The Royals may have found a gem in the later rounds of this year’s First Year Player Draft. Drafted in the 21st round out of VMI, Nathan Eaton has done nothing but crush the ball in Idaho Falls since he joined the organization.

In 52 games in his junior season for VMI, he slashed .287/.402/.507 with 8 home runs and 24 RBI. He’s kept the momentum going as he joined the rookie league team in Idaho Falls a few weeks back.

In 35 games there, he’s slashing a phenomenal .352/.459/.602. He’s been an extra base hit machine, with 10 doubles and 8 triples. To me, his plate discipline is what is most impressive about his game. He has more walks than strikeouts on the season, with 25 walks to 24 strikeouts.

His speed has been a key factor in his success as well, with 10 steals so far this season. In case you need to see what his speed can do, here’s a video of a straight steal of home while at VMI.

I don’t believe he’s going to get a promotion to Lexington at this point in the season, but he’ll definitely start next season there. His approach will play as he continues to progress, but we’ll see if the bat will continue to play as he moves out of the hitter-friendly Pioneer League.

Eaton has impressed so far this season, and looks to be another solid pick from the 2018 draft.