Andy Beal

From BR Bullpen

Andrew T. Beal

Bats Left, Throws Left
Height 6' 2", Weight 185 lb.
School Vanderbilt University
Born October 31, 1978 in Paducah, KY USA

[edit] Biographical Information

Andy Beal is a former minor league baseball pitcher who played from 2000 to 2004 in the New York Yankees farm system, and in 2005 for the Atlantic City Surf.

He was originally drafted out of high school by the Baltimore Orioles in the 33rd round (1005th overall) in the 1997 draft, but he did not sign. He did sign when he was drafted by the Yankees in the fifth round (158th overall) in the 2000 draft.

His first professional season - 2000 - was very successful. In 14 games started, he went 9-3 with a 2.34 ERA. He struck out 87 batters in 92 1/3 innings while walking only 17. Not only did he lead his team in wins and strikeouts, he also led all the main starters in ERA. Beal's performance was so good in fact that he was a short season All-Star that season.

2001 was also a successful season for Beal. He spent time with both the Greensboro Bats (two games) and Tampa Yankees (17 games). Although his combined 6-5 record wasn't eye catching, his impressive 2.72 ERA was. He also struck out 78 batters in 110 1/3 innings of work while walking only 33.

Beal had a good year in 2002 - minus his Triple-A statistics. With Tampa he went 6-0 with a 2.65 ERA in 10 games started. With the Norwich Navigators, he struck out 61 in 62 2/3 innings and posted an ERA of 3.30. Between the two, he went a combined 10-5, with a 3.00 ERA and 98 strikeouts in 117 innings of work. After pitching just eight games for the Triple-A Columbus Clippers in 2002, his overall winning percentage dropped from 0.667 to 0.571 and his ERA rose from 3.00 to 3.84. In those eight games with Columbus, he posted a 2-4 record with a 6.04 ERA. His overall record was 12-9.

Like 2002, Beal performed well in 2003 - as long as he pitched below the Triple-A level. For the first time in his professional career he relieved a little in 2003, pitching in 17 games for the Trenton Thunder, starting 12 of them. He posted a 6-0 record with a 3.51 ERA and 64 strikeouts in 74 1/3 innings. After eight games in Triple-A that year however, his overall ERA rose to 4.86 and his record went from 6-0 to 7-6. While with the Clippers in 2003, Beal had a 7.45 ERA and 1-6 record. He just couldn't seem to perform well in levels any higher than Double-A.

He spent all of 2004 with the Clippers, and - predictably - he did poorly. He pitched in 28 games, starting only 12 of them, posting a record of 4-6 with an ERA of 5.29. He struck out only 50 batters in 114 innings of work. Beal went from a pitcher who averaged 8.48 strikeouts per nine innings in his rookie year to a pitcher who was averaging under four strikeouts per nine innings. His career certainly took a turn for the worst.

He was released by the Yankees in February of 2005. Pitching for the independent Atlantic City Surf that year, he appeared in five games, starting four of them. He posted an 0-3 record with a 6.26 ERA.

2005 was his final year in professional baseball.

Overall, Beal's career record was 38-32 with a 3.96 ERA. Of the 119 games he appeared in, he started 101 of them. In 613 1/3 innings of work in his career, he allowed 647 hits, walked 185 batters and struck out 444.