It’s certainly a good thing the Dodgers found a way to recall Matt Beaty before Friday’s opener against the Rockies, whether pitcher Josh Sborz actually had lower back soreness or not.
That same evening, Beaty’s two-run, walkoff homer to center field allowed Walker Buehler to record his first-ever complete game. More importantly, Beaty’s stock continues to rise on an already talented Los Angeles squad.
“I felt confident walking to the plate,” Beaty told Bill Plunkett of the OC Register after the 4-2 walkoff victory. “I just wanted to get the barrel to the ball and that’s what happened.”
Regardless, the 26-year-old utility man’s time in the majors could be short-lived, especially when noting that both Corey Seager and A.J. Pollock will be starting rehabilitation assignments in the very near future. Still, the native of Snellville, GA isn’t letting anything stand in his way of finding success in the majors.
Beaty has already been shuttled back and forth between Triple-A Oklahoma City and the parent club several times this year. Over 62 plate appearances in 24 big league games, he’s hitting a handy .300/.323/.450 with two long balls, three doubles and 11 RBI. He even has a stolen base to add to his personal docket.
Defensively, the left-handed hitting Beaty has made appearances at first base and left field for the big league squad this year. During his career in the minors, he has also played plenty of third base, while also seeing samples of time at both second base and right field, showing his strong versatility—something that boss Andrew Friedman values to the highest degree.
Although he was born in Georgia, Beaty grew up in Dresden, Tennessee. After a prominent career at Dresden High, he decided to attend Belmont University in nearby Nashville. Following his All-American senior year at Belmont, Beaty was selected by the Dodgers in the 12th round of the 2015 MLB Draft.
“I was pumped when I found out that I was drafted by the Dodgers. There are so many All-Star and Hall of Fame names that are associated with the organization,” Beaty told us in an exclusive interview two summers ago. “In addition, I had heard that the Dodgers’ player development staff was one of the best in the baseball. I knew that I was going to be in good hands.”
The Dodgers drafted Beaty with the intentions of utilizing him as a catcher; however, his skills at the corner infield spots have proven to be his most valuable assets.
Despite not being a flashy, blue-chip type of prospect, Beaty rose to the top of the farm relatively quickly. At the conclusion of his 2017 campaign, he won the Texas League batting title after hitting .326/.378/.505 with 31 doubles, 15 homers and 69 RBI over 438 AB. In the process, he became the first Drillers‘ player to snag the honor and was the first Tulsa player to win a batting title since Mike Easler did in for the Triple-A Oilers in the American Assocation in 1976.
After fighting off injuries for a good portion of the 2018 season, he was still able to manage a .284/.378/.404 slash line for OKC over 34 games.
Fans of the Dodgers probably don’t want to hear it, but it’s conceivable the team could consider bartering Beaty this summer at the trade deadline. He has already shown that he can compete in the bigs, something that’s extremely important to rival clubs willing to deal. When noting the club’s desperate need to upgrade the major league bullpen, Beaty may be a player the organization might consider letting go.
At the rate he’s currently producing, though, any prospective departure would be tough to stomach.
In the meantime, Beaty will continue to make the most of his big league opportunities and continue to rack up the major league milestones he thought about as a youngster.
“Obviously, there are some personal achievements that would be great to get. For me. I just want to keep proving that I belong in the organization,” he explained. “I just try to play hard and have fun and the numbers will take care of themselves.”
So far, that’s definitely been the case.
