Austin Steven Beck (born November 21, 1998) is an American
professional baseball
Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Mod ...
outfielder
An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...
in the
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...
organization. He was drafted with the sixth overall selection in the
2017 MLB Draft
The 2017 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft began on June 12, 2017. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The first 36 picks, including the first round and compensatory picks, were broadcast on MLB Network on J ...
by the
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...
.
Amateur career
Beck attended
North Davidson High School
North Davidson High School (commonly referred to as "NDHS," or simply "North") is a public high school in Welcome, North Carolina (near Lexington). It was established in 1952 and is located along Old US Highway 52 in northern Davidson County. T ...
in
Welcome, North Carolina
Welcome is a census-designated place (CDP) in Davidson County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 4,162 at the 2010 census. It is nationally known as the home of Richard Childress Racing.
In addition, Walker and Associates, Inc., a ...
. As a junior he hit .465 with five
home run
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...
s and 30
runs batted in
A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the bat ...
(RBIs). In pre-game warm-ups prior to his team's first playoff game that year, he
tore his ACL causing him to miss the remainder of the playoffs. Beck returned from the injury to start his senior year. Beck committed to the
University of North Carolina
The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...
to play college baseball.
Professional career
Oakland Athletics
Beck was considered one of the top prospects for the
2017 Major League Baseball draft
The 2017 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft began on June 12, 2017. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The first 36 picks, including the first round and compensatory picks, were broadcast on MLB Network on J ...
. The
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...
selected him with the sixth overall selection of the draft. The club signed him to a franchise-record $5.303 million contract. After signing, Beck was assigned to the rookie–level
Arizona League Athletics
The Arizona Complex League Athletics are a Minor League Baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona, which plays as a Rookie-level team in the Arizona Complex League and has served as a farm team for the Oakland Athletics organization since 1988. Th ...
, where he spent the whole season, posting a .211 batting average with two home runs and 28 RBI in 41 games.
Beck spent the 2018 season with the
Beloit Snappers
The Beloit Sky Carp are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in Beloit, Wisconsin, and play their home games at ABC Supply Stadium. They previously played at Harry C ...
of the
Single–A Midwest League
The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...
, slashing .296/.335/.383 with two home runs and 60 RBI in 123 games and earning All-Star honors. He spent 2019 with the
Stockton Ports
The Stockton Ports are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. They are located in Stockton, California, and are named for the city's seaport. The team plays its home games at Ba ...
of the
Class A-Advanced
High-A (officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing) is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A and Double-A, and abov ...
California League
The California League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in California. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following Major Leag ...
. Over 85 games, he batted .251/.302/.411 with eight home runs and 49 RBI. Beck did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
.
Beck returned to action in 2021, splitting the year between the High–A
Lansing Lugnuts
The Lansing Lugnuts are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. They are located in Lansing, Michigan, and play their home games at Jackson Field (Lansing), Jackson Field.
The Midwe ...
and Triple–A
Las Vegas Aviators
The Las Vegas Aviators, formerly known as the Las Vegas 51s and Las Vegas Stars, are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. They are located in Summerlin South, Nevad ...
. In 77 combined games, he slashed .198/.251/.369 with 10 home runs and 39 RBI. In 2022, Beck spent time with the rookie–level
Arizona Complex League Athletics, Lansing, and the Double–A
Midland RockHounds
The Midland RockHounds are a Minor League Baseball team based in Midland, Texas. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics major league club. The RockHounds play in Momentum Bank Ballpark, whic ...
. In 68 games between the three affiliates, he accumulated a .250/.304/.388 with 9 home runs and 30 RBI.
In 2023, Beck suffered a torn
ACL in
spring training
Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...
and was ruled out for the entirety of the season. He elected free agency following the season on November 6, 2023.
Los Angeles Dodgers
On December 16, 2023, Beck signed a minor league contract with the
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...
.
References
External links
1998 births
Living people
People from Lexington, North Carolina
People from Davidson County, North Carolina
Baseball players from North Carolina
Baseball outfielders
Arizona League Athletics players
Beloit Snappers players
Stockton Ports players
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