Atlanta Braves Right Field Position Preview: Ronald Acuna vs. NL East
By Seth Carter
Washington Nationals
Once you get past the Marlins, the quality of the right fielders in the NL East really shines. To find the Nationals you have to look all the way up to the number 11 spot on the list.
Adam Eaton has been a model of consistency in his career. Over eight seasons he has never hit more than the 15 he smoked last season. He has led the league in triples twice with 10 in 2014 and nine in 2016.
Eaton has slashed .285/.363/.417 over his career and while he has been worth -15 defensive runs saved in center field he has excelled in right field in his career with 23.
Eaton is not the flashiest player but he’s a very solid player. He was worth 1.5 rWAR last season and accumulated 19.3 in his eight-year career.
He sort of reminds me of Nick Markakis. A solid hitter with a good on-base percentage who doesn’t hit for elite power and tends to get overlooked more than he deserves.
A differentiator between Eaton and Markakis is doubles Eaton has never hit more than 29 doubles in a season, although he’s had three seasons with nine or more triples.
Eaton is projected to receive the majority of the reps in left with his primary backup being Michael Taylor. Fangraphs credits Eaton for his durability and projects him at 602 plate appearances with Taylor coming in at second with just 35 PAs.
The Nationals are projected to earn 2.4 wins above replacement from the right field position in 2020 with 2.3 of that credited to Adam Eaton.