Former A's Top Prospect Signs with Los Angeles Dodgers

Oakland A's former number six overall pick is headed to the Los Angeles Dodgers

Austin Beck has announced that he has signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Beck, 25 was a the first-round selection, sixth overall, in the 2017 Draft out of North Davidson High School. 

New beginnings…

Excited for this opportunity and I can’t thank the Dodgers enough. 🙏🏼 Let’s get started! pic.twitter.com/I0Rt3tAyV9

— Austin Beck (@austinbeck222) December 16, 2023

Beck struggled in 2021 after the 2020 minor league season was canceled due to COVID, batting .198 with a .251 on-base between High-A Lansing and Triple-A Las Vegas. Most of the year was spent with Lansing, where he played in 69 games, hit seven homers, and struck out at a 33.8% clip. 

He rebounded nicely in 2022, batting .247 with a .311 OBP across 43 games in Lansing before being promoted to Midland, where he hit .230 with a .250 OBP in 21 games as a 23-year-old. His strikeout rate in Lansing also dropped to 21.6%, which had some people hopeful for his 2023 campaign.

Unfortunately, he tore his ACL and missed the entirety of the 2023 campaign. J.P. Hoornstra of Dodgers Nation reported that L.A.'s director of player development Will Rhymes expects Beck to participate in spring training. 

It will be interesting to see where Beck ends up starting the 2024 campaign in the Dodgers' system given his injury a year ago. They could have him start in High-A to get his feet under him before moving up to Double-A once he gets going. They could also start him off in A Ball with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes to get him hot before moving him up, too. 

While he isn't necessarily ready to challenge for a big-league role just yet, Beck is a former sixth overall pick, which means he has talent. The Los Angeles Dodgers signing him means they see something in him that they think they can unlock. With their resources, this could be the big boost he needs to finally realize his dream of becoming a Major Leaguer.