Giants prospect Tristan Beck to start spring training opener

The SF Giants have chosen right-handed pitching prospect Tristan Beck to start the team's first game of spring training. Beck will take the mound for the Giants when they face off against the Chicago Cubs on Saturday (February 25th) with first pitch scheduled for 12:05 PM Pacific. Beck was ranked the 19th-best prospect in the organization's farm system in Giants Baseball Insider's prospect rankings.

Beck, 26, is on the older side for a prospect who has still not reached the majors. However, he has one of the more intriguing career arcs in San Francisco's farm system.

A Corona, California native, Beck starred during his college career at Stanford and looked like one of the best pitching prospects in college heading into 2017. But a stress fracture in his back caused him to miss the entire season and he was forced to return to college for another year. He returned to form, but concerns about his durability led him to fall to the fourth round of the 2018 draft, where he was drafted by Atlanta.

Just over a year later, Beck was traded to the Giants at the MLB trade deadline for reliever Mark Melancon. Both organizations were cautious with Beck given his history of back injuries, and he has struggled to stay healthy throughout his professional career as well. With that said, when healthy, Beck has been effective and climbed the minor-league ranks.

Beck started last season with Double-A Richmond but was promoted to Triple-A Sacramento after just three outings. After joining the River Cats rotation, Beck finished the year with an underwhelming 5.64 ERA in 97.1 innings pitched (20 appearances), but that overshadows a drastic improvement in the second half of the season. If not for a late season flare up in his back, he seemed well positioned to receive a September callup.