Dylan Beavers was one of the best players in the PAC-12. Beavers is a strong, 6’4″ outfielder who earned high marks for his hit tool and raw power. This spring, he hit .291/.427/.634 for the Cal Golden Bears. He led the Pac-12 with 18 home runs in 2021 and 17 in 2022. Beavers was the recipient of two All Pac-12 First Team Honors in his college career and was named to Baseball America’s 2022 College Preseason All-American Second Team. Three other Cal players- Josh White, Steven Zobac and Nathan Martorella could be taken in the first few rounds of the MLB Draft. But, Beavers has the upside over his teammates to be selected on the first day.
Scouting Grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 55 | Run: 55 | Arm: 55 | Field: 50 | Overall: 50
Strengths
Beavers has five-tool potential as he showed off his skillsets in 2022. His hit grade is 10 marks lower than his power and run grades, which are 55/80. Altogether, Beavers has good bat speed and is athletic enough to play center field. He can expand the zone when locked in, as he’s an aggressive hitter who looks to do much damage. Plus, there’s speed to Beavers game as he comes with instincts on the base paths. His good instincts increased his walk rate from 12.7 percent to 18.8 percent, leading to a .426 OBP. He managed to decrease his strikeout rate from 21 percent to 19.9 percent; it’s not much of a decrease but a good improvement. Scouts believe he should grow into a player with plus-power as he bucks up. Beavers firm grasp of the strike zone resulted in better swing rates, yet he should be more aggressive at times.
Weaknesses
There are aspects of Beavers swing that need improvement. Firstly, scouts are concerned over his struggles with the breaking ball in 2022. Secondly, Beavers has an unorthodox swing path which leads to many swings and misses. For instance, at the start of his swing, Beavers makes a sharp move down and slightly back when he begins his swing. It gets him into trouble with breaking balls and a lot of groundballs due to his hands moving upwards, and he gets on top of the ball. It was prevalent in the Cape Cod League as he faced tougher pitching, and breaking balls continued to haunt him. Beavers should simplify the movement in the upper half of his body. If he can work around his swing issue, he has great upside, courtesy of his speed and pitch recognition.
MLB Player Comparison
Dylan Beavers batting style resembles Christian Yelich of the Milwaukee Brewers and Kyle Tucker of the Houston Astros. However, during the spring of 2022, scouts felt Beavers was reminiscent of Yelich, a left-handed hitter who can make excellent swing decisions and hard contact in the strike zone. Yelich has been successful at the major league level, winning NL MVP honors with two All-Star appearances and three Silver Slugger awards. When Beavers performs at his best, whether at the plate on the field, he’s comparable to Yelich at those times.
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Players Mentioned:
Dylan Beavers, Josh White, Steven Zobac, Nathan Martorella, Christian Yelich, Kyle Tucker
