PITTSBURGH – A competitive, Olympic-level swimmer turned baseball phenom, Seth Beer has packed more into his 19 years than most do in a lifetime. So it should come as no surprise that after turning down a chance to enter the MLB Draft as a potential first-round pick, Beer is currently paving a new path as a true freshman at Clemson, turning heads with every swing of the bat.

Through 23 games, Beer is hitting .423/.525/.936 with 11 home runs, 30 RBI and 73 total bases in 78 at-bats. His .936 slugging percentage is tops in the nation, his 11 home runs lead the ACC and while he is at or near the top in multiple statistical categories, perhaps what’s most impressive is Beer currently has more home runs (11) than strikeouts (8) this season.

“I’ve been coaching for 16 years, and I’ve coached a number of guys who have played in the big leagues, and I’ve never seen anybody hit like that,” said Clemson head coach Monte Lee. “Any time anyone says ‘Seth Beer,’ I say he’s the best freshman I’ve ever seen, and he is.

“He’s dangerous. If you throw the ball away, he’ll crush it. If you throw the ball in, he’ll crush it. If you throw a breaking ball over the plate, he’ll crush it. The guy can really, really hit.

“Every time he goes up to the plate, he’s dangerous. He’s amazing. It’s fun to watch him. I enjoy writing those four letters in the lineup every day.”

To put Beer’s production into further perspective, Clemson Athletics communications notes he has a home run every 6.9 at bats, while in Babe Ruth’s best season (1920), he had a home run every 8.5 at-bats.

While Beer’s left-handed swing has smooth and easy power, he also has amazing, elite-level adjustability. Let’s dive in and take a look at a swing we will be seeing for years to come.

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As he starts his swing Beer does a traditional load into the back leg, pushing down to create vertical force before he begins to move forward.

As Beer moves out toward the pitch he pulls his back arm back, ‘loading the punch’ like Josh Donaldson or Eric Hosmer would.

For this particular swing, as he lands and plants the heel on his front foot, Beer realizes he is early to the pitch. He combats this by ‘sitting’ into his front leg while he continues to pull his hands back (every coach saying, “Hands Back” – this is the definition of it in the clip below).

At this point Beer is still loading his front leg, but he keeps his lead shoulder closed while also still pulling back on the back arm and getting his weight into his front leg. His belt buckle is still facing the camera, so he hasn’t unloaded yet…

Until this point in the clip below – go time – where he creates elite-level separation of the hips, pelvis, trunk and upper body creating a Barry Bonds-esque position (click on clip for analysis)

The front hip is rotating the front leg outward, the back hip is rotating the back leg inward while the pelvis is also beginning to rotate. All the while the lead shoulder is staying closed with the bat behind him, over the back shoulder. At this point he could stop his swing – he still has the flexibility and could make the adjustment…

…but he finishes the swing and crushes it out to right field for a game-winning home run.

The madness isn’t just on the court! Check out this walk-off homer from @ClemsonBaseball‘s @beer_seth. #MustSeeACChttps://t.co/KGzhXqRwXe

— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) March 21, 2016

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The other thing that is truly remarkable about this swing is how Beer uses his front arm to make an adjustment to the ball.

To start the swing, Beer’s front arm is pointing down. As he starts his move toward the ball, the lead begins to rotate up – a common move among the best players in the world – allowing him to flatten the barrel and swing it up on plane.

While Beer is initiating his swing, the lead arm is still facing up and pointing in the direction of the pitcher. At this point he makes an adjustment to rotate the lead arm around in the opposite direction, ‘rolling over’ slightly – an athletic move he uses to get on plane with the pitch and a truly amazing piece of hitting by the freshman (click on clip below for analysis).

As we change the viewpoint we see the barrel of the bat is tipped straight up and down, ‘unweighting’ the bat as Beer starts his move forward. We see how he’s landed into the front leg with the heel planted and the ball not there. He sinks…sinks…sinks…and then starts his turn with the bat barrel still back behind him.

Beer opens up his front hip, the barrel gets below the path of the pitch so he can swing up allowing him to crush it out of Doug Kingsmore Stadium for the game-winning, walk off home run.

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To recap…

1. Beer starts by moving out toward the pitch, pulling his back arm back and ‘loading the punch’ like Josh Donaldson or Eric Hosmer
2. Once he lands and plants the heel on his front foot Beer realizes he is early to the pitch and adjusts by ‘sitting’ into his front leg while he continues to pull his hands back
3. Prior to contact, he still loading his front leg but he keeps his lead shoulder closed while also still pulling back on the back arm and getting his weight into his front leg.
4. At ‘go-time’, right before contact, Beer here creates elite-level separation of the hips, pelvis, trunk and upper body creating a Barry Bonds-esque position
5. Beer’s front hip is rotating the front leg outward, the back hip is rotating the back leg inward while the pelvis is also beginning to rotate. All the while the lead shoulder is staying closed with the bat behind him, over the back shoulder
6. The other thing that is truly remarkable about this swing is how Beer uses his front arm to make an adjustment to the ball. While Beer is initiating his swing, the lead arm is still facing up and pointing in the direction of the pitcher. At this point he makes an adjustment to rotate the lead arm around in the opposite direction, ‘rolling over’ slightly – an athletic move Beer uses to get on plane with the pitch, and an amazing piece of hitting by the freshman/
7. Click here to listen to full video analysis from Coach Jeff Leach

#DKBaseball

Special thanks to Coach Jeff Leach for the in-depth analysis of Seth Beer’s swing.