Craig Eaton (born September 7, 1954) is a former
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) ...
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, who attempts to e ...
who played for one season. He was a pitcher who pitched in five games for the
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expa ...
during the
1979 season. He played
college baseball
College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...
at
Florida State University.
Craig attended
Lake Worth Community High School
Lake Worth Community High School is a public high school located in Lake Worth Beach, Florida. Established in 1922 as Lake Worth High School, it is currently one of Palm Beach County's largest schools.
The Palm Beach County School Board added t ...
(
Lake Worth Beach, FL) and graduated in the class of 1972 at the age of 17. He went to Miami-Dade College (Miami, FL) for 2 years and was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 6th round of the 1974 MLB June Amateur Draft. He declined the draft to complete his B.S. in Marine Biology at Florida State University. He signed with the Kansas City Royals on June 25 as a free agent after graduating, and was called up to the major leagues toward the end of the 1979 season.
Eaton was sent to the
California Angels
The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...
on April 1, 1980 to complete a transaction from four months prior on December 6, 1979 when the Royals acquired
Willie Aikens
Willie Mays Aikens (born October 14, 1954) is an American professional baseball first baseman who played in Major League Baseball for the California Angels, Kansas City Royals, and Toronto Blue Jays between 1977 and 1985. He had established hims ...
and
Rance Mulliniks
Steven Rance Mulliniks (born January 15, 1956) is an American former Major League Baseball player.
Playing career
Originally drafted as a shortstop, Mulliniks made his major league debut in for the California Angels, batting .269 in 78 games. ...
for
Al Cowens
Alfred Edward Cowens, Jr. (October 25, 1951 – March 11, 2002) was a right fielder in Major League Baseball. From through , Cowens played for the Kansas City Royals (1974–79), California Angels (1980), Detroit Tigers (1980–81) and Seattle M ...
and
Todd Cruz
Todd Ruben Cruz (November 23, 1955 – September 2, 2008), was an American former professional baseball shortstop and third baseman, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) between and with the Philadelphia Phillies, Kansas City Royals, Califo ...
.
Durso, Joseph. "Angels Get Cowens In Deal With Royals," ''The New York Times'', Friday, December 7, 1979.
Retrieved May 25, 2022. At the Angel's organization he played in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League (PCL), followed by Triple-A for the Detroit Tigers in 1983 and finished his career with the Montreal Expos in 1984. In the 1983 off-season, Craig sustained knee injuries on a golf course and had the first of three knee surgeries after completing the 1984 season.
Craig married his high school sweetheart, Suzanne Sullivan, in 1977 and they have 4 daughters. He currently lives in Lake Worth Beach, Florida.
References
External links
Venezuelan Professional Baseball League
1954 births
Baseball players from Ohio
Daytona Beach Islanders players
Evansville Triplets players
Florida State Seminoles baseball players
Gulf Coast Royals players
Indianapolis Indians players
Jacksonville Suns players
Kansas City Royals players
Leones del Caracas players
American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela
Living people
Major League Baseball pitchers
Miami Dade Sharks baseball players
Omaha Royals players
People from Glendale, Ohio
Salt Lake City Gulls players
Spokane Indians players
Waterloo Royals players
People from Lake Worth Beach, Florida
Anchorage Glacier Pilots players
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