Column: Adam Eaton should accept his 1-game suspension and get back to being the Adam Eaton the Chicago White Sox need

Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune
·5 min read
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In the court of public opinion, Chicago White Sox outfielder Adam Eaton already has won his case against Major League Baseball, which suspended him one game and issued a fine for his role in last Thursday’s bench-clearing incident at Guaranteed Rate Field.

As baseball brouhahas go, the one precipitated by Eaton’s shove of Cleveland Indians shortstop Andrés Giménez after being called out for coming off second base was a mild one.

Like most bench-clearing incidents in the COVID-19 era, it mostly was for show with everyone coming to the defense of their teammate. There were no punches thrown. Both bullpens got some exercise with a quick jog to the infield and a slow walk back. Eaton wasn’t even ejected.

Eaton apologized afterward for “letting my emotions get the best of me,” and there was no retaliatory talk from the Indians clubhouse.

Just Spanky being Spanky.

Still, MLB is trying to let players know it’s serious about the COVID-19 protocols, even as more players get vaccinated and scenes of unmasked or half-masked fans at ballparks become commonplace. Eaton had to know he would clear the benches when he shoved an opposing player for allegedly forcing him off the base, and players are reminded daily of the protocols in place for socially distancing.

Credit goes to Giménez for not pushing back and starting a brawl, and to umpire Bill Miller for restoring peace quickly and not ejecting Eaton from the game in the first inning.

Michael Hill, MLB’s senior vice president for on-field operations, cited Eaton for “aggressive actions and for inciting a bench-clearing incident” in a statement. Two Indians players also were fined.

The one-game suspension was a mere slap on the wrist, one that Eaton should just accept and move on. There’s video evidence of the shove, followed by the clearing of both benches and bullpens. It basically is an open-and-shut case, not to mention it’s only one day off that he could use anyway.

But Eaton appealed, naturally, because that’s what every player feels is his duty even if he’s obviously guilty of the charge. Just last week Cubs reliever Ryan Tepera appealed his three-game suspension for throwing at (and missing) Milwaukee Brewers starter Brandon Woodruff, then incriminated himself by complaining about how “soft” baseball has become and suggesting MLB should let the players police themselves like the olden days. Tepera took one for the team, sent his message and appealed anyway.

Sox fans probably would applaud Nick Madrigal for doing what Giménez allegedly did in hopes of stealing an out, yet many are upset over the suspension of Eaton, one of the team’s few consistent hitters in the first three weeks.

Fortunately for the “Free Adam” supporters, Eaton’s defense is a strong one. It wasn’t a real brawl, he can argue, and the push was far from a punch. He can beg forgiveness for getting emotional in the heat of the moment.

His thoughts on the crime and the punishment were unknown as of Wednesday. Eaton declined to Zoom with reporters after an announcement came late in Tuesday’s game that he was playing after appealing the suspension. Eaton had Zoomed beforehand and confirmed it was chilly in the visiting Zoom Room in Cleveland, which is close to the dugout.

But no one asked Eaton if he appealed his suspension since the suspension had not been announced. A team spokesman relayed afterward that Eaton would prefer to wait until after the appeal is heard to discuss it publicly.

Unfortunately, the hearing will be closed with no live streaming, and there won’t be character witnesses introduced by MLB such as former White Sox third baseman Todd Frazier or former Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Miguel Montero. That would be a Zoom hearing you wouldn’t want to miss.

Over the years, Eaton built his reputation as an instigator, a role he excelled at, for better or worse. You either liked his act, as did Sox general manager Rick Hahn, who brought him to the South Side twice, or you find it tired and self-serving. Sox analyst and former manager Ozzie Guillen said during the Frazier-Eaton war of words in 2019: “I can say one thing about it: Eaton, nobody liked you in a White Sox uniform in the clubhouse. OK? That’s what I know. I’m just being honest.”

He’s not everyone’s cup of Hippocrateas organic tea, as even the 32-year-old Eaton might admit if he was just being honest.

When Eaton returned on a one-year, $7 million deal, there were a few groans from fans who recalled his tussles with Frazier, a popular player on some bad Sox teams. During his opening teleconference last December, Eaton was asked why the narrative was still “clouding over him” on his return to the South Side.

“I think the narrative is clouding over me because the media continues to talk about it,” he said.

Then came the shove, and the one-game suspension, and the media is talking about it again.

Eaton revealed in December there were “a number of things that transformed” him in Washington, where he won a ring and was lauded for his role as a sparkplug for the Nationals. After an off year in 2020, he returned to the Sox with a chance to prove he had matured and still had something left in the tank.

The jury still is out on the former. Early signs are positive on the latter.

Either way, Adam Eaton is back in the spotlight again.

It’s exactly where he wants to be.