PBR Draft 100 Spotlight: Austin Beck
May 18, 2017
By Nathan Rode
National Supervisor
Scouts that went to see 2016 OF E.P. Reese (North Davidson HS, NC), who is now at North Carolina State, likely made note of his teammate as a player to follow for 2017. Unfortunately, in the state tournament last year, OF Austin Beck tore his ACL and would miss the entire summer and fall slate. Fast forward to the spring and the North Carolina recruit took the field in full health. It didn’t take long for him to catch attention and he quickly rocketed up draft boards, attracting heavy attention from teams with top 10 picks. Beck has loud tools with plusses in bat speed, foot speed, raw power and arm strength. He takes aggressive hacks at the plate and can drive the ball to the opposite field with authority. He has shown swing-and-miss tendencies and his lack of at-bats against premium arms on the showcase circuit might make teams hesitant, but he offers high upside with his toolset. Beck’s high school career came to a close this week, as T.C. Roberson HS, NC, eliminated his team in the third round of the state tournament. However, he went with a bang, going 4-for-4 with three home runs and four RBIs.
Scouting Report
4/7/17 - A handful of scouts, including a couple national crosscheckers and an assistant GM, watched him take BP on a Friday afternoon. He showed quick hands that generated bat speed and allowed the ball to cut through a stiff win that was blowing in. Most scouts left after BP for other games, but the two national crosscheckers and assistant GM remained.
3/17/17 - Intentionally walked in his first two at-bats. He walked on five pitches in his third before finally getting to swing the bat in his fourth trip. He fouled a few pitches off before smoking a single through the left side.
3/8/17 - Muscular build at 6-foot-2, 205 pounds. A right-handed hitter, he stands tall and balanced in the box with a vertical bat that works with a waggle during an aggressive stride and uses a small leg kick. The bat head creates leverage as the hands load.
06.28.16 - A consensus top player in the state of North Carolina entering his JR year, Beck led North Davidson to a State Title in 2016, but did injure his knee in the process and will be out for most of the summer. A toolsy 6-foot-1, 190 pounder that has translated his athleticism into his game. An elite OF defender that can create havoc on offense with his speed and an ability to drive balls gap to gap.