Outfielder Dylan Beavers starred at the University of California baseball for three years and was selected No. 33 overall by the Baltimore Orioles in the 2022 MLB Draft. The 20-year-old was recently named first-team ABCA West All-Region for a second consecutive year, becoming the first Golden Bear to do so since Andrew Vaughn (2018-2019).
Standing at 6-foot-4 and 206 pounds, Beavers is a force to reckon with on the field. Here are five things to know about Beavers.
1. Big Performances At Cal
The former Cal outfielder played in 131 games from 2020-2022, slashing .294/.409/.615 with 36 home runs across 452 at-bats beginning when he was 18 years old. His time with the Golden Bears encouraged the Orioles to take him with their second pick in the 2022 draft.
2. Bats Left But Throws Right
Beavers is a left-handed hitter but throws right-handed, which may give him a leg up. According to a New England Journal of Medicine study, 12 percent of big league players from 1871-2016 threw right-handed and batted lefty, and 32 of the best-ever big league hitters fit that criteria. However, only 2 percent of the general population throws right and bats left.
3. Post-Draft Analysis
CBS Sports has concerns about Beavers’ hit tool.
“He holds his hands low through his swing, which opens holes for pitchers to attack, particularly up and in. It’s possible he can tweak his swing and improve his hit tool, but the expectation should be that he will run higher strikeout rates than we’d like in the upper levels of the minors. Beavers is at least an above-average runner and was 17-for-23 on the base paths in 123 college games.”
The Athletic’s Keith Law has higher hopes for the Orioles’ second pick. He predicts that Beavers will end up in right field but needs to work on his hit tool.
“[Beavers] a raw college hitter with the athleticism to be a plus defender in right field, but who has something of a hitch in his swing that might limit his ability to hit for average,” Law wrote.
4. Rival Coach Likes Him
UCLA head coach John Savage, a former national champion with 629 wins with the Bruins, commented on the Cal star during MLB Network’s draft telecast. He described Beavers as a “tremendous athlete” with “explosive hands” and “long strides” and the ability to “hit the ball all over the ballpark.”
Savage and MLB Network analyst Dan O’Dowd both mentioned that Beavers’ swing needs some work. “He has a little bit of a hand twitch that creates inconsistent timing in his swing plane,” O’Dowd said.
5. National Team Producer
Beavers played for USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team following the 2021 season with Cal. Beavers did not sit idly by after making the roster. He started in all nine games, with four RBIs, five walks and three stolen bases.
Photo Credit: Brendon Baranov