Beavers clubs first HR in second day of MLB4 action

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- After a breakout sophomore season, Dylan Beavers entered the 2022 campaign with an abundance of accolades.

The Cal junior is No. 24 on MLB Pipeline’s list of the Top 100 Draft prospects. Numerous outlets have him listed as a preseason All-American and he was also named to USA Baseball’s Golden Spikes Award watch list, an honor given annually to the best amateur baseball player in the country.

Despite all that, Beavers is continually looking for ways to refine his game and began the year with a specific focus.

“I think last year, I didn’t do as great of a job of controlling the zone as I would have wanted to,” Beavers said. “This year I want to do a better job of controlling the zone, increasing walks and cutting strikeouts.”

Beavers’ approach was on full display Saturday as he hit his first homer of the year and added a run-scoring single as part of a 2-for-3, two-RBI performance in Cal’s dramatic 7-6 win over TCU.

After grounding out and working a walk in his first two trips to the plate, Beavers battled in the sixth. He fouled off five pitches and, on the eighth offering of the at-bat, he deposited an 83 mph slider onto the berm in right-center field.

“I didn’t get it all the way, but I got enough barrel on it,” Beavers said. “I just tried to slow everything down. The game was speeding up on me the past five or so [at-bats] so I wanted to slow everything down and let myself see the ball. I put a good swing on it and it worked out.”

The blast had an exit velocity of 107.6 mph and travelled 407 feet.

Beavers hit .303/.401/.630 and led the Pac-12 with 18 homers in 55 games last season. The numbers jump off the page, though there are some minor holes in his swing and he struggled over the summer, hitting .233 over eight games.

That experience in the Cape Cod League, coupled with the time he spent playing for the USA Collegiate National Team, showed Beavers what he needed to do to take his game to the next level.

“Just sticking to my approach, being more disciplined and mature, not getting too excited,” Beavers said. “I’ve worked on that over the past six, seven months since I finished summer ball.”

Beavers acknowledged that the game sped up on him when facing advanced competition and that the experience was beneficial for his growth. Of course, those brief summer struggles don’t take away from the fact that he’s already a very talented player with average or better tools across the board.

A five-tool talent, Beavers makes hard contact -- he's posted exit velocities over 100 mph in each of his first two games this season -- and has plus raw power. He’s also an above-average runner and was one of two players to hit both 10 homers and steal 10 bases in the Pac-12 last season.

“The whole field is open for him and he shows it,” Cal head coach Mike Neu said. “It’s not just pull-side power. He can go the other way, he can get hits the other way, he can hit homers the other way. That shows me the chance for the hit tool to keep getting better is there.”

Defensively, Beavers’ speed gives him the chance to stick in center. However, if a move to right is needed, his plus arm profiles well.

Recruited as a two-way player, Beavers pitched during his first fall in Berkeley. He eventually broke into the lineup and when his offensive potential became apparent, the decision to proceed as an outfielder was easy.

“It was just so obvious to everybody,” Neu said. “He had arm strength -- if he was a pitcher, he’d be in the low 90s -- but it was just clear that the offensive player he has a chance to be was going to be really special.”

That potential was evident in 2021 and may be even more prominent in the future.

“I think he’s just on the ascent,” Neu said.