Los Angeles Dodgers: Clayton Beeter the sleeper of the second round
For the few question marks which came with Clayton Beeter, the Los Angeles Dodgers may have gotten the steal of the second round.
When the dust settled after the 2020 MLB Draft some teams began to jump for joy while others were licking their wounds. The Los Angeles Dodgers were the former. I’m in love with a couple of their picks, though none more than Clayton Beeter.
Beeter was ranked as the 51st best prospect on the MLB.com Top 200 ranking list. Some clubs were surely scared away by the fact he already has a Tommy John surgery in the rearview mirror.
More from Call to the Pen
- Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
- Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
- Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
- Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
- 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals
In most mock drafts Beeter was predicted to go in the mid to late first round. As he continued to fall down the board some teams probably felt he would be harder to sign without giving him more than his ultimate slot value.
The Dodgers swooped in and took him as part of the Competitive Balance B selections, after round 2. Beeter was the 66th player chosen and could have easily gone in the top 20.
Beeter was statistically the best pitcher on the Texas Tech pitching staff in 2019 and held opposing hitters to a .167 batting average. As a freshman for the Red Raiders Beeter pitched 20.2 innings and struck out 40. The walk rate was a little to high for comfort, though he corrected this in his sophomore season.
In my opinion, Beeter has a lot of upside and the right mindset to pitch in high leverage situations. As a freshman, he saved eight games before shifting to the starting rotation as a sophomore. He cut his WHIP in half and his wild pitches by a fourth. He has shown poise and potential and the Dodgers were lucky he was still around after the second round and wise to draft him.
Next. Simulation Baseball: Chasing the digital pennant. dark
Alongside Bobby Miller and Landon Knack, Clayton Beeter assures the Dodgers a trio of quality pitching selections atop the 2020 MLB Draft.