An electric start fell flat for former Clemson baseball player Seth Beer.
The 2022 season began magically for former Clemson baseball player Seth Beer as he not only made the Arizona Diamondbacks out of spring training, but he smashed a game winning walk off home run on opening day.
YOU CAN'T WRITE IT BETTER THAN THIS!
— Bally Sports Arizona (@BALLYSPORTSAZ) April 8, 2022
SETH BEER ON NATIONAL BEER DAY!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/gczHELZ8MM
Beer’s hot streak continued and he found himself hitting .385 after 13 games, one of the few Diamondbacks in the lineup providing any punch.
Then it all fell apart as Beer hit a horrendous slump that saw him go into a 2 for 42 slump with 0 extra base hits and found himself batting .210 on May 15, which led to his demotion to AAA Reno.
Arizona manager Torey Lovullo believed Beer was just going through a bad streak and would be back in the big leagues, helping the Diamondbacks rebuild.
"“He had been going through a very grinding streak, we all know what it was,” Lovullo said Sunday. “He was carrying us for the first several games of the year offensively and did a really nice job of attacking pitches. He started to expand the zone a little bit. And when you expand the zone, as a young player, you start to chase pitches, and it starts to add up on you.”"
The theory was send him down, let him play regularly, find his swing and work his way back to the big leagues.
That theory hasn’t worked out as intended as Beer was hitting .200 in 120 at bats since his demotion, with 5 home runs and 23 RBI prior to Sunday.
Beer apparently found his stroke, going 4 for 4 with a home run, 4 RBI and 7 total bases in the Aces 12-11 loss.
Beer’s teammates and manager love him and expect him to return to The Show
Beer’s replacements in Arizona haven’t exactly torn the cover off the ball, but it’s difficult to imagine Beer being recalled unless his swing improves in Reno.
The calendar flips to July soon and the baseball season is flying by. A season that many thought would be Beer’s coming out party, or at least his opportunity to prove he belonged in The Show.
His teammates continue to pull for him, believing he’s a major league hitter and a great teammate.
Beer just needs to prove it.