Adam Eaton has never been short on confidence.
"I'm Napoleon to the fullest," the 5-foot-8 dynamo says. "Any of my teammates will tell you, I compete in everything."
Not so quietly, the left-handed hitting center fielder is having his third straight stellar season since his trade to the White Sox. Eaton had his fifth multi-hit game of August on Sunday, going 3-for-5 with his 10th home run of 2016 in a loss to the Marlins.
That pushed the 27-year-old's WAR to 4.6 -- the 15th-best mark in all of baseball this season.
But this is nothing new. Eaton has always played big and with a certain amount of swagger.
He was athletically gifted from the start, playing soccer, football and basketball at Kenton Ridge High School in Springfield, Ohio.
He received soccer scholarship offers from several universities, but he ultimately decided to stick close to home and accepted a baseball scholarship from Miami University in Ohio.
That is where Eaton met his wife, Katie, who played softball at Miami University. Their first date, of course, was at a batting cage.
"She's a better athlete than I am," Eaton concedes. "If she pitches to me, she can strike me out every time with a drop-curve."
If Katie is the better athlete, there's little doubt Adam is the scrappier of the pair. He styles his play after fellow undersized center fielders -- Kenny Lofton and Lenny Dykstra, to name a pair -- and will do anything to start a rally or unnerve an opponent. Bunting is one of his favorite skills.
"It'll stir the pot and make everyone mad at you," he says, "but it's going to be a hit."
Stir the pot is just what he does. In 2010, his junior and final season at Miami, Eaton batted .368 with 13 home runs and 30 steals. That year, Eaton was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Eaton was traded to the White Sox in December of 2013. In his first season with the White Sox, he batted .300 with 15 stolen bases.
While most of his White Sox teammates call him "E" or "Eat," he is still touched when fans call him Spanky because it reminds him of home and the nickname his dad, Glenn Eaton, gave him as an infant.
 "I had a full head of hair when I was born, and I was really fat with chubby cheeks," Eaton says, explaining that he reminded his dad of "Spanky," the character in the old kids comedy series, The Little Rascals.
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More from #MLBPlayers411:

• Eaton, Katie and son Brayden reside in Phoenix, claiming it is "the best place for food."
• He always eats a pizookie from his favorite pizza shop. "It's a huge cookie with toppings and ice cream," he says. By the way, he "recommends the peanut butter."
• Eaton loves cars and is a self-proclaimed "Corvette fanatic." His dream car is a 1971 Corvette L88 Resto-Mod with a black-and-white Corvette signature paint job.
• If his baseball career were to end, Eaton said he would consider becoming a firefighter like his father.
• Growing up an Indians fan, Eaton's favorite player was Kenny Lofton.
• Eaton and Katie served as correspondents for Comcast SportsNet Chicago at media day prior to Super Bowl XLIX between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks.
• During the offseason, Eaton likes to fish. He grew up fishing for bass in Ohio rivers and lakes, and now fishes at the Salt River in Phoenix and in several Arizona lakes.