© Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports
SCOTTSDALE — Starting pitcher Tyler Beede, the Giants’ fifth ranked prospect according to MLB.com, will not be on San Francisco’s opening day roster come March 29. Beede was one of the casualties on Monday, as the Giants made their second wave of spring training cuts. It’s unclear at the time of writing who else will be packing their bags, but according to Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic, standout centerfield prospect Steven Duggar is safe for now.
Giants making quite a number of cuts today. We should get the list soon, along with significant roster clarity. Steven Duggar won’t be among today’s cuts, so I hear.
— Andrew Baggarly (@extrabaggs) March 19, 2018
“I’m looking forward to continuing to work on the things that they want us to work on,” Beede said. “We’re not all finished products, even guys who have pitched in the league for 10 years have things to work on. So, it’s a matter of refining my craft and being consistent.”
Beede, 24, was the Giants’ first-round draft pick in 2014, but has yet to geta call-up from the big league club after four up and down seasons in the minors. He looked primed to make a splash last season after an impressive 2016 stint at AA Richmond (2.81 ERA in 28 starts), but struggled in 2017 at AAA Sacramento, posting a 4.79 ERA before being shelved with a groin strain in late July.
While his spring numbers weren’t great — 1-1 with a 10.80 ERA and five strikeouts in 8.1 innings pitched — Beede said he feels fully recovered from last year’s injury.
“Looking at the numbers not good,” Beede said when asked how he’s evaluating his spring. “But the way that my stuff feels, the way that my body feels, I feel great. I couldn’t be more confident with where my stuff is at compared to maybe a year ago. Maybe even four or five months ago.”
Despite the disappointment of not making the Opening Day roster, Beede understands there are still areas where he needs to improve.
“I think that’s the biggest thing for anybody and the name of this game is being consistent,” Beede said. “The more time I can work towards that with my time in the minor leagues the better off I’ll be and the more prepared I’ll be.”
Beede added his cutter could also use some work, saying, “I really want to make sure that I develop that to a pitch I know I can go to, but I feel confident with my four-seam, two-seam, changeup, curveball.”
