Tristan Beck Back On Track After Trade

After Tristan Beck allowed six earned runs on nine hits in 5.1 innings in a start for the Braves’ high Class A affiliate on July 26, his ERA stood at 5.65.

Five days later, the Giants acquired the righthander in a trade deadline deal that sent reliever Mark Melancon to Atlanta. Despite the inflated ERA, Giants farm director Kyle Haines remained intrigued by the 2018 fourth-round pick.

“He’s a guy that’s advanced,” Haines said. “He’s got plus stuff, so you take a chance on him.”

So far, that chance is paying dividends.

After the trade, Beck had a 2.27 ERA in six starts with San Jose in the high Class A California League. His combined numbers over his final three starts: 19 innings, 14 hits, one run.

“It really was just kind of a breath of fresh air to come over to the Giants,” said Beck, who went to Stanford and grew up in Southern California.

Beck said some of his success with the Giants stemmed from a change in his delivery—taking his hands over his head, to be specific—that he began implementing while in the Braves’ organization. He began to feel more comfortable with it after he returned to the West Coast.

After the minor league season was over, the Giants sent Beck to the Arizona Fall League. While in the AFL, Beck wants to work on regaining control of his changeup, which he said he lost the feel for by the end of the season. He also wants to improve the command of his fastball, which currently sits in the low 90s.

Haines believes Beck “very easily could be pitching at 94, 95 (mph) with just some continued health and getting on a good program.”

Health has been an issue for the 23-year-old Beck. He missed the entire 2017 season at Stanford because of a back problem. An oblique injury cost him two months earlier this year.

Beck has a wiry frame, but it’s not quite as wiry as the numbers would lead you to believe. He is listed at a thermometer-like 6-foot-4, 165 pounds. Beck said he weighed 165 pounds as a freshman at Stanford, but apparently no outlet has updated his weight, which is now up to roughly 200 pounds.

GIANTICS

— Catcher Joey Bart homered twice in his first Arizona Fall League game. The Giants’ 2018 first-round pick was named the AFL Player of the Week for Sept. 18-24 as he went 5-for-12 with four walks.

— Lefthander Caleb Baragar (five innings) and three relievers combined on a three-hitter as Sacramento, the Pacific Coast League champion, beat Columbus, the International League champ, 4-0 to take the Triple-A National Championship on Sept. 17.