Introduction/Journey through the game of baseball

[Harrison Beethe]

Hello all!

I wanted to write a little introduction about myself and my journey throughout the game of baseball. I am a firm believer that sports and life align perfectly! Through sports, I have learned countless lessons about myself and about how to handle the stressors that come with life. Baseball is a game built on failure, and I believe life is the same way. Follow along throughout this post to learn more about me and my journey!

ATTN: I also want to thank all who have reached out so far. I am very young and inexperienced in the real estate game (I like to call it a game, as it helps me organize my process to becoming the best). Any help, assistance, tips, and recommendations would be drastically appreciated, as I continue to learn and strive for greatness through all aspects of life (health, relationships, finances, nutrition etc... I want to dominate it all!) Anyway, THANK YOU to everyone for taking the time to read, and I know you are going to enjoy my story!

I began playing baseball at the young age of 7 in Texas. Like most kids, I simply enjoyed being on the field and cultivating relationships with my teammates (although, at the time I was not thinking about "cultivating" relationships, I was simply having fun!) I want to skip the boring "I played travel ball in middle school, and played in high school mumbo jumbo - everyone who played sports has the same experience. I want to skip to the good stuff!

Essentially, I found myself at the end of high school with no offers to play collegiate baseball. I was a decent player with strong projectability (6'4 175 lbs), but I had no real skillset. My fastball set in the low (very low) 80s and I did not throw too many strikes. I had a below average curveball and a very below average changeup. I did not produce good high school stats (12 innings pitched as a senior), and I had nothing to really hang my hat on from a recruiting perspective. Simply put - I was not good at baseball and no college wanted me.

During this time was when I had to make my first "big boy" decision of my life. Do I quit baseball and attend a state school where I can major in Finance and join at fraternity? Or do I try my absolute hardest just to get an opportunity on the diamond (baseball field)? Not ready to give up my Major League dream, I decided I wanted to continue playing. I didn't care where, I didn't care how, I just wanted to play. I began to draft an email template to send out to schools of all sizes - Junior Colleges, NAIA, Division 1, 2 and 3. The email went something like... "I have no stats, no other offers. My fastball isn't fast, my curveball doesn't curve, and my changeup does not change speeds. However, I am tall. And I am skinny. Will you allow me to walk on to your school?" Looking back, it was a pretty pathetic attempt to market myself and perused a college coach to agree to take me on, which is probably the reason that my email had a 3% success rate (2 of 68 schools responded). But hey, I got a reply! I decided to accept a walk on offer at Ranger College - a small Junior College in Ranger, Texas that I had never seen or visited.

That fall (2016) I moved into a “dorm” (which was really a small housing unit comprised of 3 rooms, a bathroom, and a living room – no kitchen). We had two guys in each of the two large rooms, and one guy in the smaller room for a total of 5 people living in a rather small unit. As expected, I did not perform great on the baseball field, so I decided to take a healthy redshirt (which is essentially sitting out of the season while still remaining with the team and practicing/lifting weights). It was at this point where I fell in love with the process. I enjoyed getting up and lifting weights while everyone was asleep. I enjoyed throwing with intense focus and detail. I enjoyed studying video of guys who I wanted to emulate. I simply enjoyed getting 1% better each day with the main goal firmly placed in my mind – to reach the Major Leagues.

As the season wrapped up in mid-May, I came across another “big boy” decision in my life. Do I want to remain at Ranger College or try to transfer to another Junior College where the development/coaching/program was superior to that at Ranger. Nothing against the Ranger College baseball program, it was simply the fact that my goals and aspirations did not align with the players and coaches at that school. Their goals were consistent with mediocracy, I was driven to become excellent.

Once again I found myself at the computer with the exact same template I had used a year earlier, this time I had to include “I was a red shirt at a school that went 14-40.” Somehow, I became an even more unattractive prospect. However, through some connections made at Ranger College, I got in contact with a coach at North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC) in Mason City, Iowa. At first glance, I was completely opposed to the idea of going to college in Iowa, however I gave the coach an opportunity to recruit me. After talking with the coach, I was blown away. The way he explained his philosophy was exactly what I was looking for. This was a program with a strong pedigree of getting players moved on to the division 1 level (which is exactly where I wanted to go). A week later, my dad and I made the long trek up to Iowa to meet the coach in person, where I was again blown away. I ended up committing on the spot and cemented my intentions to attend NIACC in the fall of 2017.

Upon my arrival at North Iowa Area Community College, I was terrified of the unknown. What was going to happen? Would I regret this decision? Is all of this worth it? There was so much doubt and uncertainty flowing through my head. That fall (2017) was the period of time in which I made the most growth in my young life. I continued to fall in love with the process. I began tracking my sleep, I followed a strict diet and weigh program, and I even began to incorporate yoga into my weekly routine (something I never envisioned myself doing). This hard work and dedications paid dividends, as I was able to increase my fastball velocity (now 88-90 mph) and commit to a division 1 school (Houston Baptist University) in the fall of 2017. I was elated, but nowhere near satisfied or content. I continued to stay hungry and work like my dream depended on it (because it did).

That spring (2018) was a very hard period of time for me. I was going into the season as a division 1 commit with high hopes for a breakout season. My teammates were counting on me, my coaches were counting on me, and I was counting on myself to be an amazing asset to our team. Mike Tyson famously said (and is one of my favorite quotes) that “everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” It’s safe to say I got punched in the mouth that year. I had a horrible season. In fact, I was so bad that Houston Baptist called and retracted their scholarship offer. I was at an all-time low.

I had two options; fight or give up. I don’t think I need to tell you which option I chose. I got back on the horse and continued to work and improve. I had a long conversation with my coach, and we both agreed that another year in Mason City would suit me well. So, it was decided, I would go back to NIACC for a second year. I spent the whole summer with an absolute chip on my shoulder. I worked with a ferocity that I did not know I possessed. I was more detail oriented. I was had stronger goals, loftier goals. I knew exactly what I wanted and I was not going to stop until I got it.

I rolled into Mason City that fall armed with a fastball that now reached the upper-90s, a devastating slider, and a mindset that was unbreakable. That fall (2018) I had a slew of pitching performances that were the best of my young life. The work had paid off, and my dream school – Texas Christian University (TCU) – came calling. I committed to TCU in the fall of 2018, this time assured that I was not going to relinquish this scholarship offer. I went into the spring as one of the hardest throwing arms in Junior College baseball. I was off to an amazing start, when hardship ensued once again. I inured my forearm flexor in my throwing arm and was sidelined for the rest of the year. While this was a minor injury, it was still devastating to watch my teammates play the rest of the season without me.

June 11th 2019 I was faced with the third “big boy” decision of my life (I had been getting kind of good with these big boy decisions). The Milwaukee Brewers called me to inform me that I had just been drafted and wanted me to make a decision; do I go to TCU or sign to play professional baseball? In my heart, I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to put on the white and purple and play for my hometown team. However, these decisions are not always fueled by a gut feeling. There was money involved, a chance to fulfill my dream of playing pro baseball, and the opportunity to move up to the Major Leagues. To keep this short, I decided to play college baseball at TCU and informed the Brewers that I would be declining their offer.

The next two years at TCU were ten times more challenging than my years at Junior College. For one, the coronavirus cut the 2020 season short (and I had been pitching incredibly). The 2020 MLB draft was shortened to five rounds and I was not chosen. My second year at TCU (2021) was also a struggle due to my performance on the mound. I was throwing as hard as anyone in the country (97-101 mph), however I struggled to throw strikes and was relinquished to the bench for the better part of two months. The 2021 team had loads of talent, and was at one point the number 3 team in the country. Despite our talent level, we fell short in the opening round of playoffs, losing to Dallas Baptist and Oregon State. The 2021 season was over, and I began to question if I would ever get the opportunity to play professional baseball due to my poor performance on the mound.

Thankfully, the Kansas City Royals selected me in the 2021 draft, where I was finally able to get rolling on my professional baseball career. My motivation level is at an all-time high, but I have also gotten smarter in terms of long term thinking.

Real estate has always been something that has been of interest to me. In 2019, real estate became a second passion of mine, next to baseball. I love the fact that I have the autonomy to chase my baseball dreams during the day, and use my free time to chase my real estate dreams.

I wanted to write this post to simply put my story out into the public and introduce myself as someone who is intensely motivated, focused, and detailed. My track record speaks for itself. I was a guy who had no business playing college baseball, but through hard work and determination, I turned myself into a division 1 baseball player and a two(!!) time MLB draft pick. If you would’ve told me at 18 that I would be a two time draftee, there is no way I would have believed you.

I want to take the time to thank everyone for reading this lengthy post, and I hope to connect in some way with anyone and everyone who reaches out! I am ALWAYS willing to talk all things real estate, baseball, sports, life, whatever! I am an open book, and also an open notepad (meaning I want to hear and talk with as many people as humanly possible)! I cannot wait to grow and be a part of the BP community!

Thank you again!