Seth Beer Captures Carolina League Weekly Crown
Polishing off a whirlwind week featuring a brand-new stadium, a doubleheader sweep, and four separate one-run games, Fayetteville outfielder Seth Beer placed a cap on the second week of the 2019 season by walking away with the Carolina League's Player of the Week honors. The first-round draft pick in last
Polishing off a whirlwind week featuring a brand-new stadium, a doubleheader sweep, and four separate one-run games, Fayetteville outfielder
As Fayetteville spent the entire week facing South Division foe Carolina, Seth finally broke through for his first home run of the season. After each of the first twelve base hits for Seth on the season only earned one bag, the lefty finally got a comfortable piece of a pitch from Bowden Francis and launched a two-run home run over the 23-foot wall at Five County Stadium in Zebulon. The homer was Seth's only hit of that game, but the pair of RBI was more than enough for the Woodpeckers as they took the game 6-1.
On Tuesday, Seth opened his repertoire and found key alleys in Zebulon, slicing doubles through the Mudcats outfield in route to a 3-for-5 day with another two RBI and a run scored. Unfortunately, Seth's offense came at a quiet time for the Fayetteville offense, and he found himself stranded twice, only scoring in a ninth-inning rally that just fell short as the Mudcats took the second game of the week, 7-6.
Resting on Wednesday's series finale in Zebulon, Seth was back to work on the 18th for the Grand Opening of Segra Stadium, Seth went yard again. In the bottom of the fourth inning, Seth hit his second bomb of the week into the left field bullpens for the first Woodpeckers home run in stadium history. It was his seventh consecutive game with a hit, the second longest by a Woodpecker this season. On the day, Seth only went 1-for-4 with his solo homer, and the day was eventually spoiled by Tristen Lutz of Carolina, who hit a two-run home run in the top of the ninth to take the game for the Mudcats, 7-5.
Following Friday's foul weather, Seth put up his only goose egg of the week, going 0-for-3 with a strikeout in the afternoon matchup of the doubleheader. In the evening matchup, however, Beer was back to business, collecting his second three-hit game of the week, going 3-for-3. Reaching on an infield single and scoring in a four-run first inning for Fayetteville, Beer hit the ball far from the infield in his next at-bat, launching a two-run home run to straight away center field in the second inning. Adding a leadoff double in the fifth inning to finish the perfect performance at the plate to help Fayetteville to the 6-3 win.
Wrapping up on Easter Sunday, Seth was glad to start that hit-streak anew when he laced a one-out single to right field in the third inning, eventually coming home to score. That hit was the only one he would have in the game, however, as the Fayetteville offense was stagnated across the full nine, stranding 10 runners, and eventually falling 6-5.
The top prospect out of nearby Clemson wasted no time on making his mark in 2018 after being drafted in the first round, slugging a home run in only his second career at-bat with Short Season Tri-City, and being promoted to Single-A Quad Cities after only 11 games, and to the former Buies Creek Astros after only 40 total games. Over his final 19 games of 2018, Beer hit five home runs and drove in 18 runs overall, eventually adding another bomb and four more RBI in Buies Creeks' victorious postseason run.
On the week, the Woodpeckers went an even 3-3 in the games in which Seth played and find themselves tied for second place with the same Mudcats in the Carolina League's South Division. With a well-earned day of rest on Monday, Fayetteville sets for their second matchup with the Frederick Keys this season after sweeping the Orioles affiliate in Maryland earlier this month. The three-game series will open on Tuesday, with the first pitch coming across at 7:00PM.