McBeth never produced much with the bat during his first three years of professional baseball; he batted just .233 (205 for 881) with 19 home runs and 111 runs batted in. He did, however, show a strong arm and was persuaded to give pitching a shot. Splitting 2005 between Kane County (Single-A), the Arizona A's (Rookie League) and Stockton (Single-A), McBeth posted a 2-2 record and an earned run average of 3.62 over 25 appearances (all relief) and 31⅓ innings pitched.