Sleeper Hitter: OF Adam Eaton
By Bill Pivetz
Sep 28, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago White Sox center fielder Adam Eaton hits a single against the Kansas City Royals in the first inning at U.S Cellular Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
With Opening Day just days away, fantasy owners are racing around the Internet, trying to find that one nugget to separate them from their opponents. Rankings, busts, sleepers, advice. It’s information overload. Put all of that aside and focus on one thing. Adam Eaton is a sleeper pick this season.
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As the Chicago White Sox leadoff hitter, he will have plenty of opportunities to get on base and score. He played a collective 88 games between 2012 and 2013. In his first full season, Eaton hit .300 with 10 triples in 123 games. He missed some time due to injuries, but played practically every game when healthy.
While he isn’t known as a power hitter, most of Eaton’s appeal came from his ability to steal bases. In 2012 with Triple-A Reno, he stole 38 bases in 119 games. He stole just 15 and was caught nine times in 2014. Another disappointment was his lone home run. Owners must have been expecting at least five from him, especially when he plays at U.S. Cellular Field, the 13th-friendliest park based on home runs hit.
If he can stay healthy, there should be no reason Eaton can’t play 155-160 games. With the players batting behind him (Melky Cabrera, Jose Abreu and Adam LaRoche), he should see some pretty favorable pitches to hit. In order to accumulate some hits, Eaton needs to cut down on his strikeout rate. He struck out 83 times last season (15.4 K%).
According to NFBC, Eaton has an ADP of 199.50 (20th round). In a standard 10-team league, this is excellent value for Eaton. He will get on base and rack up the hits. If he can increase his stolen bases to 20, his value will jump You can always find speed late and he could be one of them. He should have no problem hitting .280/.375/.730 as a deep sleeper this season.