It was only a matter of time before the New York Yankees traded struggling slugger Joey Gallo. Gallo had voiced his displeasure playing for the Bombers, noting the hostility from fans and low confidence.
Gallo has endured a difficult season, arguably the worst in his career in 2022. Over 82 games, he’s hitting .159 with a 28% on-base rate, 12 homers, and 24 RBIs. His 38.8% strikeout rate is the highest in his career, but with a bit more confidence in a small market that won’t destroy him at every turn, he could find his groove once again.
The Yankees traded Gallo to the Los Angeles Dodgers, per Pat Ragazzo, in exchange for pitching prospect Clayton Beeter. Beeter is a 6’2″, 220-pound right-handed pitcher out of Fort Worth, Texas.
- Yankees claim left-handed hitting outfielder off of waivers and DFA depth infielder
- Yankees need more from newly acquired bullpen arm
- Yankees are getting incredible value from veteran catcher
What is Beeter bringing to the Yankees’ farm system?
Beeter made the jump to Double-A Tulsa in the Dodgers farm system, posting a 5.75 ERA over 18 games and 51.2 innings this year. He’s given up 48 hits, 10 homers, and 35 walks in that time span. Clearly, he’s had a few hiccups making the transition to a higher level of ball after performing well in High-A Great Lakes with a 3.86 ERA over 23 games in 2021.
Beeter has two pitches with 60 grades, including his fastball and curveball. He showed elite pitching qualities heading into the 2020 MLB draft, but a tough medical record allowed the Dodgers to snag him in the supplemental second round.
Beeter has a pair of pitches that grade as well above-average when at their best. He sits at 93-96 mph and touches 98 mph with a fastball that has good carry, and a high-spin low-80s curveball that plays off his heater well by dropping through the bottom of the zone. He can flash a solid low-80s changeup with some sink and fade but doesn’t use it very often.
Beeter’s fastball hovers around 96 mph and has touched 98 mph, indicating his fantastic velocity. The expectation is that Beeter will end up becoming a starting pitcher down the line, but he still has to work on his control throwing high velocity. This was a good acquisition for the Yankees after giving up multiple pitchrs in the deal that brought Andrew Benintendi from Kansas City to New York.