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Bryce Beeler is a two-way player at Memphis, but it’s very apparent that his future lies solely on the mound. As a second baseman, Beeler has decent mobility and obviously a great arm, but he’s utterly punchless at the plate despite some natural bat speed. Over his three seasons at Memphis his slugging percentages were .312, .316, and .287. He has just 20 extra-base hits in 340 at-bats, all but two of them doubles.
It’s as a pitcher that Beeler becomes an interesting prospect. Memphis transitioned Beeler to the mound, and he became their closer this season, so he is still getting the hang of the art. Unfortunately, since he is new to pitching, I haven’t seen Beeler pitch before, nor has anyone I’ve been lucky enough to talk to. Eric suggested we reach out to Mets’ Vice President of Player Development and Scouting Paul DePodesta for some information about Beeler, and he was happy to oblige despite being quite pressed for time:
Bryce was largely a position player for two years in school, but spent time on the mound this year. He is very athletic, a good strike thrower, and shows both a good sinker and slider. The slider is his go-to secondary pitch.
Athleticism and control are two things the Mets love, so it’s no surprise they were intrigued by Beeler.
I don’t have a recent velocity report on Beeler, but I’m expecting him to sit somewhere in the low-90s in relief stints. I wouldn’t expect him to start, given his lack of experience and age, but it’s possible the Mets could find a serviceable reliever and a late bloomer. I also lack a report on his mechanics, so that’ll have to wait until he joins the Mets’ system.
Every indication is that Beeler plans on signing with the team.