SF Giants: Tristan Beck, 19th ranked prospect, to start spring opener

SF Giants manager Gabe Kapler has chosen the 19th-best prospect in the farm system, Tristan Beck, to start the team's first game of spring training.

The SF Giants have chosen right-handed pitching prospect Tristan Beck to start the team's first game of spring training. Beck will take the mound for the Giants when they face off against the Chicago Cubs on Saturday (February 25th) with first pitch scheduled for 12:05 PM Pacific. Beck was ranked the 19th-best prospect in the organization's farm system in Giants Baseball Insider's prospect rankings.

Beck, 26, is on the older side for a prospect who has still not reached the majors. However, he has one of the more intriguing career arcs in San Francisco's farm system.

A Corona, California native, Beck starred during his college career at Stanford and looked like one of the best pitching prospects in college heading into 2017. But a stress fracture in his back caused him to miss the entire season and he was forced to return to college for another year. He returned to form, but concerns about his durability led him to fall to the fourth round of the 2018 draft, where he was drafted by Atlanta.

Just over a year later, Beck was traded to the Giants at the MLB trade deadline for reliever Mark Melancon. Both organizations were cautious with Beck given his history of back injuries, and he has struggled to stay healthy throughout his professional career as well. With that said, when healthy, Beck has been effective and climbed the minor-league ranks.

Beck started last season with Double-A Richmond but was promoted to Triple-A Sacramento after just three outings. After joining the River Cats rotation, Beck finished the year with an underwhelming 5.64 ERA in 97.1 innings pitched (20 appearances), but that overshadows a drastic improvement in the second half of the season. If not for a late season flare up in his back, he seemed well positioned to receive a September callup.

After his longest outing as a pro tonight, #SFGiants prospect Tristan Beck has a 2.79 ERA in his past 5 starts (29 IP) with 26 K and just 2 BB. His curve, change, and slider all have CSW% greater than 35% over that span.
If #SFGameUP needs a spot start, Beck seems next in line.
— Marc Delucchi (@maddelucchi) August 14, 2022

Despite his injury history, Beck still features a fastball that sits in the 92-96 mph range alongside several secondary pitches. His curveball has long been considered his best offering, but his slider and changeup have also begun flashing above-average potential with more consistency. Beck has the arsenal to potentially be a mid-rotation starter, but his durability makes it hard to envision him handling that workload. After all, he has still never accrued at least 115 innings pitched in a calendar year.

The Giants added Beck to the 40-man roster this offseason to prevent him from being selected by another team in the Rule 5 Draft, suggesting they are high on his ability to contribute this season. Moreover, Beck has the tools to be a solid back-end starter or swingman. While the SF Giants have solid rotation depth between Logan Webb, Alex Cobb, Sean Manaea, Anthony DeSclafani, Ross Stripling, Alex Wood, and Jakob Junis. However, given the advanced age (and long injury histories) of several of those starters, the odds are San Francisco will have to turn their farm system at some point. With a strong spring training, Tristan Beck could solidify himself as the first arm they call upon.