Diamondbacks 2022 Season Player Reviews: Seth Beer

A huge opening day moment for Beer was not enough to sustain him throughout the season

© Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Status: Pre-Arb 1, League Minimum

Games	PA	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+	HR	RBI	WAR
38	126	.189	.278	.243	.521	51	1	9	-0.9

2022 Diamondbacks Season Reviews

Season Review

Seth Beer was a first round pick out of Clemson University by the Houston Astros in 2018. He moved through that organization quickly, slugging his way to AA in just a season and a half. He smashed 25 homers in 352 PA while hitting well over .300 and posting over a .400 OBP through July of 2019. 

When the Diamondbacks traded Zack Greinke to the Astros on July 31st, 2019, Beer was part of the apparent haul they got in return, along with Corbin Martin, Josh Rojas, and J.B. Bukauskas. But Beer struggled in AA with his new club, batting just .205 with one homer in 101 PA. Sent to the Arizona Fall League in October, he managed to hit .315 in that hitters league, but knocked just one homer in 80 PA. 

Beer made his major league debut in September of 2021 and went four for nine, but injured his shoulder diving for a ball, requiring season ending surgery. Invited to spring training at the start of 2022, he made the opening day roster on the strength of a .367 batting average, going 11-30 with four doubles and a homer. Fans were excited to see their new DH and many reveled in the chance to buy a Beer jersey. 

On Opening Day, which incredibly happened to also be National Beer Day, the rookie came to bat in the bottom of the ninth inning with his team trailing 2-1. In the stuff of fairy tales, this happened:

Cheers to an Opening Day win!

Seth Beer walks it off for the #Dbacks. pic.twitter.com/Zo7eAP3DCU

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) April 8, 2022

The storybook walk-off homer moment was followed by a solid 10 games. Through April 20th Beer was batting .438, having gone 14-32. He hadn't homered again, but had three doubles and eight RBI. Then the opposing teams started to find the holes in his swing. They quickly figured out not to throw it into his down and in nitro zone. Beer began to chase outside, frequently rolling over the ball on the ground, or missing altogether on pitches at the top of the zone.

Between April 21st and May 14th he went 3-49, which included an 0-34 hitless streak. He scored one run and drove in one run during that slump. Despite the Opening Day heroics and the early hot streak, the team had seen enough and demoted him to AAA Reno. Over the next two and a half months he managed to hit 12 homers while batting .249 and posting a .860 OPS. He was finally recalled on August 1st, given another shot at the majors. 

Unfortunately he was not able to capitalize on the opportunity. Playing 11 games in 16 days, he went just 4-30 with no extra base hits, no runs scored and no RBI. Sent back to AAA at the end of that stretch, he was not recalled when rosters expanded September 1st. 

The Opening Day homer would prove to be the only MLB homer he would hit in 2022. His park and league adjusted numbers at Reno were just merely average for that run environment, (101 wRC+). For a season that began so well, it was a long, frustrating down hill ride from there. 

2023 Season Outlook

Beer does not appear to be part of the Diamondbacks future. While a resurgence cannot be ruled out of course, he's already 26 years old and other prospects in the system have passed him by. Should the team decide not to remove him from the 40 man roster that would be an indication they plan to give him another chance. But his roster spot is in jeopardy as there are other prospects who will need to be protected from the Rule 5 Draft.