75 pitches, 69 strk%, 12 whiffs (8 via FBs, 3 via BB, 1 via CHG)
Beam’s three-year SEC resume is lengthy and productive. Public reports tend to tag him as a “command guy with a high floor.” These are monikers dynasty owners tend not to gravitate towards aggressively. A 3ros% reflects this. The reports on the arsenal bolster this narrative. Despite his long amateur track record, which includes production in the College World Series, this was my first time seeing Beam. The idea that an advanced college arm should roll through the lowers isn’t one I subscribe to all the time, but it might apply here. Despite all that, Beam won me over with this look, leaving me to wonder if this “floor” tag is shading the upside.
The 2024 2nd round pick out of Tennessee has been cruising. After a rough-looking debut line, he’s been nails over five starts:
Beam showed a budding three-fastball game. Unsure where the booth was getting their readings, the fastball was 93–97. He would sink it when asked, and there were cutters sewn in. The only shared velocity of a cutter was 90. This offering has a look of one far more on the fastball end of the cutter spectrum. Most fastball offerings in this video are labeled generically as “FB” with spots I was more sure of or wondering, labeled as such. Beam’s most-used secondary was a changeup he would throw to both handed hitters. His breaking ball is a slower 1 to 7/2 to 8 looking curveball. I did wonder if there were a few tries at a different breaker, but I can’t say for certain.
The three fastball game might be subtle to the eye here. I didn’t pick up on some of it until my second and third times through. Beam threw a lot of fastballs, especially the first time through, really bullying at times. But he shows an ability to make the baseball do what he wants at a high clip, with heat subtly moving in several directions and a propensity to spot them where he wants. As the outing progresses, he starts using the secondaries more, but still utilizes his heaters. For whatever it’s worth, the booth commented throughout the broadcast how his fastball felt faster than the readings. Given the public reports on the fastball and the look here, I’m leaning Beam is throwing a bit harder than those have him.
Sure, this is a High‑A lineup, but one of the more productive MWL offenses. It isn’t so much the results here that sucked me in, but more so the way Beam pitches and uses his weapons. And how it leaves confidence the upper’s assignment(s) might be a relatively breezy adjustment for him. See for yourself:
I think the secondaries get 50 reviews, and I wonder if the breaking ball game needs a facelift, but Beam’s three-fastball game might put less need on such things. The intersection of know-how and tools is our destination, and Beam lives in that neighborhood. Beam is the most encouraging Royals arm I’ve watched in 2025, and has me thinking the dynasty world is under-valuing him…maybe significantly so. It’s one look in the logbook, but I’m a fan here, and this feels like a great play in a 30 or only league. Like, maybe make some room for him??