Could SF Giants prospect Tristan Beck be an option while Alex Wood is out?
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The SF Giants will have to replace Alex Wood in their rotation for at least the next couple of weeks after the southpaw was placed on the injured list on Saturday. With only four healthy starters currently on the big-league roster, it seems like the Giants will have to turn to their minor league ranks to fill in. While right-handed pitcher Tristan Beck is far from the biggest name in the farm system, he could be the top option to make Wood's previously scheduled start on Tuesday.
Beck has been a prominent name in prospect circles for some time. Beck was a highly regarded prospect in high school but opted to attend Stanford instead of turning pro. He immediately emerged as a standout performer for the Cardinal, showing the potential to be a top-10 pick in the draft before a stress fracture in his back hurt his stock. Ultimately, Atlanta drafted Beck in the fourth round of the 2017 draft.
The Giants acquired Beck at the trade deadline in 2019 for reliever Mark Melancon. He performed well that season at High-A and seemed poised for a breakout 2020 season after a solid showing at the Arizona Fall League. Of course, Beck never got a chance to build off that momentum because the following minor league season was canceled.
Beck started this season with Double-A Richmond but was promoted to Triple-A Sacramento after just three outings. Since joining the River Cats rotation, Beck has an underwhelming 5.64 ERA in 97.1 innings pitched (20 appearances). However, those numbers overshadow a much better performance over the past two months.
Given the amount of time Beck has missed in his career due to injuries, it's unsurprising that command is the weakest aspect of his game. In his first eight outings at Triple-A, Beck walked or hit more than 11.2% of the batters he faced and surrendered a ton of hard contact. Opposing hitters were batting .324 against him, and he had an 8.65 ERA. Eventually, he found the precision he needed against Triple-A competition, and he settled in well.
In his last 10 outings, Beck has posted a 3.91 ERA in 53 innings pitched with 56 strikeouts, 10 walks, and five homers allowed. Beck has showcased improved consistency, completing at least five innings in nine of those outings. It's also important to remember how unfavorable the Pacific Coast League is for pitches. The Pacific Coast League as a whole has a 5.44 ERA this year with multiple teams posting ERAs north of 6.00. Beck's numbers are far more respectable in that context.
Beck has an impressive arsenal. He usually throws a mid-90s four-seam fastball and sinker about half the time while splitting the remainder of his pitches between a changeup, slider, and curveball. All three of his secondary pitches have flashed the ability to be put away offerings, although his curveball has long been the best of the group.
Beck has not pitched since August 25th, which could be a sign he's dealing with an injury of his own. However, Giants manager Gabe Kapler revealed on Saturday that Wood has been dealing with his shoulder impingement all season long. The Giants may have decided to skip Beck's turn in the Triple-A rotation to keep him available if Wood was unable to make his start on August 31st.
The SF Giants do not currently have Tristan Beck on their 40-man roster, forcing them to designate someone for assignment or shift a player to the 60-day injured list if they want to call him up. That said, San Francisco will likely have to add Beck to their 40-man roster this offseason anyway to shield him from being selected by another team in the Rule 5 draft. With Wood out for at least two weeks, it seems like Beck could soon be donning the Orange and Black soon.
