After quick debut, Beeter looks ready for more of The Show

This story was excerpted from Bryan Hoch's Yankees Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

ST. PETERSBURG -- Clayton Beeter secured a piece of history with a blink-and-you-missed-it Major League debut on March 29 in Houston, providing a brief glimpse of the talent that figures to soon stamp a return trip to The Show.

Summoned for the ninth inning of the Yankees’ 7-1 victory over the Astros at Minute Maid Park, Beeter became the 10th pitcher in franchise history to record a three-pitch inning. He was the first since Mariano Rivera on June 15, 2003.

“I feel like I’m here because my stuff is good enough to face those kind of guys, and I like the challenge of seeing how it plays,” Beeter said that night. “I think I broke more of a sweat getting ready in the bullpen than in the game.”

The Yankees optioned the 25-year-old Beeter to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre the next day, with manager Aaron Boone explaining that Beeter would report to the Minors to continue building up as a starter.

However, the Yankees see big things ahead for the hard-throwing Beeter, who is rated as the club’s No. 13 prospect by MLB Pipeline and was acquired from the Dodgers as the return in the August 2022 trade that sent Joey Gallo to L.A.

“We’re really excited about him, and I know he’s going to help us a lot this year,” Boone said of Beeter.

In six starts at Triple-A, Beeter has posted a 3-1 record with a 2.89 ERA. Across 28 innings, Beeter has held opponents to 17 hits, walking 16 while striking out 41. He has also permitted only one home run, notching a 1.69 ERA thus far in two May starts.

Beeter’s workload included a showdown against Gallo’s Rochester Red Wings on Wednesday in Moosic, Pa. Beeter struck out Gallo twice (once swinging and once looking), while Gallo reached base once on an error.

“I know I have good stuff,” Beeter said. “It’s just kind of getting into the mindset of believing that my stuff is going to play, even in the [strike] zone. It just allows me to go out there and attack. Obviously, when I do that, I end up having good results.”

MLB Pipeline’s writeup on Beeter notes that he shows flashes of plus pitches. His best offering is an 82-86 mph slider with two-plane depth that hitters can’t barrel or lay off. His fastball sits 92-94 mph and peaks at 97, with more carry up in the zone than true life.

Beeter also features a curveball and a changeup, though it has been suggested that he could find success out of the bullpen by primarily focusing on the fastball/slider combination.

“His fastball is really good,” catcher Jose Trevino said this spring. “I think his offspeed pitches are really good. He gets to good locations. Just having conversations with him, he’s a smart kid. He understands what his arsenal is and what he can do with it.”

Minor League roundup

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre: Infielder Caleb Durbin is riding a 17-game on-base streak (since April 24 at Durham), during which he is batting .328/.442/.453 (21-for-64) with five doubles, one homer, 12 RBIs and seven steals. Durbin leads the RailRiders in runs (28), hits (42), doubles (13), RBIs (28), walks (27) and steals (17).

Double-A Somerset: Left-hander Brock Selvidge picked up a complete-game victory on Saturday at Altoona, permitting three runs on five hits and three walks over seven innings for his third straight winning effort. Over his past four starts, Selvidge has allowed only seven runs (four earned) on 14 hits and nine walks over 24 innings, with 22 strikeouts. He’s the Yanks’ No. 10 prospect, per MLB Pipeline.

High-A Hudson Valley: Right-hander Cam Schittler has enjoyed a terrific start to the season, permitting just seven runs (three earned) across 26 innings. Last Tuesday at Aberdeen, he struck out seven across five hitless innings. Schittler’s 0.73 WHIP is the best in the South Atlantic League among regular starting pitchers.

Single-A Tampa: Infielder Dylan Jasso was named the Florida State League’s Player of the Week for April 29-May 5. Jasso batted .346 (9-for-22) with three doubles, three homers and 10 RBIs over that stretch, and he is batting .378 (17-for-45) in 11 May contests.