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Levine: Adam Eaton Still Learning Baseball, Life Lessons

By Bruce Levine--

CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Adam Eaton who wowed White Sox fans in 2014 and this year's version have been difficult to compare.

Eaton was a revelation after coming to Chicago via a trade from Arizona in 2013. When he could stay on the field last season (Eaton missed 45 games with injuries), the 25-year-old center fielder hit .300 and endeared himself to the fan base. With his devil-may-care-less attitude and the way Eaton chased down fly balls while running into walls, it reminded fans of old-time Go-Go White Sox era players.

This season, Eaton was humbled by a bad start in all facets of the game. A new contract that weighed as heavy as an anvil around his neck was also a focal point for many anxious moments of doubt.

He was hitting near the .200 mark for most of the first two months of the season. An early June surge has hitting .247 after Tuesday's loss to Toronto. His on-base percentage is .310, and he has 42 runs in 76 games.

"Learning about baseball never ends," Eaton said as he dissected his first-half skid. "Signing a contract in the offseason was a first for me. Part of that was the outside pressure and stress that come along with it. This was something I had to deal with for the first time in my life. I had to learn how to deal with the accolades I received for the first time. To handle all of that and failure as well was a challenge for me. Getting back the perspective of it just being baseball a game I love was the key."

Eaton caught a lot of fun-loving grief from his teammates when a quote about him being the straw that stirred the White Sox became known to the other 24 players. One of them (perhaps a guy from Georgia) had T-shirts made with the image of Eaton on a stirrer in a martini-style glass.

"I am a person that just wants to be liked," Eaton confessed. "When I am critiqued, I take it to heart. I really have always tried to please everybody. That includes pleasing the fans, playing the game the right way. I wanted to make my teammates happy and please the media. What I found out is that stuff is almost impossible to do. It was a harsh reality to swallow."

The friendly 26-year-old Eaton has learned some lessons since inking that $26 million contract in March.

"It was something I needed work out myself and not bring it into the clubhouse," Eaton admitted. "You go home and you lose a lot of hours of sleep. This was the challenge I dealt with as an individual and a person. There has been more growth and self-evaluation the last two months than over my entire career."

Eaton has worked hard to get better on the field and take the kidding in style, which is a part of the 200-game hazing that teammates bestow on each other.

"I have learned to enjoy the give and take of fun hazing," he said. "These little distractions make the world go around and easier to be around people. I admit the T-shirt took a little getting used to. I was a little upset, but at the same time the person who did it (Gordon Beckham) and I are very close. Knowing it was him, I calmed down after that. No one is wearing the shirt anymore. That said I am sure there will be another one at some point."

The perception that the team slumped on offense because of Eaton's poor performance seems unfair, given everyone's struggles. Still, the responsibility of being the lead-off man is one he takes seriously.

"That is the pressure every lead-off guy must take on," Eaton said. "You are the one who sets the tone. Pressure, I believe, sometimes make guys great players. You need a balance of the good and negative pressure to succeed."

Time is running out on Eaton and his teammates making a serious run at the playoffs. A healthy productive Eaton will be needed to get the job done.

"I had my first full season in the big leagues last year," he said "I am not a veteran in the clubhouse or on the field. I will make stupid errors and stupid plays. To me, that is a part of a player's maturation on the field. Even the great players had to have those to be the player they would be."

Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score and CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.

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