San Francisco Giants: Breaking down the impact of Tyler Beede’s injury

San Francisco Giants pitcher Tyler Beede recently underwent Tommy John Surgery which will keep him out all of the 2020 season. We break down the impact of this unfortunate set of circumstances.

The San Francisco Giants were dealt some terrible news a little over a week ago regarding young starting pitcher Tyler Beede. But in reality, given everything that has transpired in the world since then, it feels like months ago.

No one knows for sure when the MLB season will begin this year, if it even does at all. But one thing is certain — the Giants won’t have one of their most promising young pitchers.

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Beede was originally diagnosed with a flexor strain and elbow sprain earlier this month but a second opinion revealed that he needed to undergo Tommy John surgery — three dreaded words that no pitcher ever wants to hear.

The surgery will keep him out for the entirety of the 2020 season, but the hope is that he will be able to pitch most, if not all of 2021. And not that it’s any consolation, but if there is any year to miss, it’s likely a shortened season in which the Giants aren’t expected to compete.

Still, this is a major blow to a player who Giants fans had high hopes for in 2020. Beede saw his first taste of extended MLB action last season making 22 starts and finishing with a 5.08 ERA. It wasn’t the first impression he was looking for, but there were reasons to remain optimistic.

The 26-year-old worked hard on his curveball and changeup this offseason and he was expected to rely more on his off-speed stuff than his blazing fastball. And early reports were that he was impressing in the spring.

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Beede was the front-runner for the fifth starter spot that remains an open competition. The likes of Johnny Cueto, Jeff Samardzija, Kevin Gausman, and Drew Smyly were already locked into the rotation, but the fifth spot was expected to be up for grabs.

Of course, the ongoing league postponement could change things so it’s difficult to predict who will take Beede’s place. Perhaps the Giants could go with a similar young prospect in Logan Webb.

Webb missed most of last season serving an 80-game suspension for PED’s, but still managed to make his major-league debut in August. The 23-year-old was expected to be on an innings limit this year, but the shortened season could be his ticket to a major-league opportunity.

If not, the Giants could roll with one of their more experienced options. Veteran Trevor Cahill was having a strong spring before the shutdown and could be a leading candidate. If not, 10-year veteran Tyson Ross is another viable option.

Or the Giants could opt to roll with right-hander Dereck Rodriguez again. The 27-year-old struggled last season, but showed plenty of promise as a rookie in 2018. Perhaps he could regain his 2018 form that made him one of the team’s most pleasant surprises.

No matter how you look at this, the Tyler Beede injury is a terrible blow to a team that already didn’t have much to look forward to in 2020.

Who knows when baseball will resume, but San Francisco Giants fans looking to see Tyler Beede take the mound will have to wait until 2021 to see their young hurler again.