again. When he did return, however, he lost playing time to the rookie phenom Juan Soto and was shielded from tough lefties as Michael Taylor drew starts in the outfield.

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The Positives for Eaton

Health. That’s the single biggest positive for Adam Eaton right now. He was able to play 95 games when all was said and done, and appeared in all but 13 games after returning to the Nats on June 9th. Some of the games off down the stretch were due to caution when he had little niggles and should set him up for almost a full body of work in 2019, which will be great to see.

Aside from the health, when he was in the lineup, Adam Eaton was essentially the prototypical leadoff hitter, with a stellar on-base percentage. He finished with a .394 OBP, which is the highest in his seven-year career as well as ranking 11th in the majors and seventh in the NL among those who had at least 350 plate appearances.

Areas for Improvement

It’s unclear whether it was because of the various leg injuries over the past 18 months, but Adam Eaton seemed to lose his power stroke in the 2018 season. In his last two seasons with the Chicago White Sox, he slugged .431 and .428 respectively and even slugged .461 in his short time with the Nats last year. But in 2018 that figure dropped down .411, which may not seem huge, but when you consider that he hit for a higher average this year, the dip could be concerning.

It’s also fair to wonder whether how much the injuries impacted his defense throughout the year. After starting the season as the primary left fielder, he ended up as the primary right fielder after returning from injury. In isolation, nothing to note, but when you consider that Bryce Harper ended up playing centerfield when Taylor sat out, then it becomes noteworthy. Eaton was initially brought to D.C. to play CF, so the fact that the team felt the need to play Harper in centerfield rather than Eaton indicates there may be more to his defensive deficiencies than has been let on.

The Final Grade

Eaton’s future with the Nats may be in the balance depending on how Harper’s free agency pans out. But should Harper leave for pastures new, Eaton confirmed that he can be a key part of one of the best outfields in the NL if he stays.

With Trea Turner still acclimatizing to the leadoff role when he started there, Eaton’s on-base skills atop the order were valuable. If his power didn’t dip, he would’ve been able to get that valuable A grade, but unfortunately just misses out. B

Remember to keep an eye out for more Washington Nationals 2018 Report Cards during the upcoming weeks here at District on Deck.