Beede working his way back
Giants hopeful young right-handers Webb, Beck can be building blocks in the rotation
When Gabe Kapler arrived in Scottsdale for his first spring as Giants manager last year, he opened up competitions for jobs and gave several young players extended opportunities to prove they belonged on the Opening Day roster.
During the early days of Cactus League play, it’s possible no pitcher helped their stock in Kapler’s eyes as much as Tyler Beede. Beede emerged as a frontrunner
for a spot in the Giants’ rotation, showing off a mid-to-high 90s fastball and a dynamic curveball that made him a prime breakout candidate.
His luck quickly turned.
By the middle of March, Beede required season-ending Tommy John surgery. His chance to finally prove the Giants were wise to use their 2014 first round draft pick on the Vanderbilt product was delayed.
This spring, Beede isn’t a candidate to open the 2021 season in the Giants’ rotation, but only because he’s still rehabbing from surgery. The right-hander threw his third full bullpen of the spring Friday at Scottsdale Stadium and is slowly progressing toward having the opportunity to remind the Giants why they were so excited about his potential.
“The fastball with some carry through the zone, sitting in the low-90s, it was very encouraging,” Kapler said.
In a medical update the Giants provided last week, the team
said it expects Beede to be throwing off the mound in games at either the major league or minor league level by May. Kapler said it’s too soon to rule out the possibility Beede might face hitters during spring training, but it appears unlikely given his recovery timetable that Beede would pitch in a Cactus League game.
If Beede is healthy enough to rejoin the rotation by June and pitches like he did last spring, he could be an X-factor for a Giants staff that features several other starters looking to bounce back after dealing with injuries last season. Few have as much potential as Beede, which makes his progress worth keeping an eye on.
WEBB HIS HARSHEST CRITIC » Another right-handed starter the Giants expect to take a step forward this year is Logan Webb, who didn’t need to look at the box scores from his rookie season to feel disappointed in his performance.
Webb had some bright spots in a 2020 season in which he made 11 starts for the Giants, but he dealt with considerable command issues, finished with a 5.47 ERA and felt he needed to get right to work in Tempe, Arizona during the offseason.
His new catch partner? Former A’s reliever and a World Series champion closer with the Nationals, Sean Doolittle.
“Being an old A’s fan, I got to see all of these old A’s guys and pick their brains about everything,” Webb said. “It was cool to talk to him about his experiences, being a World Series champion.”
Webb is planning to increase the usage of his offspeed pitches and expects to throw strikes more consistently this season after making subtle tweaks with his arm slot ahead of the 2020 season. Now that he’s accustomed to throwing from his new arm angle, he’s optimistic about his chances of improving.
“It’s my job and my goal to be consistent with that and get those numbers down and be able to come out every fifth or sixth day and be able to succeed and do what I’m supposed to do,” Webb said. “(Last season) was a little frustrating, but I can’t dwell on that.”
Webb also said he’s working with Codify Baseball, an independent analytics group that creates personalized “heat maps” that aid pitchers in the game planning process. Fellow Giants starter Kevin Gausman recommended the Vacaville-based firm to Webb. TRISTAN BECK DRAWS ATTENTION » During Friday’s workout, the Giants had 11 pitchers (all right-handed) throw bullpens. Two of the top starting pitching prospects the team invited to camp, Matt Frisbee and Tristan Beck, happened to be scheduled at the same time and at opposite ends of the bullpen, creating quite a conundrum for Kapler.
The Giants’ manager hoped to watch both prospects closely, but ended up seeing more of Beck, a Stanford product who was acquired in the 2019 trade that sent Mark Melancon to the Atlanta Braves.
“Really good curveball, excellent composure, loose and easy delivery,” Kapler said. “Looks like a fluid major leaguer on the mound. Flashed two plus pitches. Fastball with good life and that curveball.”
Kapler said he was particularly intrigued by Beck’s curveball because he said the 24-year-old seemed dissatisfied with the result of the pitch each time he threw it. That reaction was surprising to Kapler, who thought Beck was locating the breaking ball well throughout his session.
Kapler and Beck ended up discussing the pitch after Beck’s bullpen and the manager was told the righty wasn’t thrilled with the shape of his curveball, even if he was landing it for strikes. That interaction offered Kapler some insight into Beck’s competitiveness, which was a welcome sign early in camp.