World Series champion Adam Eaton is entering his second season on the Spartan staff as the program's director of player development in 2024.
Michigan State baseball head coach
Jake Boss Jr. announced on Sept. 14, 2022 about Eaton joining the MSU staff.
As Director of Player Development, Eaton will serve as a coaching staff liaison having input on the development of outfield play, baserunning and hitting.
"We are extremely excited to add Adam to our staff," Boss said. "He is high-caliber person with a world of baseball knowledge and insight, and we're delighted to have him join the Spartan family. His baseball resume is filled with success at the highest levels of our game, and we're anxious to have him working with our players on and off the field to develop them and help them become better student-athletes and better people."
Eaton played Major League Baseball for 10 seasons (2012-21), before retiring prior to the 2022 season, including winning the World Series with the Washington Nationals in 2019. He was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 19th round of the 2010 MLB Draft out of Miami of Ohio. Eaton made his MLB debut on September 4, 2012, with the Diamondbacks. He also played for the Chicago White Sox (2014-16, 21), the Nationals (2017-20) and the Los Angeles Angels (2021).
He is no stranger to Spartan Athletics, as his brother-in-law is former MSU hockey player Zach Osburn, who played for the Spartans from 2015-19, and earned honorable mention All-B1G honors in 2019.
"I've always been a big fan of Michigan State. My brother-in-law Zach played hockey there just a short time ago and I've always kind of gravitated towards the Spartans," Eaton said. "I've always enjoyed my time on campus and also enjoyed the intensity and the overall feeling of campus towards the athletic department and student-athletes. It seems that the whole university really backs them and does a terrific job of putting all of the Spartan teams in a good position to be successful, and baseball is no different.
"I'm excited to enter that realm of being a coach. Jake Boss has always been a friend to me ever since he recruited me when he was at Eastern Michigan, when I was playing high school baseball in Springfield, Ohio. Going through the recruiting process with Jake was nothing but a pleasure. To come full circle and then be hired by him now, to do a job, and work with him, is very exciting," Eaton said. "In just the short period of time that I've been able to work with the players and get to know the players, we have a really, really good group, a group that wants to work, that wants to win, that wants to put the Michigan State uniform on every single day and they're proud to do that. What else can I ask for coming into a situation such as this. Overall, I'm just super excited and all the parts seemed to fit extremely well, so it was an easy decision for me."
In helping the Nationals to the 2019 World Series, Eaton hit .320 in the seven-game series, with two HR and six RBI, as the Nationals beat Houston. Eaton was 1-for-4 with two RBI, a run scored and stolen base in the clinching game seven, scoring Washington's insurance run in the top of the eighth before a two-run single in the top of the ninth to pad the Nationals' lead in the 6-2 win.
In his 10-year MLB career, Eaton batted .276 for his career, with 319 RBI, 66 HR and 87 stolen bases. Eaton led the American League in triples in 2014 (10) and 2016 (9), part of finishing in the top 10 in four total seasons. Defensively, Eaton led the AL in 2016 in both assists by an outfielder with 18 and putouts as an outfielder with 417, while finishing in the top four for double plays turned as an outfielder in two seasons.
During his collegiate career at Miami, Eaton was a two-time All-Mid-American Conference honoree, earning first-team accolades in 2009 and second-team honors in 2010. Eaton also earned second-team All-Mideast Region recognition in both 2009 and 2010.
Eaton is still Miami's single-season triples record holder with nine in 2010, along with the career record holder with 18 from 2008-10, in addition to several other career and single-season marks in the RedHawk record book. Eaton also holds the Miami single-game record for both hits and runs, with six of each in a game at Furman on Feb. 20, 2010.
He is married to former Miami RedHawks softball player Katie Osburn Eaton. They have two sons, Braden and Maverick.
