Less than 24 hours after Seth Beer’s Clemson career ended with a loss to Vanderbilt in the Clemson Regional, his life changed forever. This past Monday night Beer’s dreams of playing professional baseball became a reality when the Houston Astros selected Beer in the first round of the 2018 Major League Baseball Draft and funny enough, as the No. 28 pick overall.
“I think I’m still on cloud nine a little bit,” Beer told The Clemson Insider in an exclusive interview. “I’m still just super excited and I really couldn’t ask for anything greater. I’m so happy the Astros picked me to represent their organization. It feels like all of the work I’ve put in, all the extra hours I’ve stayed late, it feels like it has finally paid off.”
Beer is Clemson’s 14th first-round draft pick in history and the first Tiger to be drafted in the first round since 2012, when Richie Shaffer was selected. What made the moment even more special was that Beer watched his dreams turn into a reality while he was surrounded by his family, friends and all of his teammates.
“It was obviously right after a really, really tough loss,” Beer said. “I invited everyone but I would’ve totally understood if a bunch of guys didn’t show up. I would’ve been like, ‘Hey that’s fine. I get it. I understand.’ I would’ve had no problem with it. But all of the guys came… I’m talking about my whole team and I was shocked.
“I was shocked that the whole team showed up after such a tough loss to support me for such a big part of my life. This is a big turning point in my life so that meant a lot to me. And having my family there; they’ve sacrificed so much for me to be able to be in this situation.”
Beer knows all he has accomplished in not only his college career at Clemson, but throughout his entire life as a ball player would not have been possible without the people who mean the most to him, his mom and dad.
“My parents have done so much for me,” Beer said. “They would take me to hitting lessons every week. Being at the youngest of ages, eight, nine years old every week. My mom made it a priority to cut time out of her day to take me to hitting lessons.
“My dad is my hero. He has done so much for me and he’s always tried his best to be at every game, to be at all of the big moments of my life. He has slept in his car to make sure he could be at a game. So to really be able to celebrate with him and give him a big hug while he had tears in his eyes was the coolest experience.”
In Beer’s impressive three-year career at Clemson, he hit .321 with 56 home runs, 41 doubles, one triple, 177 RBIs and 172 runs. He became the first Tiger in history to hit 16 or more home runs in three consecutive seasons.
“I think short-term I’m just looking to do whatever I can to please the organization,” Beer said. “Just do whatever I can to take care of my body, prepare mentally for what’s ahead.
“My long-term goal is to get to the big leagues and prove to people that might be doubting me that I can do this. Work extremely hard when it comes to defense and one day be an everyday player for the Houston Astros.”
Although Beer’s time at Clemson has come to an end, he has made an impact on the entire Clemson Family that will last forever. However, Clemson has also left its own mark on Beer.
“I think the one thing that I will carry with me for the rest of my life is anytime I’m watching TV, anytime I see someone wearing a Clemson shirt, I will know that that’s my home.
“I’ll be able to look at my kids someday, look at my grandkids someday and be able to talk to them about what their dad and their grandfather did back in the day at Clemson. I can always call Clemson home.”