Royals’ Drew Beam Shows Upside, Leadership At Instructional League

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The Royals had a good idea of what they were getting with 2024 third-round righthander Drew Beam: pitchability, command and plus control. 

He had already thrown more than 100 innings in his final season for national-champion Tennessee, so the 21-year-old pitched a limited number of instructional league innings at the Royals’ Arizona complex after signing.

Because of the extreme heat in Arizona, it’s not the most desirable assignment. Beam made the most of it, showing the organization that he could also make an impact in the clubhouse and around the field. 

“We knew his makeup was good,” Royals farm director/field coordinator Mitch Maier said. “He came in and right away was a leader within the group. You could tell he played high-level baseball and had a really good understanding of what it means to be a teammate.”

Beam agreed with Maier’s assessment, especially as it applied to helping Royals high school pitchers from the 2024 draft class, namely David Shields and Kyle DeGroat

“I’ve always had a little bit of a leadership tick,” Beam said. “And just being able to take them in and kind of teach them some of the stuff that I’ve got through in college ball.” 

Beam’s stuff plays up because of his outstanding control and command, attributed to having clean mechanics and repeatable delivery, something that was drilled into him by both his high school and college coaches.

His next step is to improve his putaway pitches, especially the knuckle-curveball.

Beam learned a lot about pitching in three years in Knoxville. Thirteen other Volunteers pitchers during his time at Tennessee are currently in pro ball, nine with organizations that also train in Arizona.

Asked whether they will all continue sharing their experiences during spring training, Beam said, “I’m sure there will be times when we get out, whether it’s on the golf course or just getting a bite to eat, that we’ll catch up and talk about some experiences we’ve had and how things are going.”

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