Former big leaguers Seth Beer and Mark Mathias signed with the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League this week. The team announced both signings.
Beer, 28, was a first-round pick by the 2018 Astros who wound up being one of four players traded to the D-backs in the last-minute deadline blockbuster that brought Zack Greinke to Houston in 2019. The first baseman/designated hitter appeared in parts of two seasons with Arizona, hitting a combined .208/.294/.292 in a small sample of 136 plate appearances from 2021-22.
Though Beer hasn’t found much success in the big leagues, he’s a fairly accomplished hitter in Triple-A, where he’s slashed .262/.365/.463 with 40 homers across 1093 plate appearances in parts of four seasons. He’s walked at an above-average 9.3% clip there and has kept his strikeouts to a manageable 18.8% rate. The lefty-swinging slugger spent the 2024 season in the Pirates system, where he hit .277/.354/.431 in a combined 99 games between Double-A and Triple-A.
Mathias, 30, has a good bit more major league service time under his belt — more than two years’ worth — but much of it has been spent on the injured list. He’s suited up for the Brewers, Pirates, Rangers and Giants in a utility capacity, hitting a combined .246/.317/.391 in 199 plate appearances spread over 73 games. Injuries have been a major detriment to the former third-round pick’s career. He’s undergone two shoulder surgeries: one in college and another in 2021 to repair a torn labrum. That second procedure cost him the entire 2021 season.
As with Beer, Mathias has a strong Triple-A track record but more modest big league numbers in scattershot playing time. He’s a .288/.383/.454 hitter in three Triple-A campaigns, during which he’s tallied 919 plate appearances. Mathias has walked in an impressive 12.8% of his Triple-A plate appearances against a 21.5% strikeout rate. He’s spent the bulk of his pro career at second base but has more than 1000 innings of work at third base in 200-plus innings at shortstop and in the outfield corners.
Real who’s-who of ex top prospects with the Ducks this year.
Seth Beer is lager than life…
Seth beer plays in a beer league
The Long Island Ducks will have BEER !!
Mathias was never what he was QUACKED up to be !!
Ducks on the pond!
That baseball phrase hits hard for the Ducks!
If you got the time, we got the Beer
Beer’s numbers aren’t that great in AAA – you have to remember that Arizona is in the PCL that inflates hitter’s numbers. he underperformed at the major league level but not by much, someone with a .268 in the PCL you are probably looking at an expected .210 or so
Yes. Also even for PCL Standards that Arizona park is an extreme hitters park. Beer has shown decent plate discipline stats for for a DH he simply doesn’t hit the ball hard enough. He had one year with a 110 max ev but the other years it was like 107-108. That is not enough, typically good 1b types are above 112 or so.
In college he was a very big prospect but I think his power was more feel to hit and good natural lift combined with metal bats than real DH/1b type of power.
I was there when Seth hit a walkoff piss missile on AZ’s opening day in 2022. I believe it was National Beer Day as well.
it was national beer day
Does anyone else actually play in the league? The only team I ever see referenced is long Island.
The Ducks get more of the high profile players than any other team in the league, but they’ve had many real names over the years. I worked for the (now defunct) Bridgeport Bluefish back when they had Juan Gonzalez and John Rocker, for example!
They’re on a 6 game losing streak so they need the help.
Wow Josh James on that team too. Didn’t realize he fell that far. Surprised no one has picked him up .
Seth Beer League…
I told them I thought that idea was a little daffy, but they did it anyway.
“Hooray, Beer!”
He’s on tap.