Dodgers draft pitcher with hilariously ironic name

The MLB Draft is full of great names, but the Dodgers won that battle on Thursday night.

He’s no Seth Beer, but the Los Angeles Dodgers managed to draft one of the best names in Thursday’s showcase, if only because of the irony involved. Were Clayton Beeter selected by literally any other team, this would not be a story. But this is how sports works, and the Dodgers did all of us — and perhaps themselves — a favor by adding Beeter to their farm system, assuming he signs with the ball club.

By taking Beeter off the market, the Dodgers have ridded us the chance of an all-time pitching matchup between Clayton Kershaw and a man who was literally born to defeat him.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have drafted Clayton Beeter.

The pick used to select Beeter was acquired by the Dodgers in the trade that sent Kenta Maeda to the Minnesota Twins this past winter. Beeter is a right-handed pitcher from Texas Tech who just notched a 2-1 record paired with a 2.14 ERA and .810 WHIP last season. This, of course, was prior to his shutdown year in 2020 thanks to COVID-19.

Such a selection has obvious potential beyond just name recognition, but it’s all we have at this juncture to celebrate the beginning of Beeter’s career. Kershaw, meanwhile, should embrace the fact that the Dodgers kept him off a sure meme for now.

Kershaw’s stunning career numbers provide Beeter, and all incoming pitchers for that matter, something to aspire to. Assuming Beeter isn’t disguised as a postseason start, he and Kershaw should get along just fine, as the former projects as a reliever at the next level.

The Dodgers have emphasized pitching in the 2020 MLB Draft class, as they selected Bobby Miller, Landon Knack and Beeter with their first three picks. Considering their ability to develop young pitching, we like Beeter’s chances of eventually making a major league impact.

Next: 2020 MLB Draft: Complete first-round results

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