Rival GM Rooting For His Former Prospect in Dodgers’ Minor League Camp
With Dodgers minor leaguers reporting to spring training camp, one player is looking to get a fresh start after a turbulent run in the Oakland A’s organization.
Outfielder Austin Beck was billed as a five-tool prospect coming out of high school. His ability to hit, hit for power, run, and play center field led the Oakland A’s to take him sixth overall in the 2017 draft — ahead of Daulton Varsho, Bailey Ober, Clarke Schmidt, and several others who have established themselves as major league regulars.
A series of injuries from 2019-23 limited Beck to 230 games in that span. He missed all of 2023 with a torn ACL suffered in spring training. The Dodgers signed Beck to a minor league contract in December, and 2024 will mark his first season with a new organization.
Dodgers Nation recently spoke to Oakland A’s general manager David Forst about the kind of player the Dodgers are getting when Beck is healthy.
“Austin’s just had really bad luck. I saw him play in high school. I was involved in the decision to draft him. The injuries just never allowed him to sort of get to the potential we all saw. I hope for his sake that he’s healthy and gets a second chance. We certainly would root for him. There’s a lot of ability there.”.
— Oakland A’s general manager David Forst
Among the Dodgers’ top 49 prospects as ranked by FanGraphs, only two are listed as center fielders. Neither Kendall George nor Eduardo Quintero is considered an “upper level” prospect yet. Beck, if he manages to stay healthy, could move fast in a system with few impediments to his ascent.
Beck has already reached as high as Triple-A with the A’s organization in 2021, though he’ll have something to prove to get the “prospect” label again. Now 25, he’s only a year younger than the Dodgers’ starting center fielder, 26-year-old James Outman.
Forst believes a fresh start was necessary, saying the A’s didn’t explore the possibility of re-signing Beck as a free agent after last year.
“It ended up being a situation where he needed a change of scenery. Unfortunately his identity with us was so much wrapped up in the rehab and the injuries, it happens. Guys need a change of scenery.”
— Oakland A’s general manager David Forst
Beck’s new scenery? The back fields of Camelback Ranch.
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