- Full name Drew Sanders Beam
- Born 02/14/2003 in Nashville, TN
- Profile Ht.: 6'4" / Wt.: 208 / Bats: R / Throws: R
- School Tennessee
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Drafted in the 3rd round (76th overall) by the Kansas City Royals in 2024 (signed for $1,097,500).
View Draft Report
School: Tennessee
Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.4
BA Grade: 50/High
Tools: Fastball: 50. Curveball: 50. Changeup: 50. Cutter: 45. Control: 60.
Beam has been one of college baseball’s most reliable and consistent starting pitchers over the last three seasons with Tennessee. He owns a 3.54 ERA through 48 starts and 249 innings with a 22% strikeout rate and 6.4% walk rate. Beam entered the Volunteers’ rotation on day one and never looked back, with only one outing in his career coming out of the bullpen. He has a lean 6-foot-4, 204-pound pitcher’s frame and advanced feel to land a deep pitch mix. Beam throws a four-seam fastball and two-seamer, both of which sit around 94 mph and will get up to 97-98 at peak. Neither fastball variety has been a huge bat-missing pitch. His go-to breaking ball is a low-80s curveball that often has slurve-like shape, and he’ll also throw a reliable mid-80s changeup that he has above-average feel to land for strikes. Beam will also flash a harder cutter in the upper 80s that he uses more often against righthanded hitters. Beam’s command is probably his best tool. He has always thrown quality strikes and helped himself by getting ahead in counts. He’s one of the best strike-throwers in the class and is a safe bet to be a big league starter in some capacity, though his upside is more limited until he figures out a secondary pitch that can help him miss more bats. He could sneak into the back of the first round or fit as a solid second-round talent.
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
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BA Grade/Risk: 50/High.
Track Record: Beam spent three years in the starting rotation at Tennessee, sharing time with multiple high draft picks. Projected as a possible first round pick in 2024, Beam was selected by the Royals in the third round and signed for $1,097,500. Because he had already thrown 102 innings for the Volunteers, Beam was not assigned to one of the Royals’ affiliates, instead taking a regular turn in September during the bridge league.
Scouting Report: An effective strike-thrower, Beam’s four-pitch mix plays up because of plus control. His walk rates were consistently strong throughout his college career, with a 6.5% career walk rate, and he showed the same command and control on the Arizona backfields. He uses both two-seam and four-seam fastballs, sitting 92-97 mph. His go-to breaking ball is a 79-83 mph curveball that at times has slurve-like movement. A touch more velocity with the pitch would make it more effective. Beam has feel for the 86-89 mph changeup with fade and sink, consistently landing it for strikes with easy arm action. He also flashed a hard cutter in the upper 80s in college, used more often against righthanded hitters. He repeats his high three-quarters delivery.
The Future: Beam is advanced enough that he’ll likely begin his professional career at High-A Quad Cities. He has a No. 4 starter profile with a high floor, but developing one of his secondaries into a swing-and-miss pitch could boost him to a midrotation role.
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 50 | Curveball: 50 | Changeup: 50 | Cutter: 45 | Control: 60.
Draft Prospects
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School: Tennessee Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.4
BA Grade: 50/High
Tools: Fastball: 50. Slider: -. Curveball: 50. Changeup: 50. Control: 60.
Beam has been one of college baseball’s most reliable and consistent starting pitchers over the last three seasons with Tennessee. He owns a 3.54 ERA through 48 starts and 249 innings with a 22% strikeout rate and 6.4% walk rate. Beam entered the Volunteers’ rotation on day one and never looked back, with only one outing in his career coming out of the bullpen. He has a lean 6-foot-4, 204-pound pitcher’s frame and advanced feel to land a deep pitch mix. Beam throws a four-seam fastball and two-seamer, both of which sit around 94 mph and will get up to 97-98 at peak. Neither fastball variety has been a huge bat-missing pitch. His go-to breaking ball is a low-80s curveball that often has slurve-like shape, and he’ll also throw a reliable mid-80s changeup that he has above-average feel to land for strikes. Beam will also flash a harder cutter in the upper 80s that he uses more often against righthanded hitters. Beam’s command is probably his best tool. He has always thrown quality strikes and helped himself by getting ahead in counts. He’s one of the best strike-throwers in the class and is a safe bet to be a big league starter in some capacity, though his upside is more limited until he figures out a secondary pitch that can help him miss more bats. He could sneak into the back of the first round or fit as a solid second-round talent.
Career Transactions
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- RHP Drew Beam assigned to Tennessee Volunteers.