Phillies Sign Former First-Round Pick, Collegiate Standout To Contract

Organizational depth is important during a long 162-game Major League Baseball schedule, and the Philadelphia Phillies were able to add a talented piece to the mix.

Per Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors, the Phillies have signed former 2018 first-round pick Seth Beer to a minor league deal and assigned him to Double-A Reading.

Normally players with the type of pedigree that Beer has don't find themselves at that affiliate level, especially considering he has played 43 games in The Show. However, after not getting signed by a Major League franchise this past offseason, he was playing for the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, so this is an opportunity for him to get back in the mix when it comes to the MLB.

Beer was a standout during his time at Clemson, becoming the first freshman to win the Dick Howser Trophy given to the national college player of the year.

He was selected 28th overall by the Houston Astros, and after looking like a future star during his minor league tenure, he was shipped to the Arizona Diamondbacks as part of the Zack Greinke trade package.

Beer made his Major League debut in 2021 with the Diamondbacks, getting into five games where he hit a home and drove in three runs.

The slugging first baseman made the Opening Day roster in 2022 and hit a three-run walk-off homer on Opening Day. But he was later optioned to Triple-A and finished that campaign with 38 games under his belt.

His time with Arizona ended after the Pittsburgh Pirates selected him in the 2023 Rule 5 draft. However, he never was called up to the Majors and later elected free agency.

Beer is an interesting addition for Philadelphia.

While his sample size at the MLB level is small, he has showcased his ability to hit throughout his minor league career, hitting 10-plus homers in all six seasons on the farm while owning a .278/.376/.474 slash line.

How he performs at Double-A Reading to start his Phillies tenure will be interesting to monitor.

If he has a good showing there, then he could be promoted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley and be one call away from reaching the Majors again.

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