Atlanta Braves select Tristan Beck RHP Stanford in fourth round

A day after picking Carter Stewart and Greyson Jenista, and after sitting out the third round due to a penalty from MLB, the Braves were back up in the fourth round. The pick is a guy that I called in advance on Twitter as being the guy I most wanted on the college side, Stanford righty Tristan Beck.

Who is He?

Tristan Beck is a 6’4”, 190 pound right handed pitcher for Stanford. The Corona, California native was actually linked to the Braves high in the draft last year as a draft eligible sophomore, but slid to very late in the draft thanks to an injury.

Where Does He Rank?

MLB.com 35th

Baseball America 31st

Keith Law Unranked

Perfect Game 56th

Talking Chop 32nd

What Did He Do in School?

2016: 6-4, 2.48 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 76 K, 26 BB in 83.0 IP

2017: DNP- back injury

2018: 8-4, 2.99 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 66 K, 29 BB in 84.0 IP

Why Was He The Pick?

Beck has some of everything. He’s got a frame with some projection left, great results, pitchability, and potentially very much above average command. The fastball is only sitting 91-92 presently, but he is able to locate it and has a plus change to help it play up. The curve is another pitch that should be at least average, but it is inconsistent. His stuff backed up this year after his strong beginning of the season, but that could have been due to the injury recovery and return to a full workload.

He has an injury- a stress fracture in his back that kept him out of last year, but that isn’t a major issue. His other potential question is the fact he’s old for the class, as he turns 22 years old later this month. Those aren’t huge concerns, just slight dings.

How Should We Feel About Him?

I love it. Beck was ranked very high by me all along, as he mixes size, stuff, and the ability to pitch. If not for an injury in his past he would have been taken even higher. I had Beck as the top college guy the Braves should select heading into the fourth round, and they got him to add to their impressive haul.