Although the mentality and leadership adjustments made by the Kansas City Royals years ago showed more noticeable effects right away, the transformation came more gradually. After all, years of drafting and growth cannot simply be undone by a new front office to fit a different shape or philosophy.
This is why it took some time for the Royals’ shift in philosophy to take effect after they fired Lonnie Goldberg, who had been in charge of Kansas City’s amateur selections. The reason so many prospect hunters are keeping an eye on the 2025 Low-A Columbia Fireflies and High-A Quad Cities River Bandits is because the early players in that process are in the lower levels of the minor leagues. There is a 2024 draftee that is considerably superior to his classmates thus far this season if fans follow that excellent River Bandits rotation.
Enter Drew Beam.
KC Royals fans should know the name Drew Beam, and his 2025 start proves that
The Royals selected right-hander Drew Beam in the third round of the 2024 draft following a stellar career at Tennessee that included a College World Series championship and a stint on the 2023 USA Collegiate National Team. With the River Bandits, Beam’s championship pedigree is now clearly visible.
After 25 1/3 innings pitched, Beam has a 3.20 ERA and has struck out 22 hitters in his first five professional starts. The majority of the runs were scored during a difficult debut against the Peoria Chiefs on April 5th, when he gave up five earned runs in 3 1/3 innings. Beam has pitched at least five innings each time since and hasn’t given up more than two earned runs in a start since. On April 23, he got some retribution against Peoria as he had his second consecutive strong start and struck out four hitters while giving up just five baserunners.
Beam’s workhorse starting strategy has been a major factor in his success thus far. Beam stood out to the Royals on draft day because of that mentality.
Paul Gibson, senior director of pitching performance for the Royals, stated, “After watching him compete in spring training, I’m kind of shocked that he lasted to the third round—that was the first thing that jumped out at me.” He is a really formidable rival. His baseball acumen and feel on the mound are excellent. He’s also a wonderful kid off the field. incredibly well-rounded, meticulous, and well-prepared before he hits the mound for his starts. He has no fear of the striking zone. The fact that he is off to a strong start excites us much.
Beam restricts the free baserunners and covers the strike zone with a good four-pitch mix, even though he might not overwhelm opponents with pure stuff. He can move between his two-seam and four-seam fastballs with ease, and his range is comfortably in the mid-90s. Although his curveball and changeup don’t always result in whiffs, they do fall in the zone frequently and provide soft contact for those easy outs because of his higher armslot.
“As a strike-thrower, my game really consists of attacking the zone,” Beam said. “I don’t intimidate men. I just make advantage of my skill to throw in the zone and swiftly remove guys with gentle touch.
Beam’s start and overall performance make him stand out in a stacked rotation that includes 2021 first-round choice Frank Mozzicato and 2023 late-round gem Logan Martin. Despite just being 22 years old, the Nashville native already has the foundation to advance swiftly in Kansas City’s system and appears more polished than his High-A rivals.
After a few years of developing on the farm, Beam appears to be a future lower-rotation starter, although his present profile is similar to that of many current Royals starters. Beam will be a name to keep an eye on in the years to come if he can improve that slurvy curveball or add new weapons to his repertoire.
