Yankees Prospect Clayton Beeter Shines in Organizational Debut

New York acquired Beeter in the Joey Gallo trade.

The Joey Gallo trade looked like a pretty good one for the Yankees and Dodgers on Wednesday night.

Gallo, after struggling with New York for a year, hit his first home run for Los Angeles, a pinch-hit, three-run shot. Meanwhile, the prospect the Yankees acquired for Gallo had an encouraging organizational debut.

Clayton Beeter, a 23-year-old right-hander, made his first start since the Aug. 2 trade for the Somerset Patriots, New York’s Double-A affiliate. The outing went well, as Beeter threw three innings against the Hartford Yard Goats without allowing a run or a hit. He also struck out six while walking one batter.

Beeter’s fastball sat in the mid-90s, per My Central Jersey’s Mike Ashmore.

Thanks, Dodgers!

An absolute 💎 from Clayton Beeter in his Yankees debut: 3️⃣IP | 0️⃣R | 0️⃣H | 6️⃣ K pic.twitter.com/utw1aB6Hja

— Somerset Patriots (@SOMPatriots) August 11, 2022

“I’m real happy with it,” Beeter told reporters after the 9-0 win, per Ashmore. “We put up a lot of runs today, which is really cool to see. This team’s really good, so I’m happy and excited for the rest of the season.”

Beeter, the Yankees’ 10th best prospect, per MLB.com, had not pitched since July 29 and was limited to 37 pitches. He did not throw more than 69 pitches in a game for the Dodgers organization this season, but he’s hoping to go deeper now that he’s a Yankee.

“I’m actually really excited about that,” Beeter said. “I hope it starts building up soon, because I’ve been looking forward to that for a while.”

If Wednesday was any indication, Beeter’s change of scenery could benefit him.

The Texas native – who grew up watching Gallo as a Rangers fan – struggled with Tulsa, the Dodgers’ Double-A club, earlier this season. There he recorded a 5.75 ERA over 51.2 innings.

Beeter showed more promise last year, registering a 3.13 ERA at High-A Great Lakes before a promotion saw him tally a 4.20 ERA at Double-A.

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