Pirates designate former SF Giants first-round pick Tyler Beede for assignment

After an up and down season in Pittsburgh, former SF Giants pitcher Tyler Beede was designated for assignment by the Pirates.

Marc Delucchi | Sep 15, 2022

Pirates designate former SF Giants first-round pick Tyler Beede for assignment /

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San Francisco Giants

The Pittsburgh Pirates designated right-handed pitcher Tyler Beede for assignment on Thursday. The Pirates claimed Beede off waivers from the SF Giants earlier this season but struggled once he moved into Pittsburgh's starting rotation.

Beede had a 3.12 ERA this season across 40.1 innings pitched (23 appearances) at the end of July. However, his peripheral numbers suggested he had benefited from some good luck. Beede had issued nearly as many walks (17) as strikeouts (24) and was inducing swings-and-misses at one of the lowest rates in the majors.

Hoping Beede's success could translate to longer outings, Pirates manager Derek Shelton moved him into the rotation. In five starts during the month of August, Beede surrendered 16 earned runs on 21 hits and 10 walks in just 15 innings pitched. Opposing hitters posted a .318/.423/.546 triple-slash over that span and Beede was relegated back to the bullpen. After watching Beede continue struggling in three relief appearances this month, the Pirates decided to move on.

SF Giants pitcher Tyler Beede throws a pitch during spring training. — Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Giants drafted Beede with the 21st overall pick in the draft back in 2011. A right-handed pitcher out of Vanderbilt, Beede had flashed an excellent arsenal of pitches but struggled with inconsistent command.

Upon turning pro, Beede moved away from a four-seam fastball towards a sinker that induced soft groundball contact and was easier for him to locate in the strike zone. In 2016, Beede had an excellent season with the Giants Double-A affiliate in Richmond, recording a 2.84 ERA in 147.1 innings pitched with 135 strikeouts. Still, Beede's inconsistent command continued to show. Despite his effectiveness, Beede walked 53 hitters.

The following year, when Beede reached Triple-A, his strikeout rate dropped as he was forced into the zone by better hitters. Beede made marginal improvements over the next few years, eventually earning a spot in the Giants rotation in 2019.

He made 26 appearances (24 starts) for San Francisco in 2019 and recorded 113 strikeouts in 117 innings pitched. He walked 46 hitters, allowed 22 home runs, and finished the season with an ERA of 5.08, but seemed to make some big strides as the season came to a close. However, just as he seemed to be building positive momentum, Beede suffered a season-ending elbow injury in the spring of 2020.

Tyler Beede has struggled to return to his pre-injury form over the past two seasons. He seemed to be turning a corner in Pittsburgh earlier this season but now finds himself back on waivers. This late in the season, it seems probable that Beede will go unclaimed and declare himself a free agent. Wherever he catches on next, he will hope to finally reach his full potential next year.

Published Sep 15, 2022

MARC DELUCCHI

Marc Delucchi (he/they/she) serves as the Managing Editor at Giants Baseball Insider, leading their SF Giants coverage. As a freelance journalist, he has previously covered the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and McCovey Chronicles. He also currently contributes to Niners Nation, Golden State of Mind, and Baseball Prospectus. He has previously been featured in several other publications, including SFGate, ProFootballRumors, Niners Wire, GrandStand Central, Call to the Pen, and Just Baseball. Over his journalistic career, Marc has conducted investigations into how one prep baseball player lost a college opportunity during the pandemic (Baseball Prospectus) and the rampant mistreatment of players at the University of Hawaii football program under former head coach Todd Graham (SFGate). He has also broken dozens of news stories around professional baseball, primarily around the SF Giants organization, including the draft signing of Kyle Harrison, injuries and promotions to top prospects like Heliot Ramos, and trade details in the Kris Bryant deal. Marc received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. During his time in college, he conducted a summer research project attempting to predict the future minor-league performance of NCAA hitters, worked as a data analyst for the school's Women's basketball team, and worked as a play-by-play announcer/color commentator for the basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. He also worked as an amateur baseball scout with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network (later renamed Evolution Metrix), scouting high school and college players for three draft cycles. For tips and inquiries, feel free to reach out to Marc directly on Twitter or via email (delucchimarc@gmail.com).