Matt Beaty

Matthew Thomas Beaty

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 215 lb.
• School Belmont University
• High School Dresden High School
• Debut April 30, 2019

• Born April 28, 1993 in Snellville, GA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

''MLB had never seen back-to-back rookie walk-off home runs until Saturday, and now the Dodgers have three." - Ken Gurnick, writing for MLB.com, June 23, 2019, about the first time that rookies, of which Beaty was one, did back-to-back-to-back walk-off home runs

Matt Beaty broke into the majors in 2019 with the Los Angeles Dodgers. After a 2018 season in the minors where he played relatively little due to injuries, he started well in 2019 with the Oklahoma City Dodgers and was brought up to the big leagues in late April, sent down, brought back and became part of the rookie threesome (with Will Smith and Alex Verdugo) who hit walk-off home runs in consecutive games. His was the first of the three hit on June 21. Matt was able to get into 99 games in his rookie season, in part because of injuries to regulars, but also because he did well as a pinch-hitter for the Dodgers. His season would have been even better, but he went into a slump in September, when he hit just .222. He finished at .265 with 9 homers and 46 RBI, then went 3 for 8 in the Dodgers' upset loss to the Washington Nationals in the Division Series.

In 2020, the National League used the DH rather than letting pitchers hit, so Beaty's services as a pinch-hitter were needed less. He got spotty playing time and was sent down in September. In all, he appeared in 21 games, hitting .220 with 2 homers and 5 RBIs in 50 at-bats. However, he was added to the team for the post-season, although he was used sparingly: he had just 3 plate appearances as the Dodgers won a World Series title for the first time since 1988, and they all came in the NLCS against the Atlanta Braves. Interestingly, the three plate appearances did not result in any at-bats, as he walked one, and was hit by a pitch twice for a perfect 1.000 OBP. He saw a lot more action in 2021, as he appeared in 120 games and hit .270 with 7 homers and 40 RBIs, for an OPS+ of 107. He only had 204 at-bats in spite of all the games, as 62 of them were as a pinch-hitter and another 2 as a pinch-runner. He had 20 starts in left firld, 16 at first base and 9 in right field. He then went 1 for 11 in the postseason, his lone hit being an RBI single as a pinch-hitter in Game 2 of the Division Series in a 9-2 win over the San Francisco Giants.

Heading into 2022, the National League adopted the universal DH, which should in theory have opened up some playing time for him, but then the Dodgers immediately signed 1B Freddie Freeman to a large free agent deal. With Max Muncy still around, it meant that there was still no starting job for Matt, and that if he made the team it would again be as a pinch-hitter - with the need for such greatly diminished by the adoption of the DH - and occsional back-up in the outfield. The numbers did not work for him: on March 23rd, he was designated for assignment, but on March 28th, the Dodgers swung a rare trade with division rivals the San Diego Padres, sending him south in return for minor league P River Ryan. Contrary to the Dodgers, the Padres had a need for an extra outfielder and bench player.

Beaty is the first non-pitcher from Belmont University to make the major leagues. Through 2019, he is the first major leaguer named Beaty. Players with similar names include Desmond Beatty, Blaine Beatty and Jim Beattie.

Notable Achievements

• Won one World Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020 (he did not play in the World Series)

Further Reading

• AJ Cassavell: "Padres trade for versatile Beaty from Dodgers", mlb.com, March 28, 2022. [1]
• Shanthi Sepe-Chepuru: "Tat's all, folks! Dodgers fan gets Beaty ink, Beaty gets dealt", mlb.com, March 29, 2022. [2]

Related Sites

• Matt Beaty on mlb.com