Austin Steven Beck (born November 21, 1998) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. Despite being drafted with the sixth overall selection in the 2017 MLB Draft by the Oakland Athletics, he never played in Major League Baseball (MLB).
| Austin Beck | |
|---|---|
| Outfielder | |
| Born: November 21, 1998 Lexington, North Carolina | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right |
Amateur career
editBeck attended North Davidson High School in Welcome, North Carolina. As a junior he hit .465 with five home runs and 30 runs batted in (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.[1] Beck returned from the injury to start his senior year.[2][3] Beck committed to the University of North Carolina to play college baseball.[4][5]
Professional career
editOakland Athletics
editBeck was considered one of the top prospects for the 2017 Major League Baseball draft.[6][7] The Oakland Athletics selected him with the sixth overall selection of the draft.[8] The club signed him to a franchise-record $5.303 million contract.[9] After signing, Beck was assigned to the rookie–level Arizona League Athletics, where he spent the whole season, posting a .211 batting average with two home runs and 28 RBI in 41 games.[10]
Beck spent the 2018 season with the Beloit Snappers of the Single–A Midwest League,[11] slashing .296/.335/.383 with two home runs and 60 RBI in 123 games[12] and earning All-Star honors.[13] He spent 2019 with the Stockton Ports of the Class A-Advanced California League.[14] Over 85 games, he batted .251/.302/.411 with eight home runs and 49 RBI.[15] Beck did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[16]
Beck returned to action in 2021, splitting the year between the High–A Lansing Lugnuts and Triple–A Las Vegas Aviators. In 77 combined games, he slashed .198/.251/.369 with 10 home runs and 39 RBI.[17] In 2022, Beck spent time with the rookie–level Arizona Complex League Athletics, Lansing, and the Double–A Midland RockHounds. In 68 games between the three affiliates, he accumulated a .250/.304/.388 with 9 home runs and 30 RBI.[18]
In 2023, Beck suffered a torn ACL in spring training and was ruled out for the entirety of the season.[19] He elected free agency following the season on November 6, 2023.[20]
Los Angeles Dodgers
editOn December 16, 2023, Beck signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.[21] He played in 65 games for the Double–A Tulsa Drillers, batting .214 with 13 home runs and 45 RBI.[17] Beck announced his retirement from professional baseball on August 6, 2024.[22]
References
edit- ^ "Austin Beck's Stock On The Rise As Torn ACL Heals - BaseballAmerica.com". 10 February 2017.
- ^ Dispatch, Mike Duprez The. "Knights keep making teams pay for Beck's intentional passes".
- ^ Journal, Kegan Lowe Winston-Salem. "Defending champs North Davidson has different look this season".
- ^ Dispatch, Mike Duprez The. "North's Beck signs with Tar Heels".
- ^ Dispatch, Jason Queen The. "Freshman outfielder is a lifelong Tar Heels fan".
- ^ Dispatch, Mike Duprez The. "Attention keeps growing for Beck".
- ^ "MLB.com 2017 Prospect Watch". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on 2021-02-06. Retrieved 2017-04-20.
- ^ Lee, Jane. "A's take prep OF Beck with No. 6 overall pick". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on June 13, 2017.
- ^ Baer, Jack (June 20, 2017). "First-rounder Beck agrees to club-record deal". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on June 20, 2017. Retrieved June 20, 2017.
- ^ "Austin Beck Stats, Highlights, Bio - MiLB.com Stats - The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". Retrieved November 4, 2017.
- ^ "Snappers' Beck plates four in three-hit game". MiLB.com.
- ^ "Austin Beck Stats, Highlights, Bio - MiLB.com Stats - The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". MiLB.com. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
- ^ "Austin Beck, former North Davidson standout, named to single-A Midwest League All-Star team".
- ^ "Beck to start season in Stockton".
- ^ "Beck working for future improvement".
- ^ "2020 Minor League Baseball season cancelled". mlb.com. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
- ^ a b "Austin Beck Stats & Scouting Report". baseballamerica.com. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
- ^ "Austin Beck - Stats - Batting". fangraphs.com. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
- ^ "Athletics' Austin Beck: Done for season with ACL tear". cbssports.com. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
- ^ "2023 MiLB Free Agents". baseballamerica.com. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
- ^ "Dodgers' Austin Beck: Gets MiLB deal from Dodgers". cbssports.com. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
- ^ Stephen, Eric (August 6, 2024). "Dalton Rushing, Alex Freeland & a busy day of Dodgers minor league transactions". SB Nation. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
External links
edit- Career statistics from MLB, or ESPN, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)