Clayton Beeter, whom we ranked as the 24th-best prospect in the Yankees’ organization in our top 30, has informed Joel Sherman of the New York Post that he has made the roster. The right-hander has been a stand-out pitcher in Spring Training, earning a job in the team’s bullpen in what will likely be a long-relief role. Across 17 innings, Beeter has punched out 17 batters faced with a 3.18 ERA with an excellent fastball-slider combination that should play well in shorter spurts rather than a full-time starter’s role.
The right-hander was one of the representatives for the Yankees at the Future’s Game last summer, as he posted a 3.62 ERA with 165 strikeouts across 131.2 innings in Double-A and Triple-A.
Clayton Beeter Will Make the Yankees’ Roster In Bullpen Role
This might be a surprise decision, as Clayton Beeter was expected to be optioned to Triple-A after it was revealed that Luis Gil won the fifth starter job yesterday. Will Warren was considered a more likely option to get the nod over Clayton Beeter in the situation where the Yankees wanted to ease Luis Gil back into action, and this situation mirrors what their plan was if Warren had made the rotation. Having a fifth starter with limited experience can kill your bullpen depth, as they’re often not going to pitch deep enough into games to eat up innings the way that someone like Gerrit Cole can.
Adding Clayton Beeter gives the Yankees two different pitchers on their roster who can go three or four innings and eat up innings in the situation where a game goes into extra innings or a starter exits early. He’s been impressive thus far in Spring Training, throwing a 94-95 MPH four-seamer with excellent vertical movement up in the zone that he’s been locating more reliably for strikes, allowing him to walk fewer batters and pitch more efficiently than he did in Triple-A last season.
His wipeout pitch however is a nasty deathball slider that sits near the zero-line in terms of horizontal and vertical movement, and that could be a difference-making pitch for him. It’s a high-whiff offering that can get whiffs against lefties and righties, and while Clayton Beeter lacks a proper third pitch, the margin for error is a lot wider when in a reliever role versus a traditional starter’s role.
Some of his weaknesses are his aforementioned command struggles and the home run ball, but in a reliever role he could potentially limit those flaws. We also know that Tommy Kahnle could be back at some point in early April, meaning that Beeter could be looking at a short-term stay in the Bronx. The Yankees open their season with seven-straight games against the Houston Astros and Arizona Diamondbacks, and both teams have excellent offenses with home ballparks that can be pretty hitter-friendly, so it’s not a bad idea to carry an extra starter in your bullpen to have ready at a moments notice.
The Yankees originally acquired Clayton Beeter in the trade that sent Joey Gallo to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the 2022 deadline, and if he can contribute, it would be a pretty lopsided deal. It seems the Yankees think highly of Beeter, and hopefully their trust results in some valuable innings for a team with World Series aspirations.