Orioles outfield prospect Dylan Beavers has been steadily improving during the 2023 campaign, and that’s what the Orioles are looking for.
Beavers, 21, is in his first full professional season and is showing progress with High-A Aberdeen. The Orioles encourage their players to focus on development, not results.
“The coaches really want us to not stress about game-to-game results and just focus on our own progress as a player,” Beavers said on Glenn Clark Radio June 30.
The 6-foot-4, 206-pound outfielder has played 68 games for the IronBirds this season and is hitting .238/.327/.418 with 61 hits, seven home runs, 34 runs, 35 RBIs and 15 stolen bases entering play on July 7.
“As long as I am trending in the right direction, that’s kind of what they want,” Beavers said. “Just kind of improving over the long run is what I’ve been focused on this season.”
Beavers was selected with the 33rd overall pick by the Orioles in the 2022 MLB Draft out of the University of California. Beavers split time between the Florida Complex League, Low-A Delmarva and Aberdeen in 2022 after signing with Baltimore.
Beavers entered the 2023 season focused on developing his power stroke, considering he hit zero home runs in pro ball last year. He said that consistency in his swing is where it all starts. Catching the ball out in front and on the barrel consistently are two ways Beavers believes his power can translate into home runs.
The Orioles’ hitting coaches and their methods are something that Beavers has bought into during his time in the minors.
“For me, I hit some home runs at Cal, but I knew while I was there that there was stuff I could improve on,” Beavers said. “My swing was unconventional, and even there, I wanted to work on improving my consistency.”
In his junior season at Cal, Beavers hit .291/.426/.634 with 17 home runs, 50 RBIs, 62 runs and seven stolen bases. He earned ABCA West All-Region First Team and All-Pac-12 First Team honors in 2021 and 2022. He also played for USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team in 2021.
Moving from BBCOR bats to wood bats has forced Beavers to make an adjustment, however.
“It’s kind of improving the consistency, especially with the change from metal to wood bat, it’s a little bit different,” Beavers said. “It’s almost a different swing just because the wood bats are a lot more dense on the barrel.”
Beavers understands the minor league season is long and can be frustrating from time to time, but he does not freak out about results.
“Just kind of got to trust the process and know that if I keep investing in it that, eventually, I will get something out of it, even if I got to struggle for a little while,” Beavers said.
Beavers’ former teammate Jud Fabian recently got promoted to Double-A Bowie. Beavers said he learned a lot from Fabian while playing in the outfield together. Fabian is one of his best friends, and he had a lot of fun playing with him during their time in Aberdeen.
Beavers hopes to join Fabian in the future and move up in the minor leagues.
“Jud’s another really good player. He hits a lot of home runs, for sure. He did at Florida. He continues to hit them here,” Beavers said. “I look up to Jud, especially in the outfield. He’s for sure the best defender I’ve seen in the outfield.”
Beavers is very excited about the Orioles competing for a World Series in the coming years and hopes to help the organization reach its ultimate goal.
“It’s exciting for sure, especially seeing since I’ve been here, a ton of guys have gotten called up and made impacts up there,” Beavers said. “It’s definitely really exciting to see, and it seems like the Orioles are going to be a really good club for years to come, so I’m excited to be a part of it.”
For more from Beavers, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Kadalena Messiano