Remember the Los Angeles Dodgers player they used in the trade to acquire River Ryan from the San Diego Padres in 2022? It was utility man Matt Beaty. While the Padres may still regret giving up Ryan, Beaty made an impressive start with the Dodgers. However, despite being part of the Dodgers’ 2020 World Series-winning squad, Beaty couldn’t sustain that momentum.
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He played his last MLB game in 2023, and although he was far from the bright lights of the majors afterward, Beaty continued playing in the minor leagues. That final chapter in professional baseball has now come to an end, as the former Dodgers slugger announced his retirement at 33.
“I believe it’s time to finally officially announce that I’m entering the next chapter of my life,” Beaty wrote via Instagram. “It’s been almost two years since my last at-bat in baseball. The time since then has been filled with questions and back-and-forth. Should I keep playing? Is there another opportunity out there? Or is it finally time to close this chapter?… Deep down, I think I knew my last game was my last game. I just held onto the hope that it wouldn’t be.”
The Dodgers picked Beaty in the 12th round of the 2015 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut in 2019, and his rookie season was as dominant as it gets. He slashed .265/.317/.458 with nine homers and 46 RBIs across 268 appearances. The best part about Beaty was that, apart from being a left-handed slugger, he could play multiple defensive positions, even without being an elite defender. That was enough for him to emerge as a versatile player for the Dodgers.
One of his best offensive performances came in 2019, when he hit a two-run walk-off home run against the Rockies. However, his momentum went downhill during the COVID-affected 2020 season. He played 13 games as the first baseman, two in left field, and five as a designated hitter. Despite such a versatile showing, he could slash only .220, forcing the Dodgers to option him to their alternate training site for the rest of the 2020 regular season.
In 2021, he played 120 games for the Dodgers at .270 but had only one hit from 11 at-bats in the playoffs. The Dodgers traded him to the Padres in exchange for Ryan the next year.
Between 2022 and 2024, Beaty played for the Padres, Giants, and Royals. He had his last MLB appearance with the Royals. The D-Backs signed him to the Amarillo Sod Poodles of the Texas League, which lasted for 53 games before he was released.
While Beaty’s MLB numbers may not be MVP-caliber, his college career at Belmont University was a different story. To this day, Beaty ranks among Belmont Baseball’s top 10 in career hits, doubles, triples, home runs, at-bats, RBIs, on-base percentage, and walks.
“I think about Belmont University and the trust they had in me as a freshman. Growing as a player, winning the Atlantic Sun Tournament, and playing in an LSU Regional,” Beaty recalled the same in his retirement announcement.
As another baseball player leaves the diamond, we wish him luck in the next chapter of his life and hope to see him back in the game in a different role.