Brendan Beck

Scouting Report

The younger brother of Giants right-hander Tristan Beck, Brendan pitched with him at Stanford as a freshman in 2018 before becoming the Cardinal's Opening Day starter in each of the next three seasons. He won Pacific-12 Conference Pitcher of the Year accolades in 2021, when he ranked fourth in NCAA Division I with 143 strikeouts in 108 2/3 innings, then signed for $1.05 million as a second-rounder. He had Tommy John surgery that September, delaying his pro debut until 2023, and missed all of '24 after a follow-up elbow operation. He bounced back to dominate Double-A hitters this year but has struggled following a promotion to Triple-A. Beck's control and command stand out more than any of his four offerings, the best of which is a solid low-80s slider with impressive depth. His low-90s fastball tops out at 94 mph and doesn't feature much life, meaning it grades as a fringy offering, as does his upper-70s downer curveball. His low-80s changeup has some sink but isn't very effective. Beck is a good athlete who repeats his delivery while working quickly and moving his pitches around the strike zone. He might be the best strike-thrower in the system, which helps him compensate for his so-so stuff. As an amateur, he reminded some area scouts of Shane Bieber at the same stage of their careers, though his ceiling now is more of a back-of-the-rotation starter or middle reliever.