Tuesday’s spring training game between the 2017 National League Central Division champion Chicago Cubs and the Dodgers – the team that knocked them out of World Series contention by beating them in five games in the 2017 NLCS – started off with a bit of smugness among Dodger fans.

You see, on the mound for the Cubs was none other than the guy who, for the most part, was responsible for the 2017 World Series trophy being hoisted by the Houston Astros instead of our beloved Dodgers – former Dodgers and current Cubs right-hander Yu Darvish.

There isn’t a Dodger fan on the planet who didn’t die a hundred deaths (or more) when the 31-year-old Habikino, Japan native gave up five runs (four earned) on three hits in Game-7 of the Fall Classic, the first for the Dodgers in 29 years. Of those three hits, one was a first-inning two-run home run and another a second-inning leadoff double, both hit by Cubs outfielder George Springer; this in addition to Darvish walking one and striking out none in his dismal 1.2 innings of work. Darvish also suffered the loss in Game-3 of the World Series six days earlier.

But that smugness disappeared rather quickly on Tuesday afternoon when a noticeably leaner Yu Darvish held the Dodgers to only one run on no hits, with two walks and four strikeouts over his two innings of work. But just to remind his former teammates – and their fans – of what he is capable of, that one earned run Darvish allowed came on a wild pitch with a runner (Chris Taylor) on third base.

The Cubs would go on to amass 15 hits while the Dodgers could only garner seven in the eventual 9-5 loss.

However, on an otherwise dismal day for the Dodgers at four-year-old Sloan Park, the Cubs spring training home in Mesa, Arizona and the Cactus League’s newest ballpark, 24-year-old utility infield prospect Matt Beaty accomplished something rarely done in major league baseball – spring training or otherwise; he hit a sharp line drive into the right-center field gap to leadoff the top of the ninth inning that caromed away from both Cubs outfielders for an inside-the-park home run, to give the (many) Dodger fans on hand something to smile about on their way out of the ballpark.

“It was my first ever inside-the-park home run,” said Beaty, with a chuckle. “As I rounded second, I was looking at Woody [Dodgers third base coach Chris Woodward], wondering if I was going to have to slide at third, and then all of a sudden he was waiving me home. I just thought something must have happened in the outfield or a bad throw or something.”

Nope; just a well-placed hit, a friendly carom, and the excellent speed of Beaty, who has stolen 13 bases over his three seasons of professional baseball, all within the Dodgers organization.

Beaty’s inside-the-park home run on Tuesday afternoon was his first ever.
(Photo credit – Charley Neibergall)

For those unfamiliar with the 6′-0″ / 210-pound Snellville, Georgia native and Dodgers 12th-round draft pick in 2015 out of Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, he has moved up through the ranks rather quickly. After splitting time between the Rookie League Ogden Raptors and Low Single-A Great Lakes Loons in 2015, he spent the entire 2016 season with the Advanced Single-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, where he finished the season with an impressive triple-slash of .297 / .352 / .425 for an OPS of .778. He also slugged 11 home runs and 30 doubles for the Quakes, while driving in 88 runs.

The fact that Matt Beaty is currently in Dodgers major league spring training camp after only three seasons in the minors speaks volumes about the 24-year-old Snellville, Georgia native. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

Beaty spent the entire 2017 season with the Dodgers Double-A affiliate Tulsa Driller and again showed his prowess with the bat, posting an even more impressive .326 / .378 / .505 slash-line for an excellent .883 OPS. At Tulsa he also hit 15 home runs, 31 doubles, and one triple, with 69 RBI – good enough to earn an invitation to the prestigious Arizona Fall League this past off-season.

With his impressive résumé, it came as a surprise to no one when he received a non-roster invitation to the Dodgers 2018 major league spring training camp, where he continues to rake.

Of the Dodgers 12 spring training games thus far, Beaty has appeared in nine of them. All he has done to date is go 6-for-16 (.375) at the plate with (now) two home runs and four RBI. He has also made several stellar defensive plays while committing only one error in 21 total chances in his 36 innings played, all at first base. And although Beaty has yet to see any action at third base this spring, exactly half of his combined 276 minor league games played were split right down the middle between first base and third base.

Although it is unlikely that the extremely polite Georgia native will break spring training camp on the Dodgers Opening Day 25-man roster, there is every reason to believe that Beaty will make his major league debut at some point during the 2018 season. There is also every reason to believe that he will be among the stars of what will undoubtedly be a star-studded Oklahoma City Dodgers team in 2018.

That, you can take to the bank.