At number 29 on our top 100 countdown is Stanford right-handed pitcher Tristan Beck.
Coming out of high school he was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 34th round of the 2015 MLB Draft.
As a freshman in 2016 he posted a 2.48 ERA in 83.1 innings pitched with 76 strikeouts, 26 walks, 60 hits and a 1.03 WHIP.
He immediately became one of the top pitchers in college baseball. And as a draft eligible sophomore he was projected to be a top pick in the 2017 MLB Draft.
However, a stress fracture in his back forced him to miss all of the 2017 season.
Still, he was taken in the 29th round of the 2017 MLB Draft by the New York Yankees, but didn’t sign.
The 6-foot-4, 190 pound junior has all the tools to be a frontline starting pitcher at the next level.
From his over-the-top delivery he features a mid-90s fastball that he can locate with ease and a sweeping slider that breaks away from right-handed hitters.
But the pitch that has scouts salivating is his curveball. It’s a big breaker that reminds me a lot of Clayton Kershaw’s. While I hate to put that kind of expectation on the kid, they are very similar — albeit as a right and not a lefty.
In 2018 scouts just want to see that Beck is healthy. If he is and comes close to pitching like he did as a freshman, he’ll shoot up the draft boards.
