Call to the pen
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Chicago White Sox’ Eaton taking game to next level

By Jordan Wevers

May 17, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago White Sox right fielder Adam Eaton (1) catches a ball hit by Houston Astros left fielder Jake Marisnick (not pictured) during the sixth inning at U.S. Cellular Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
May 17, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago White Sox right fielder Adam Eaton (1) catches a ball hit by Houston Astros left fielder Jake Marisnick (not pictured) during the sixth inning at U.S. Cellular Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports /
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Adam Eaton’s move to RF could set him up for a long line of Gold Gloves awards in his future. The Chicago White Sox are fortunate to have him under contract through 2019.

If Adam LaRoche had known his former Chicago White Sox would be as a dominant a force in the AL Central as they are, would he still have retired prematurely? It’s tough to say, but not many people saw the ChiSox getting out in front of the defending champs or the Tigers this early on in their division.

The AL Central is a competitive group of teams right now, with even the Cleveland Indians turning heads and only 4.5 games separating the fourth place Tigers from the first place White Sox. Chicago’s pitching has been key to Robin Ventura‘s clubs success. They are getting by with some help though, too. A lot of that is coming in the form of their right fielder, Adam Eaton.

A 26-year-old Eaton had his most productive season to date at the plate in 2015, turning in a .287/361/.431 slash line with 14 HRs and 56 RBI. He also swiped 18 bases and came two runs shy of scoring 100 times, good for an oWAR of 5.4.

Now 27, Eaton continues to do great things at the top of the White Sox’ lineup. Hitting almost exclusively out of the leadoff spot, Eaton has a .304/.395/.431 line through his first 42 contests.

The acquisition of center fielder Austin Jackson in March brought about a move for Eaton to right field. So far, it’s proving to be a difference maker for Chicago. Eaton’s 3.0 WAR right now ties Chris Sale‘s mark for tops on the club — and that’s saying something, because Sale is off to a marvelous start at 9-0 with a 1.58 ERA.

Eaton’s overall dWAR last season was -1.1 and his UZR of -10.2 ranked 56th amongst qualified outfielders. At the moment, his dWAR sits at 1.4 and his UZR of 12.3 not only makes him the best defensive right fielder in baseball, but it makes him the highest rated outfielder in the league. By a long shot, too, with Toronto’s Kevin Pillar coming in at second with an 8.3 UZR.

With 115 put outs and seven assists, Eaton has been a vacuum for Chicago in right field. Both those numbers rank first in baseball amongst qualified outfielders. Before Sunday’s action, he had played the seventh most innings of any outfielder in baseball, all of them without allowing a single error. His perfect 1.000 FPCT goes a long way in terms of limiting opportunities to the competition.

With left-handed hitters naturally having a propensity to pull the ball towards right field, Eaton’s presence there is making a huge difference. Sox pitchers had a 4.33 ERA in 2015 versus left-handed hitters and a BAA of .251.

This season, no team in baseball has a better ERA (2.73) against left-handed bats than the White Sox. Their .220 BAA is the third worst in the league, 31 points lower than it was when Avisail Garcia played 80 percent of the clubs games in right field last season.

Apr 20, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago White Sox left fielder Melky Cabrera (left), right fielder Adam Eaton (center) and center fielder Austin Jackson (10) celebrate their win against the Los Angeles Angels at U.S. Cellular Field. The White Sox won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 20, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago White Sox left fielder Melky Cabrera (left), right fielder Adam Eaton (center) and center fielder Austin Jackson (10) celebrate their win against the Los Angeles Angels at U.S. Cellular Field. The White Sox won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports /

Left-handed hitters have an OBP of .284 versus Chicago, again — a low mark in the league. All of these numbers are a testament to the pitching staff’s stinginess against left-handed batters, but when contrasted with Eaton’s metrics, it’s plain to see they are getting a lot of assistance.

It’s not as though batters aren’t hitting the ball in the air against Chicago either, with a 44.8 percent ground ball rate. That puts them in the middle of the pack league-wide, so there’s been a fair share of fly balls for Chicago’s outfielders to track this season.

The White Sox also have a ridiculously low BABIP of .261 when facing left-handed hitters, compared to .291 versus right-handers.

Right now, Jackson’s play in center hasn’t been what it was in the past. His 7.4 UZR last season between the Mariners and Cubs was much better than it has been this season with the Chicago White Sox at -3.8. If his metrics improve, think of how much more solid the club’s defense could be in the outfield.

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Ventura’s current formula is working, though. There’s no denying that. Adam Eaton’s move to right field is utilizing his skill set in a fantastic way. If things persist, he should win his first Gold Glove, which would make him the first White Sox outfielder to receive the distinction going back all the way to Ken Berry in 1970. Through the first seven weeks of the season, Eaton’s 3.0 WAR leads all MLB position players.

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