The glitz and glamour generally associated with professional athletes really doesn’t apply to major league baseball prospects. Although these guys are technically in line to earn big bucks if they ever land legitimate contracts with top-tier organizations, the path to getting there is filled with a lot of bumps, obstacles and funny little pit stops.
For Arizona Diamondbacks outfield prospect Adam Eaton, one such bump, obstacle and little pit stop featured him having to return over $120,000. Why did he have to give the small fortune back? Well, because the money was never supposed to go to him in the first place. The six envelopes containing over $20,000 apiece that he got from the MLB Players Association recently were supposed to go to another Adam Eaton, the one who used to pitch for the Philadelphia Phillies.
As noted by the Arizona Republic (via Larry Brown Sports):
Teammate Cody Ransom happened to see Eaton flipping through the checks and realized what had happened. We’ll let Eaton tell the story:
“Cody’s like, ‘Those aren’t yours,’” Eaton recalled. “I’m like, ‘What do you mean they aren’t mine? They’re in my name.’ He goes, ‘That’s the other Adam Eaton. Do you live there?’ It had the address on the front. ‘No.’ I go, ‘Do I have to give them back?’ He’s like, ‘Yeah. You have to give them back.’ I thought it over and I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’ve got to give them back.’”
All things considered, it’s probably safe to guess that the other Adam Eaton would have realized at some point that he wasn’t getting the checks he was supposed to be getting. And then when he followed up on the matter, he presumably would have discovered the confusion. Still, you have to respect a man who returns money that isn’t his, regardless of what would have happened to him down the line if he hadn’t.
And while this Adam Eaton may not have ended up getting a $120,000+ boost to his bank account, at least he came away with a good story. That’s almost as good as a small fortune, right?
(Kudos to Larry Brown Sports for the find)
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