#SFGiants take RHP Tyler Beede in 14th overall, C Aramis Garcia 52nd in Day 1 of MLB Draft
Unlike in 2013 when the Giants surprised just about everybody selecting Christian Arroyo and Ryder Jones in back-to-back rounds. Arroyo and Jones didn’t follow the rankings of the websites that were available to the masses. This year, it appears the rankings were a little more in line (note: this does not make previous picks or these picks any more “correct” or “incorrect”) with what was out there as the Giants selected RHP Tyler Beede from Vanderbilt with their first overall pick. I wonder if the good people of Vandy were excited?
Young Beedahhhhhh #MLBDraft #SFGiants @SFGiants https://t.co/vxGXWz4oqo
— Vandy Baseball (@VandyBaseball) June 6, 2014
Some quotes from the Front Office captured by articles by beat writer Chris Haft and Jimmy Durkin:
“Scouting director John Barr said that when and where Beede will begin his Giants career — assuming he signs — could depend on his remaining pitching activity for Vanderbilt. If the Commodores were to advance to the College World Series, with Beede logging more innings, the Giants might sharply restrict his pitching for the rest of the year or even shut him down entirely.”
“He has a chance of moving quickly,” Barr said of Beede, a native of Auburn, Mass. “You can’t teach the arm that he has…One thing I do know is that this organization, with [player personnel director] Dick Tidrow and the coaching staff, develops pitchers and develops them well.”
Beede was ranked in the Top 15 of three sites I frequented for Draft : Baseball America (#15), MLB.com (#12), and ESPN (#14). You can check out videos of him here, as well as a mid-May report from Keith Law:
Some quotes on Beede:
“There’s no question that Beede has some of the best stuff of any starter in the class, but there are serious questions about his command, as the right-hander often struggled to throw strikes over the spring.” —ESPN.com
“He has thrown more strikes this spring (3.3 BB/9) but has been more hittable, and scouts give him average control grades with below-average command.” —Baseball America
“When Beede is at his best, he can display three above-average pitches. His fastball usually operates around 92-94 mph and can clock as high as 97. His sharp curveball and his changeup both arrive in the low 80s, playing off his fastball well.” —MLB.com
“Beede has a big personality and rap alter ego (Young Beedah) and was the life of Team USA’s clubhouse despite his struggles last summer.” –Baseball America
My thoughts: Hearing Peter Gammons comp Beede to Matt Harvey made me jerk my head back, and boy do I hope the Giants got themselves one of them Matt Harveys. Still, a pitcher with three pitches for the most part developed is sexy, and if you’re worrying about his big-time arm not having good command like another top Giants prospect you’ve heard about, let’s see what happens when the Giants coaching staff gets to working with him before we panic. You can follow Young Beedah here. He is also scheduled to pitch in the Super Regional against Stanford on Friday scheduled to start at 10:00AM PST.
As for the second round pick, the Giants selected catcher Aramis Garcia, who also has a twitter account as do most younguns these days. Garcia is a bit of a surprise pick because he is a catcher, and the Giants have a star catcher you’ve heard about, and they have a fairly decent MLB backup, and they have a Susac waiting in Triple-A Fresno. Garcia, who plays are Florida International University, is the second catcher chosen in the second-round in four years (Susac). Unlike Beede who had spots on the Draft Board of all three of BA, ESPN, and MLB.com, Garcia was on the two lists that stretched to 200 players: BA and MLB.com. On Baseball America, he was rated as the #74 overall Draft prospect, while at MLB.com, he was #78. Here’s MLB.com’s video:
Moving pictures from Baseball America can be had here. Think I’m a fan of that swing. The grades don’t project favorably for Garcia to become a star, but you never know. Perhaps something clicks, especially with his defense. Some quotes:
“He has present strength and a mature approach at the plate and profiles as an offensive backstop. Garcia’s bat is ahead of his defense, as his footwork remains problematic and his blocking needs work. He has average arm strength and had thrown out 28 percent of opposing basestealers.” –Baseball America
“Garcia … makes contact well with his short, compact stroke. His swing is more geared to hitting line drives, but scouts believe he can add more strength to his lean frame and hit for more power as a result. Though scouts prefer his bat to his glove, Garcia is a solid defender. He has an average arm and is a good receiver. He will need to work on his footwork and blocking as a professional, however.” –MLB.com
Welcome to the club, Beede and Garcia. I look forward to you being ready to help the big club sooner rather than later.
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