Eaton Named PCL's Rookie of the Year

ROUND ROCK, Texas - Adam Eaton of the Reno Aces has been named the 2012 Pacific Coast League Rookie of the Year, the league announced today.

Eaton, from Springfield, Ohio, was voted the league's top rookie after a balloting of the 16 PCL field managers as well as media representatives from across the league. The award was created in 1998 and honors a player's outstanding achievement during his first year at the Triple-A level.

Eaton, 23, has played in 116 games with Reno this season, and leads the league in batting average (.379), on-base percentage (.452), runs scored (117), hits (181), doubles (44), stolen bases (37), and total bases (256). As the center fielder and leadoff hitter for Reno, he has helped take the Aces to first place in the Pacific Northern division as they seek postseason play.

Selected by Arizona in the 19th round of the 2010 First-Year Player Draft, Eaton has found success at every level he has played in. This year he was selected as the PCL's starting center fielder for the Mid-Season All-Star game, going 1-3 with a leadoff hit and a run scored in the 3-0 win over the International League. On Monday, Eaton was also named as an outfielder on the league's Post-Season All-Star team.

Eaton becomes the second player in a row from the Reno franchise to be named the PCL's top rookie after Collin Cowgill won the award last year, and is the third player ever from the Diamondbacks' Triple-A affiliate to earn the award. The first was Josh Whitesell with the Tucson Sidewinders in 2008.

Among the others to receive votes for the Rookie of the Year award were Wil Myers (Omaha), Adeiny Hechavarria (Las Vegas), Jedd Gyorko (Tucson), Kole Calhoun (Salt Lake), Jake Elmore (Reno), and Grant Green (Sacramento).

All statistics used are through Monday, August 27th.