San Francisco Giants: Limiting walks the key to success for Tyler Beede

San Francisco Giants rookie Tyler Beede turned in the best start of his young career on Tuesday, and improved command was the key to his success.

The San Francisco Giants have given Tyler Beede a long leash as he tries to prove he belongs in the big league rotation. He rewarded their patience with seven strong innings against the San Diego Padres on Tuesday.

A first-round pick in 2014, Beede has gone through his fair share of ups and downs along the developmental path, and there is no question this was a make-or-break season for him after a brutal 2018 campaign.

A strong start at Triple-A earned him an early call-up and the demotions of Dereck Rodriguez and Derek Holland have earned him a regular spot in the rotation.

That said, he’s still far from assured of a long-term role.

The 26-year-old entered his start on Tuesday with a 6.45 ERA and 1.89 WHIP over 37.2 innings spanning seven starts and two relief appearances. He had shown flashes with a pair of quality starts, but the bad far outweighed the good.

So what makes Tuesday’s start different from those previous glimpses of success?

Beede faced 24 batters and didn’t walk a single one of them.

It was his first walk-free start of the season, and for someone who entered the game offering up free passes at an unsightly 6.7 BB/9 clip, it was no small feat.

“He stayed away from walks and didn’t hurt himself,” manager Bruce Bochy told reporters after the game. “We’re trying to get these guys to pound the strike zone. That got better as the game went. He got in a nice groove there.”

When Beede struggled to a 6.64 ERA in the minors last season, walks were largely to blame, as he allowed 6.6 BB/9 over 80 innings of work. That dropped to 3.6 BB/9 this season at Triple-A and led to a stellar 2.34 ERA and 1.10 WHIP, eventually earning him a call-up.

Do you see a trend here?

In order to continue working toward being a long-term piece for the rebuilding San Francisco Giants, the walks will need to stay in check.

Tyler Beede has proven capable of avoiding walks. Now he needs to do it consistently.