On Friday, August 18th, the Dodgers made a trade to acquire outfielder Curtis Granderson from the Mets. When the trade occurred, it was announced that Granderson had been acquired for a player to be named later and on August 20th that player was announced to be the Dodgers number 28 overall prospect, Jacob Rhame. Because of this move, Tulsa Drillers third baseman Matt Beaty was moved into the top 30 prospects in the Dodgers organization. The spot on the list could not have gone to a more deserving player both on and off the field. Matt was generous enough to spend some time talking about his journey through the sport. So, with him now in the top 30 organization prospects, there has never been a better time to meet Matt Beaty.

The love for the game of baseball has long been in the blood of 24-year-old, Snellville, Georgia native Matt Beaty. Matt, like many other professionals, started playing the game at a very young age. For Beaty, it was at just four years old when he first fell in love with the sport and joined an organized league. Although it was very early in his career, Matt knew that baseball would always be his game from the moment he started.

“My Dad had a love for the game and he bought me a ball, bat, and glove and I’ve loved it ever since,” Beaty recalls fondly.

As he began to get older, so too did his passion for the game. By the time he was seven, Beaty was going to major league games at Turner Field to watch Chipper Jones and the Braves play. Seeing guys like Jones caused him to dream.

“I wanted to play on a field like this one, one day,” said Beaty.

Sure enough, a few years later his dreams would start to become a reality. He played high school ball at Dresden High School in Dresden, Tennessee. It was here that he began to realize that his dream of playing baseball professionally was becoming a serious matter. While in high school Matt began to see a future for himself in the game.

“Scouts were coming to games and being invited to workouts,” Beaty said.

Beaty’s hard work paid off when he was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 48th round of the 2011 MLB First-Year Player Draft after his senior year in high school.

He did not sign.

Unlike other sports, baseball gives young athletes the opportunity to forgo college and begin their professional careers right out of high school. For many, this is the path they choose because they think that getting an early start to their professional careers will get them to the major leagues faster. Others, however, elect to go to college – usually through scholarships – not only to continue developing their game but also to further their education in a sport where, in Beaty’s words, “there are no guarantees,” and “your next game could be your last, so you need a backup plan.”

Instead of signing with the Royals, Matt agreed to play baseball at Belmont University, a medium-sized Division I school in Nashville, Tennessee. In college Matt not only learned a lot about the game and fine-tuned his skills, but also graduated with a degree in business.

In 2015, Matt was drafted in the 12th round by the Dodgers out of Belmont University, after which he played in both Ogden for the Raptors and in Great Lakes for the Loons. In that year, Matt hit a combined .314.

Beaty began the 2016 season at Rancho Cucamonga with the Advanced Single-A Quakes and continued tormenting opposing pitching by hitting .297 with 88 RBI’s.

This year has been another chapter in the hot bat of Matt Beaty, as he’s currently hitting .324 with 61 RBI’s and has a strong OPS of .894. He credits his success to his coaches and to some adjustments he has made along the way.

“I made some minor mechanical adjustments,” Beaty said. “The coaching that I’m getting – we have some of the best coaching – and being able to talk to them is great.”

Beaty was named the Texas League Player of the Week on August 6, 2017.
(Photo credit – Rich Crimi)

With several personnel moves over the past several weeks, Beaty has moved into the top-30 on the Dodgers prospect list. However, I can assure you that this will not be the last recognition that the young third baseman is going to receive. His stellar defense and excellent approach at the plate will undoubtedly propel him through the minor leagues quickly. But perhaps of even greater importance is that in addition to what he does between the lines, Matt is genuinely a great guy who can tell you a thing or two about business off the field.

Dodger fans might want to keep a close eye on Beaty because he is just getting started.

Sound business advice if ever there were any.