SOM Week: Beeter and Pitching!

Welcome to "SOM Week"! 4 Days of articles from my time at Somerset. Today, we discuss Clayton Beeter and the pitching!

The scoreboard message at the end of the game

(Photo: Ethan Semendinger)

Clayton Beeter (SP):

Game Statistics (9/16): 5 Innings Pitched, 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 2 Walks, 7 Strikeouts, Win!

Clayton Beeter is a new name to the New York Yankees organization, coming over from the Los Angeles Dodgers as the Yankees return from the Joey Gallo trade. His start into professional baseball began in 2020 after being selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2nd round of the MLB First Year Player Draft out of Texas Tech University. He would play his first professional games in 2021, starting in Class A+ with the Great Lakes Loons before playing his way up to the Tulsa Drillers of Double A.

In 2022, Beeter was again playing with the Tulsa Drillers before he was traded to the Yankees and assigned to the Somerset Patriots. He was a surprising player to be traded as Yankees fans had entirely given up on Joey Gallo and assumed his value was all but naught, but somehow the Yankees were able to pry a Top-10 Dodgers prospect for him. Nowadays, Beeter sits as the Yankees #9 prospect.

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When it comes to game performance, Clayton Beeter pitched a very good game.

In the first inning, he started with a lead-off walk, but was quickly greeted with a give-me out on a sacrifice bunt before notching back-to-back strikeouts.

In the second inning, Beeter worked two quick outs via a groundball and flyout before another walk preceded an inning-ending strikeout.

In the third inning, the Sea Dogs had a threat going with a double and single following a lead-off flyout. However, with two runners on, Beeter reared down, got a strikeout and then a groundout to end the threat.

The fourth inning was Beeter's best. A lead-off strikeout an inning-ending strikeout were pitched around a first pitch groundout. Easy peasy.

The fifth inning (and Beeter's last) was also good, to the point of 10 pitches being thrown to get a flyout, strikeout, and a performance-ending groundout.

Needless to say, I was very impressed by Clayton Beeter.

Tanner Myatt pitching on Friday night

(Photo: Ethan Semendinger)

The Rest of the Pitchers:

Miguel Castro: 0.1 Innings Pitched, 2 Hits, 1 Run, 1 Walk, 1 Strikeout

Carlos Espinal: 0.2 Innings Pitched, 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 Walks, 1 Strikeout

Tanner Myatt: 2.0 Innings Pitched, 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 Walks, 1 Strikeout

Steven Jennings: 1.0 Innings Pitched, 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 Walks, 2 Strikeouts

Miguel Castro is a familiar name to the Yankees, as they acquired him right before the season began in a reliever-for-reliever swap with the New York Mets (for Joely Rodriguez). Down in Somerset as part of a rehab assignment, he did not have a good game. Coming in as the first reliever, he immediately gave up a lead-off single and walked the runner into scoring position. He then was able to save face with a strikeout, but allowed the Sea Dogs to tie up the game at 1 after allowing an RBI double. That would be the end of his performance.

Carlos Espinal has been in the Yankees organization since being signed as an international free agent in 2015. Now in Double-A after a brief stint with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders (Triple A), he was tasked with getting the Patriots out of a tough situation. Which he did. A 3 pitch strikeout and an easy pop up ended the inning, the threat, and was all he was asked to do.

Tanner Myatt has been in the Yankees organization since being drafted in the 11th round of the 2018 MLB First Year Player Draft out of Florence-Darlington College. He made it up to Double A for the first time this season, getting called up about halfway during the season. During the game on Friday, he pitched a perfect 2 innings over the 7th and 8th, getting a groundout, strikeout, lineout combo in the former and a lineout, flyout, and groundball in the later.

Steven Jennings came to the Yankees this past season after 5 years in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization from 2017-2021. After the 2021 season, Jennings was unable to make his way onto the 40-Man Roster of the Pirates and was picked up by the Yankees on waivers. He had previously spent some time with the Altoona Curve in Double A and has spent the entire 2022 season with the Somerset Patriots. During the game this past Friday, Jennings pitched his way to his 5th save on the season with a strikeout to begin and end the inning around a flyout to center field.

Overall, a day at the ballpark watching the home team (as long as they are a Yankees team) allow just 1 run on 4 hits (and 3 walks) shows a fantastic effort by the pitching staff. I got very lucky.