Eaton was originally drafted by the Phils in 1996 in the first round with the 11th overall pick. He won the organization's Paul Owens Award as the top minor league pitcher in 1999 when he pitched at 3 levels, going 11-10 with 127 strikeouts in 167 innings to go along with a 3.34 ERA.
He was traded to the San Diego Padres with Carlton Loewer and Steve Montgomery in 1999 for Andy Ashby. Eaton made his major league debut with the Padres in 2000 and was signed as a free agent by the Phillies before the 2007 season. That year, he went 10-10 with a 6.29 ERA, but the Phils still managed to win the National League East. He was left off the roster for the playoffs.
In 2008, he was better, if you consider an ERA of 5.80 an improvement. Eaton lost his spot in the starting rotation when the Phillies acquired Joe Blanton in July. Eaton was sent to the minors later that month and wouldn't pitch for the Phillies again. In two years with the Phillies, he went a combined 14-18 with a stratospheric 6.10 ERA. He appeared in 12 games for the Orioles and Rockies in 2009. His last appearance was, uh, messy. In 2 innings, he gave up 3 hits and 5 walks in 2 innings against the Giants, but somehow got the win.
Eaton went from first-round pick to minor league castoff. For his career, he pocketed almost $26 million in salary. Not too shabby for a guy with a career ERA approaching 5.00 and a WHIP of 1.44. But hey, his W-L record was 3 games over .500. So there's that.
Please don't confuse this Adam Eaton with the Adam Eaton who currently plays for the Washington Nationals. That Adam Eaton is an outfielder. And he's good.
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