The Rangers signing a bullpen arm late into camp doesn’t come as a surprise. Over the last couple of days there have been some concerns about how the Rangers will round out their bullpen. Before this signing, it looked like there were two bullpen spots open, assuming Cole Winn, Carter Baumler, Tyler Alexander, Robert Garcia, Chris Martin, and Jakob Junis had spots locked up. Alexis Diaz doesn’t seem like he is going to win a spot, and will likely start in the minor leagues because he has options. In addition, the Rangers have arms they could fill the spots with, they just may not want them in the big leagues yet. Adding Jalen Beeks gives the Rangers another solid bullpen option. It could also indicate that Jacob Latz will be the Rangers 5th starting pitcher.
Jalen Beeks has just over 7 years of service time in the MLB. He posted a 3.71 ERA in 57.1 innings last year. Beeks has a three-pitch arsenal that consists of a 4-seam fastball, change-up, and a cutter. The fastball from Beeks gets decent ride, having 15 inches of vertical break. However, his best pitch is the change-up. Opponents are hitting a measly .067 against it, and are slugging .080. It’s safe to say the change-up rarely gets hit hard. Additionally, it’s his best strikeout pitch. Beeks has a 26% K rate on the pitch, and a 35% whiff rate.
Jalen Beeks will likely slot into the Rangers bullpen and will be the club’s third left-handed option out of the pen. He has the ability to pitch against both right-handed and left-handed hitters, but is most effective against the lefties. I think this definitely improves the Rangers bullpen. With Beeks added to the mix, the Rangers have a solid set of bullpen arms. Assuming Beeks takes a spot, that leaves one spot left. Between Josh Sborz, Peyton Gray, Gavin Collyer, Ryan Brasier, and Luis Curvelo it will be interesting to see who wins the spot. With this move, the Rangers will have to make a 40-man roster move, meaning someone will likely be designated for assignment.