Eager Beavers: O's No. 3 prospect's 1st MLB HR comes in 1st Camden Yards at-bat

BALTIMORE -- Since arriving in the big leagues this past Saturday in Houston, Dylan Beavers hasn’t shown any sign of nerves. The 24-year-old outfielder has had a calm presence while seamlessly fitting into the Orioles’ lineup, starting all five games since getting called up.

Before making his Camden Yards debut on Thursday night against the Astros, Beavers had the same demeanor.

"It’s super exciting. Looking forward to it,” said Beavers, Baltimore’s No. 3 prospect per MLB Pipeline. “It’s going to be nice being at home. ... I’m super excited to see the atmosphere here.”

It didn’t take long for Beavers to make himself at home and experience that atmosphere.

Beavers slugged his first Major League home run in the first home plate appearance of his MLB career, swatting a two-out solo homer off Astros starter Jason Alexander in the second inning of the O’s 7-2 loss at Camden Yards.

Beavers worked the count full before connecting on a 79.4 mph changeup, jolting it a Statcast-projected 390 feet onto the right-field flag court.

After trotting around the bases, Beavers received a warm reception in the first-base dugout -- memories that could be a bit hazy when he thinks back on the sequence in the future.

"It was pretty awesome. I don't know. I kind of blacked out, I was just running,” Beavers said. “But when I got back in the dugout, it was one of the cooler things I've ever experienced. Best home run I've ever hit, for sure."

Beavers hasn’t faced a ton of big league pitchers yet, but he went 0-for-2 against Alexander in his debut five days earlier, so the left-handed hitter knew what to expect from the righty when stepping to the plate and working the count.

"I got to 3-2, I knew something slow was probably coming,” Beavers said. “I saw the changeup out of the hand and just jumped on it.”

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Beavers became the third player in Orioles history during the Baltimore era (since 1954) to hit his first MLB homer in his first home plate appearance for the team, joining Jeff Fiorentino (May 20, 2005, vs. the Phillies at Camden Yards) and Ken Gerhart (Sept. 19, 1986, vs. the Brewers at Memorial Stadium).

Only six players have homered in their first home plate appearance for the O’s, per Elias -- the three above, Javy Lopez (April 4, 2004, vs. the Red Sox at Camden Yards), Luis Polonia (May 17, 1996, vs. the Mariners at Camden Yards) and Mike Pagliarulo (Aug. 21, 1993, vs. the Rangers at Camden Yards).

The homer was the continuation of a solid start for Beavers, who is 5-for-17 (.294) with a double, three RBIs and five walks. He is only the sixth player in Orioles history (since 1954) to reach base 10 or more times over his first five games, and the first since Ryan Mountcastle in 2020.

"He’s a good player,” interim manager Tony Mansolino said. “It’s a really short swing. He’s hanging in there on defense. He looks good out there. Naïve in a good way. Very confident. He’s interesting.”

It isn’t too surprising to see Beavers immediately raking in the big leagues. The 2022 Competitive Balance Round A Draft pick was having a terrific season for Triple-A Norfolk, slashing .304/.420/.515 with 14 doubles, two triples, 18 home runs and 51 RBIs in 94 games.

"I got to get a ton of reps in Triple-A, and I think it just helped coming up here,” Beavers said. “I’ve got to slow it down. That's really what I'm trying to think of as the only adjustment that needs to be made, is there's a lot more going on around [me]. So if I can just slow it down, it shouldn't be much different.”

The Orioles’ lineup also featured Samuel Basallo (the club’s No. 1 prospect and MLB Pipeline’s No. 8 overall), who made his Camden Yards debut as well. The 21-year-old, who debuted in the big leagues on Sunday, has become Baltimore’s primary catcher with Adley Rutschman being placed the 10-day injured list due to a right oblique strain.

Basallo is off to a solid start himself, going 1-for-4 with a single to improve to 4-for-14 (.286) through four games, during which he has a double, five RBIs and a run scored.

“He's an awesome player. He's one of the best hitters I've ever seen on the field,” Beavers said of Basallo, "so I'm excited to see how he does as he just compiles more at-bats here. I'm pretty confident his success will carry over.”