"We are extremely excited to add Adam to our staff," Boss said in an MSU baseball press announcement. "He is high-caliber person with a world of baseball knowledge and insight, and we're delighted to have him join the Spartan family. His baseball resume is filled with success at the highest levels of our game, and we're anxious to have him working with our players on and off the field to develop them and help them become better student-athletes and better people."

Prior to becoming the director of player development, Eaton spent 10 seasons playing Major League Baseball, retiring before the start of the 2022 season. A highlight of his career was winning the World Series with the Washington Nationals in 2019. 

The Nationals beat the Houston Astros in a seven-game series that year, during which Eaton hit .320. He also had two HR and six RBI.

Eaton made his MLB debut in 2012, with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Prior to his time with the Nationals, Eaton played for the Chicago White Sox and ended his career with the Los Angeles Angels.

Although Eaton is new to MSU, he already has a few connections to the university. When Boss was head coach at Eastern Michigan, he recruited Eaton, who was still in high school at the time. 

While Eaton ultimately spent his college career at Miami of Ohio – where he still holds the record for single-season triples – he is excited to work with Boss.

“To come full circle and then be hired by him now, to do a job, and work with him, is very exciting,” Eaton said of Boss in the announcement.

Overall, Eaton said coming to MSU was an easy decision.

"In just the short period of time that I've been able to work with the players and get to know the players, we have a really, really good group, a group that wants to work, that wants to win, that wants to put the Michigan State uniform on every single day and they're proud to do that,” Eaton said in the announcement. “I'm just super excited and all the parts seemed to fit extremely well."