Growing up in Middlefield Township, Jake Bean spent much of his childhood playing baseball, never knowing for certain where the game might take him. Today, at 21, the Cardinal High School graduate is part of the Cleveland Guardians organization, working toward the opportunity to one day pitch in the major leagues.
Bean was selected by the Guardians in the 11th round of the 2026 Major League Baseball draft, the 333rd overall pick, following a college baseball career that took him from Kent State University to the University of Louisville.
His accomplishment recently brought him back to Middlefield, where Mayor Ben Garlich presented him with a proclamation recognizing his achievements and the pride he has brought to his hometown.
For Bean, the recognition was another memorable moment in a journey that began on the baseball fields of Geauga County.
Bean grew up on Swine Creek Road in Middlefield Township and attended Cardinal Schools throughout his childhood, beginning at Jordak Elementary School. He started playing baseball at a young age, but it wasn’t until late middle school and early high school that he began thinking seriously about how far he might be able to go in the sport.
Like many young athletes, he enjoyed playing the game. What changed was his willingness to put in the additional work necessary to compete at a higher level.
His father, Greg, began researching opportunities for specialized instruction and found Grady’s Pitching School in North Canton. Bean began attending the facility around his freshman year of high school, an experience he credits with helping him develop both his pitching skills and his commitment to baseball.
“My dad had done some research, and he found a good training facility that I started going to,” Bean said.
The more time he spent training, the more determined he became.
“I fell in love with the sport, the harder I worked,” he said. “I made a goal for myself, and I had a dream.”
By the beginning of his junior year at Cardinal, Bean had already committed to playing baseball at Kent State University. He also received some attention from professional scouts while still in high school, although an opportunity to enter professional baseball did not materialize at that time.
Looking back, Bean said he is glad his path led him to Kent State.
He spent two years with the Golden Flashes, where his development as a pitcher was considerable. During his freshman season, he pitched approximately nine innings. By his sophomore year, he had increased that workload to 78 innings and established himself as one of the conference’s notable pitchers.
His performance earned him first-team All-Mid-American Conference honors and recognition as co-Pitcher of the Year.
After his sophomore season, Bean transferred to the University of Louisville, where he continued his collegiate baseball career for another season.
The experience of playing at two universities, competing at increasingly demanding levels and continuing to improve ultimately led to the opportunity he had been working toward for years.
In July, Bean learned that the Cleveland Guardians had selected him in the Major League Baseball draft.
For a young man who grew up in Northeast Ohio, being chosen by Cleveland’s major league organization added something special to an already significant accomplishment.
The draft selection, however, does not mean Bean will immediately take the mound at Progressive Field. Like other young professional players, he must first work his way through the Guardians’ player development system.
Bean explained that the organization has four minor league affiliates where players develop their skills and work toward advancing to the next level.
The progression begins with either the Hill City Howlers in Lynchburg, Virginia, the Lake County Captains, the Akron RubberDucks or the Columbus Clippers.
Advancement depends on performance, development and the organization’s decisions about where each player is best suited to compete.
For Bean, that means continuing the work that began years ago in Middlefield.
Following the draft, he spent time at the Guardians’ training facilities in Phoenix, Arizona, working with the organization as he began the transition from college baseball to the professional ranks.
At the time of this interview, Bean has returned home to Middlefield for approximately three weeks and was preparing to head back to Phoenix for another month and a half of training.
His schedule includes daily workouts and conditioning, along with light throwing as the organization prepares its young pitchers for the coming season.
“Just working out, really, training every day,” Bean said.
He explained that players have not yet received their minor league assignments. Those decisions are expected following spring training, when the organization determines where each player will begin the season.
Until then, Bean is concentrating on getting stronger, maintaining his conditioning and following the training schedule established by the Guardians.
The physical demands of pitching are something he takes seriously. Injuries, particularly to a pitcher’s throwing arm, are always a concern, and Bean understands that staying healthy will be an important part of his professional career.
Rather than spend his time worrying about what might happen, he has adopted a straightforward approach to the challenges ahead.
“You just take it day by day, literally don’t look in the future,” Bean said. “That’s how I live my life now.”
He acknowledged that injuries can be stressful to think about but said focusing too much on the future does little to help him prepare for the present.
“I literally just take things as they come,” he said.
While baseball has become a much bigger part of his life, Bean said the attention surrounding his draft selection has not changed how he sees himself.
Friends and family continue to treat him as they always have, although he has noticed that people he hasn’t seen in some time are excited for him when they encounter him.
“There’s definitely people that I haven’t seen in a long time that will come up to me and say, ‘Oh, this is so cool,'” Bean said.
He appreciates the interest but is quick to put his accomplishment into perspective.
“I’m still a normal guy. I’m not anything different. I’m just playing baseball.”
When asked what he enjoys most about the game, Bean didn’t point to statistics, awards or even the draft itself. Instead, he talked about the feeling of standing on the pitcher’s mound, with the crowd cheering around him.
It is that part of baseball — the competition, the atmosphere and the opportunity to pitch — that continues to motivate him.
Those who watched Bean grow up in Middlefield now have an opportunity to follow his progress through the professional ranks.
During the village’s recognition ceremony, Garlich read a proclamation honoring Bean for his accomplishments and his representation of the Middlefield community.
The proclamation recognized Bean as a proud Middlefield native and Cardinal High School graduate who developed his passion for baseball locally before continuing his career at Kent State and Louisville.
It also acknowledged his selection by the Guardians and the pride his achievement has brought to his family, friends, coaches, teammates, classmates and the community.
The proclamation described Bean’s journey from playing baseball in his hometown to being drafted by his hometown major league organization as an example of what can be achieved through hard work, perseverance, dedication and commitment to one’s dreams.
Garlich also took a moment to speak personally to Bean about the decisions and responsibilities that come with pursuing a professional athletic career at such a young age.
“When I was thinking about how you got there, you were forced into adulthood early, obviously,” Garlich told him. “You made life-changing decisions that most people don’t do for years to come.”
The mayor went on to commend Bean for his ability to make those decisions, along with his intelligence, dedication and accomplishments.
Bean thanked the mayor for the recognition.
The ceremony provided an opportunity for the village to acknowledge not only Bean’s selection in the draft, but also the years of preparation that preceded it.
Behind the announcement of a draft pick are countless hours of practice, travel, training and competition, along with the support of family members, coaches and others who helped him along the way.
For Bean, that support began at home, where his father helped him find the training opportunities that would eventually shape his future.
At the recognition event, Middlefield Fire Chief Ben Reed proudly recalled coaching Bean in T-ball as a young child.
His path has taken him from Cardinal’s classrooms and baseball fields to college programs at Kent State and Louisville and now to the Cleveland Guardians organization.
At 21, he knows there is still considerable work ahead.
He has not yet been assigned to a minor league team, and there is no guarantee how quickly he will advance through the organization. But he has already reached a milestone that once existed only as a goal he set for himself while growing up in Middlefield.
For now, he is content to keep working, stay healthy and see where the game takes him.
The young pitcher who once traveled to North Canton for lessons is now training with a Major League Baseball organization, hoping to eventually make his way to Cleveland.
And although his surroundings and opportunities have changed considerably, Bean’s outlook remains much the same as it was when he first decided to pursue baseball seriously.
Set a goal, work hard and keep moving forward.
One day at a time.
