Tristan Beck

Beck is back this year, but how's the back? That''ll be a question many teams will look to address before the draft, as Stanford's Friday night starter missed the entire 2017 season--in which he was draft-eligible--with a stress fracture in his back. That injury came after a terrific freshman campaign in which Beck started 14 games and posted a 2.48 ERA with 76 strikeouts and 26 walks in 83 innings. At his best, Beck has a four-pitch mix of pitches that are all above-average or better and he's comfortable getting hitters out with any of them, whether that be fastball, curveball, slider or changeup. After being sidelined for 630 days, the early returns on Beck in 2018 were positive and it seemed like he had returned to his freshman year form. Through his first three starts, Beck fanned 20 batters in 18 innings, compared to only four walks, and allowed just three earned runs. However, scouts say Beck's stuff has backed up as the season has progressed and his fastball has been closer to average than plus. His breaking ball has lacked sharpness, as well, and Beck has struggled to pitch deep into games at times. He'll be an arm that teams pay close attention to late in the season, just to see if there is any sort of jump in his stuff. When healthy, Beck has an impressive history of performing--both as a freshman at Stanford and as a high schooler in Southern California--and a true four-pitch mix.