Getting to Know Astros/Buies Creek OF/1B Seth Beer

Had I not had the opportunity to sit down and talk to Astros 2018 top draft pick Seth Beer one-on-one last month during his tenure with Quad Cities, I wonder whether or not I would have come away with a slightly different impression of him. Simply observing him on the field and at work leaves one with an overwhelming impression of singular focus and drive with little insight into his off-field personality.

Seth Beer - July 2018

Photo by Jayne Hansen

As a player, it is that drive and work ethic that defines Beer. As Quad Cities Manager Mickey Storey said of Beer, "There's a lot to like about him other than the fact that he can really hit the baseball. He's a kid who's got a vision, wants to be good. His work ethic's phenomenal, knows where he needs to improve. He's got a plan. He kind of resembles the volumes they spoke of Carlos Correa when he was coming up, just knowing what he needed to do and Alex Bregman same thing. Guys who came in to pro ball with a vision, with a plan, knowing areas they need to improve. He kind of resembles the same type work ethic and ideas as far as defense, what do I need to work on, stuff like that, and obviously he's ahead of the game as far as the hitting side. He's been a joy to work with thus far. I expect big things out of him, (as he) continues to work and get better in all aspects of baseball."

Beer really exploded on the national stage during his tremendous first season at Clemson, when he hit .369/.535/.700 in 62 games as a freshman. He followed that up with two seasons in which his OPS flirted with 1.100, showing not only great power but great discipline.

With numbers like that, it was a given that he would be a first day draft pick, but he really had no idea where he would ultimately land. "For the most part, you just really don't know (who will draft you) because some guy might go in this spot and that changes everybody's draft board. I was just waiting for my name to be called and I got the call saying I was going 28th to the Astros and it was a surreal feeling because I've worked extremely hard and my family has (too). Everybody has sacrificed so much for me to have a chance to play in professional baseball so it was pretty cool to be able to celebrate that with my family," said Beer.

The only question I have seen from the various prospect pundits about Beer's hit tool has to do with how the lefty batter will handle his fellow southpaws on a professional level. There's not much of a track record in that regard as Beer has had very limited opportunities to hit against left-handed pitchers so far in his pro career. Beer said, "Thankfully the Bandits have a guy they know that comes up and throws us left-handed BP and that really helps. During the season in college, I saw lefties all the time. I was pretty comfortable hitting with them. It was just one of those things. In pro ball, you see a lot more guys that are right-handed at these levels. But I've always for the most part felt pretty comfortable hitting off lefties."

The real question for Beer is where he will best fit defensively as that is the one aspect of his game where he will need to prove himself. With his defense a work in progress, Beer told me, "Within the month and some change that I've had in professional baseball, being able to play a position every day, whether it's left, right or first base, I'm starting to feel a lot more confident, a lot more comfortable there. For me, I go out there every day and I give everything I have when it comes to the defensive work and taking it as serious as I can because I know that's something that there are some question marks with."

Beer continued, "(I just) buy in to whatever they ask me to do when we're doing early work or we're doing defensive work. They're pointing out things that they think would make me better, (using) video and stuff like that, just to improve myself when it comes to my routes or making sure I'm getting my sprints in with our strength coach. Just the little stuff that, over time, will make you not only a better player but a better athlete are things that I'm working on daily and things I'm really working really really hard on because I know those are some question marks. (I'm) just doing whatever I can and doing whatever they ask me to do, just really listening to what they've got to say and just taking in as much knowledge as I can."

With Beer's third promotion this season coming last week as he headed to High A Buies Creek (after hitting a very healthy .338/.443/.491 at Low A Quad Cities), he has been moved very aggressively by the Astros. He does not shy away from the opportunity. "If they promote me, that means that they trust me that I'm prepared for the next level. You have to put trust within that and believe in what their thoughts are and what they're thinking. And for me, whatever team that is, wherever that is, I'm just going to go out there and compete every day and just play the game like I have my whole life and have fun."

Beer is definitely appreciative of the talent in the Astros system and enjoys being a part of that. "I watched every pitch of all the games that were played in the World Series. So for me, the thought of actually being part of that organization that just won the World Series is just a surreal feeling and I'm just blessed to be a part of this organization," said Beer. Of the talent he's played with in the system, Beer said, "When I'm in the dugout, my head's on a swivel because I know that at any given time any of the guys on the diamond can make an extremely good play or any of the guys at the plate could come up with a huge AB, so for me, I've got to keep my head on a swivel because I know something magical is going to happen."

Some may not know that Beer's competitive nature and dedicated work ethic first surfaced in another sport altogether. In a bit of an understatement, Beer told me, "Growing up, swimming was kind of my thing." Beer was ranked nationally, earning national age-group records in the 50- and 100-meter backstroke as a 12-year old, and was training to some day be an Olympic athlete. But at the same time, Beer loved baseball and was developing into quite the player. Baseball ultimately won out.

Beer finished high school early and started his college career at Clemson early as well, "I remember when I first stepped on that college campus, I wanted to go there. I was extremely blessed of what Coach Lee gave me the opportunity to do there. It's a place I'll always call home." It also helped that his home in Georgia was close enough to the Clemson campus to allow his family to visit. "My Dad would be at all the games, when it came to home games. It was about an hour and a half from where my house was and he's one of my biggest fans, biggest supporters. He's my hero. So for him to be at all those games throughout my college career was just a blessing and it's something I'll treasure for the rest of my life."

In the rare times that Beer isn't on the field or otherwise working in some way to hone his skills, he admits to indulging in the down time staple of ballplayers everywhere ... video games. "Video games is something we all play. It's fun. You got a bunch of professional athletes playing child's games, video games and the competitive nature of all of us is still super high. That's always something we love to do in season," said Beer. "Out of season, I love to fish. I was raised in Georgia and fishing is a big deal down there. That's always something I really enjoy."

As a final question, I asked Beer about ... Beer. I assumed that he had heard every joke, every play on words possible to go with that last name. (I'd heard teammate Miguel Sierra urging on "Bud Light" during BP when referring to Seth earlier that day.) "At the end of the day, if it can make anybody laugh, anybody smile and they enjoy the last name, have fun with it, why not? If it can crack a smile, that's great. I've heard some crazy ones over the years, even at the youngest of ages but for me I just embrace it because at the end of the day, it's my name, it's my family's name and I'm just trying to represent it to the best of my ability."

After the interview, we went on to talk about Beer's reputation for never passing up an autograph request from a kid if at all possible. He said that he remembered being passed up by players when he was young and he didn't want anyone to feel that disappointment because of him. I enjoyed seeing that side of him, the side of him that endures bad jokes on his last name with a good-natured smile, the side of him that told me in a slight and delightful Georgia accent, "At the end of the day, this is the best first job I could ever ask for."

That isn't the side that most people will get to see right away. Your first impression of Beer will be his single-minded focus on the task at hand. "I'm a guy that goes out there and works hard every day. It's something that doesn't really show on the field every day, but when I come to the ballpark, I'm here on a mission and I'm trying to do everything I can to go out there and become better that day. I'm trying to stay focused every second of every opportunity I have out here and just compete every day."

Thank you for your time, Seth, and best of luck as the season continues to unfold.