Colorado Rockies select Tennessee outfielder Jordan Beck in 2022 MLB Draft

While the MLB Draft may be about selecting players to develop throughout the farm system, the Colorado Rockies just selected one of the better hitters in college baseball. With the 38th overall pick, Colorado took Tennessee Volunteers outfielder Jordan Beck, the second pick from this season’s top-ranked team.

The former Volunteers slugger batted .298 this season, while swatting 18 home runs, cranking 15 doubles, and three triples on the season. Beck also brought in 61 RBIs this year, tying him for third on what was the most explosive offense in America for much of the 2021-2022 college baseball season. Trailing 4-3 against the Missouri Tigers this year, Beck swatted a grand slam over the wall to give the Vols a 7-3 lead. Tennessee went on to win that game, 11-4.

Before arriving at Tennessee, he was selected in the 14th round of the 2019 MLB Draft by the Boston Red Sox.

Jordan Beck earned the nickname of Mike Honcho from his head coach, Tony Vitello, this year

According to Beck, the timing was everything when it came to his new-found fame.

“I think this can happen to anyone and could be anyone at any time,” Beck said earlier in the year. “You just have to embrace the role and accept it. You have to have fun with it.”

It all started from a moment that actually upset many Tennessee faithful. The outfielder homered on the first pitch he swung at against Vanderbilt — but that’s not where out story begins. Instead of celebrating, Beck was instead ruled out by virtue of being found of using an unapproved bat after umpires reviewed the play. They deemed the bat lacked the sticker that indicates it was tested and able to be used in the contest.

However, that’s when Vitello made the comment that turned Beck’s non-home run from just another controversial play, to one that changed the outfielder’s life.

“I don’t even know that Jordan Beck should be at the University of Tennessee,” Vitello said sarcastically during an interview with ESPN2. “He forged his transcript. He is actually a 35-year-old man named Mike Honcho. He just shows up to practice every day and he is a good kid so we put him in the lineup.”

Moreover, the reference stems from one of Beck’s favorite movies — Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. 

On3’s Griffin McVeigh and Stephen Samra also contributed to this article.