1 SF Giants pitcher who could shift into a swingman role in 2025

The swingman role is a pretty difficult one to fill in baseball. It can be an important one, too, as an effective swingman can take some of the workload strain off the rest of the bullpen. Could Tristan Beck shift into that role in 2025?

1 SF Giants pitcher who could shift into a swingman role in 2025

It feels like ever since Yusmeiro Petit departed after the 2015 season, the Giants have been searching for a replacement since then. They have identified a few players but have not had any luck.

A true swingman can seamlessly move between starting and working out of the bullpen when the need arises. In the bullpen, it is usually a multi-inning effort. In recent years, Jakob Junis and Sean Hjelle have done a nice job filling the multi-inning reliever role.

Junis has moved on, whereas Hjelle remains with the club. However, limiting Hjelle to just one inning per outing might be the best move for his career. He is far less effective in his second inning of work. In 2024, he held opposing hitters to a .654 OPS through his first 25 pitches but yielded a 1.017 OPS after that. The reasoning could simply be not being able to sustain his velocity as he pitches deeper into games.

That leaves an opening for someone like Tristan Beck. Beck debuted with the club in 2023 and did nicely as he tallied a 3.92 ERA in 33 outings, including three starts. While the Giants ran out of starting pitcher options at times during that season, it was odd that the young right-hander did not get a longer look.

Beck entered camp last year with a good chance at making the Opening Day rotation. He underwent surgery in March to repair an aneurysm in his pitching arm. That sidelined him for much of the season.

The 28-year-old hurler returned late in the year and recorded a 1.69 ERA across 16 innings of work. He does not overwhelm with velocity but he gets above-average extension from his release point, so the velocity plays up and he gets solid armside movement. Beck has confidence in a trio of breaking pitches as well, so he has a starter's pitch mix. He does a nice job of limiting free passes and avoiding loud contact.

However, the best path for him to start the year might be in a swingman role. The Giants like the young starting pitching options they have, pushing someone like Beck down on the depth chart in that role. He came up as a starter and is still capable of throwing multi-inning outings.

The Giants have a couple of other players in camp capable of filling that swingman role including Carson Seymour, Carson Ragsdale, and Joey Lucchesi. Despite working primarily as a starter in the majors, Lucchesi may be vying for the second lefty in the bullpen. That could take him out of the running. Beck carving out a role with the Giants in 2025 after the scary injury he experienced last year would be a nice comeback story.