Beede set to deliver on major potential
Top prospect has shown four pitches, velocity, confidence in camp
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Sure, Tyler Beede was nervous the first time Giants manager Bruce Bochy ordered him to stand in front of the full squad in the morning meeting and recite some of his rap lyrics.
It’s different now. Beede hasn’t pitched a game above Double A and he knows he still has everything to prove against major league hitters. But the Giants’ top pitching prospect also knows that he isn’t standing in front of a room full of potentially judgmental veterans.
He was a groomsman in right- hander Derek Law’s wedding. His throwing partner over the winter in Houston was new Giants closer Mark Melancon. He would often run into Hunter Pence at the same gym, too.
Beede hasn’t yet arrived in the big leagues. But that day is coming soon. And when it does, chances are that Beede won’t be as wide-eyed as most rookies.
“It’s great to feel comfortable,” Beede said. “But not too comfortable.”
This is the third time Beede has had a locker in major league camp since the Giants took him
14th overall in the 2014 draft, but it’s the first time he will be looked upon as someone who could impact the big league roster in the short term. After winning an ERA title in the DoubleA Eastern League last season, Beede is on the verge of earning a lasting place in the Giants’ rotation.
“It’s exciting,” said Beede, who turns 24 in May. “I want to contribute and that’s been my mentality since last year. My confidence grew to the point where I felt ready to contribute.”
The Giants are counting on it. They invested almost a quarter of a billion dollars in Jeff Samardzija and Johnny Cueto before last season, but that’s not a sustainable habit. At some point, they must reestablish the starting pitching factory that churned out Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum and Madison Bumgarner and formed the basis for the most successful run in franchise history.
Looking at spring training workloads, it’s not hard to divine where players stand on the organizational depth chart. After left-hander Ty Blach, who is pushing Cain for the final spot in the rotation, it appears that Beede is next on the list. He’ll make his spring debut Sunday, backing up Matt Moore.
“He’s got great stuff and a great makeup,” Bochy said. “He’s a smart pitcher along with his good command. He knows what he’s doing out there. He’s one of those guys on a fast pace. He’s getting a lot of attention, which he should. When you’ve got four pitches and the velocity he does, you’ll pitch in the big leagues.”
Beede has those four pitches because he made a shrewd decision two springs ago: he took a step back at a time when most young pitchers — especially touted ones such as him who were twice drafted in the first round — are hell bent on barreling through the minor leagues.
When Beede reported to camp in 2015, he pledged to change his repertoire and dial back his mid-90s velocity. He wanted to throw a sinker, get ground balls and churn efficient outs. He practiced exactly what he preached at Single-A San Jose and after a midseason promotion to Double-A Richmond, even as scouts mumbled about his tamer fastball.
“I understood I needed to command the ball better,” Beede said. “Even in college, the walks were too high. So I was able to step back and figure out what I needed to do, what kind of pitcher I wanted to be.”
Beede averaged more than five walks per nine innings over his three seasons at Vanderbilt, then 4.2 per nine in his pro debut season. Relying on the two-seamer in 2015, he cut it back to just 1.5 walks per nine at San Jose while earning a midseason promotion to Richmond. He might have fatigued a bit while posting a 5.60 ERA in his final 13 starts there.
But he mastered his level this past season at Richmond, kept his weight up and impressed the Giants with his durability. He struck out 11 over six innings in his final start of the year and lowered his ERA to 2.81, which clinched the top mark in the circuit loaded with some of the game’s top pitching prospects.
In the process, he threw that mid-90s gas that scouts had wondered about the previous season.
“I had to go back to doing some of the things I’ve done in the past,” Beede said. “But where it helped was on the days when I wasn’t feeling great, days when my command wasn’t great and maybe I was falling behind. I could throw a 2-0 sinker and get a ground ball.
“I could still pitch deep into a ballgame when I’m not feeling that great. Knowing you’ve still got pitches to get guys out, it’s a game changer.”
Bochy made a slight tweak to the pitching schedule in advance of Friday’s Cactus League opener, saying Cain would start Saturday rather than follow Madison Bumgarner on Friday. … The star of Thursday’s morning meeting was third baseman Jae-gyun Hwang, who had to dance in front of the team to “Gangnam Style,” the once-popular song from erstwhile Korean pop star Psy.