When it comes to becoming a professional athlete, baseball can be tricky.
Many prospects take their raw talents into the minor leagues straight out of high school. Others postpone the option of pro ball to play in college, where players must stay for at least three seasons before being eligible to be drafted again by a major league club.
It is a process vastly different than those of football and basketball.
Former Jefferson High pitching standout Chris Beck had the opportunity to play professionally after he graduated from in 2009, but decided to prolong the move by accepting a scholarship to play for Georgia Southern University.
With a strong build and high potential coming out of high school, Beck was drafted in the 35th round (1,055 overall pick) by the Cleveland Indians. After two seasons at Georgia Southern, the 6-3, 220 pound right-hander was listed as the No. 8 prospect in the nation by MLB.com recently.
Talk about the difference a couple of years can make.
The list includes the top 50 draft-eligible high school and college players for the 2012 MLB draft. Beck is one of five pitchers to make the top 10 and one of just three college pitchers, coming in behind No. 6 Kevin Gausman from LSU and No. 1 Mark Appel from Stanford.
Beck said he was honored and humbled by the recognition, but is just trying to focus on baseball and improving his game.
The 2010 Southern Conference Tournament MVP, Beck has perfected the three pitches in his arsenal since his high school years. As the Eagles ace last season, Beck led the team in wins (9), innings pitched (103), strikeouts (109) and complete games (two) as a sophomore in 2011.
“Coming out of high school, I felt like I had a lot of the tools to be successful in the minors, but I wasn’t anywhere close to being ready mentally,” Beck said. “I’ve progressed a lot these past two years not just with my mechanics and pitches, but with how I handle and approach certain situations.”
Beck noted the vast differences between the high school and college game, most notably pitch location and being able to control your pitches and hit your spots.
“If you have a strong arm, it’s easy to just throw the ball by guys in high school, but you can’t get away with that in college,” Beck said. “Hitters in college are much more disciplined, and if you keep pitches high they will make you pay.”
Beck had no issues powering through lineups while at Jefferson. During his senior year in 2009, Beck led the Dragons to a Region 8-AA title and a 22-5 record. He finished the season with an 8-2 record, 0.68 ERA and 118 strikeouts in 61 1/3 innings pitched. He also excelled at the plate, hitting .338 with eight home runs and 26 RBIs.
With a fastball that tops out at 95 mph and sits comfortably at 92-93, Beck has since been able to control that pitch much better than he did his senior year as a Dragon, something that has impressed Beck’s college coach, Rodney Hennon.
“He learned early on his freshman year that you have to have control of your fastball,” Hennon said. “He has done that well and his slider has become a plus pitch that he can throw more consistently and he has a lot more confidence now throwing his change-up.”
Aside from the improvement of his pitches, the thing that has impressed the Georgia Southern coach the most has been Beck’s work ethic and leadership ability.
“Having been drafted out of high school, he obviously is a very talented player, but when he got here his strong work ethic showed from day one,” Hennon said. “He always has a great attitude and sets a good example for the younger guys on the team.”
Beck’s journey to becoming one of the best college pitchers in the nation was far from being easy. Beck received solid playing time as a freshman at Georgia Southern, but quickly found out how different the college game is, finishing his freshman campaign with a 2-4 record and an 8.31 ERA.
“He took some lumps a little as a freshman like most guys do,” Hennon said. “He progressed during the second half and started to figure things out.”
Beck’s progress was cut short however, when a strained ligament in the elbow of his throwing arm forced Hennon to shut down his young pitcher for the last month of the season.
“That was tough to go through, but it just made me want to bounce back and work hard in the offseason,” Beck said.
That’s exactly what happened, as he rode a great summer, fall and winter to a starting job as a sophomore. In that role, Beck finished with a 3.23 ERA and a 9-5 record.
His shining moment came in the Southern Conference Tournament, where he pitched a three-hit, complete-game shutout against Samford in the championship game to give Georgia Southern its fifth SoCon Tournament title.
In his two starts in the tournament, Beck combined for 22 strikeouts and set a SoCon Championship record for most strikeouts in a tournament.
Beck spent last summer with the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Baseball League, one of the premiere amateur baseball leagues in the nation. He posted a 2-3 record with a 2.12 ERA, while striking out 41 and was named to the 2011 CCBL All-Star Game.
Beck said that one his biggest influences to this stage in his career has been his high school coach, Tommy Knight.
“I spent about as much time in high school with him as I did my family,” Beck said. “He drove me to my first high school showcase and has been like a second father to me.
“Going through having Major League scouts at your high school games and practices as an 18-year-old can be nerve-wracking, but he made the process a lot easier.”
The 2012 MLB Draft will be held in early June. Depending on how his junior year goes, Beck could be one of the first pitchers taken and will then have to make another important decision \h— go pro or return for his senior year at Georgia Southern.