Maybe Joey Gallo ended up helping the Yankees, after all.
Approaching one year since they sent the beleaguered slugger to the Dodgers to end his dismal tenure in The Bronx, the Yankees are beginning to see a silver lining.
Eager to offload Gallo and cut their losses ahead of the 2022 trade deadline, the Yankees sent him to Los Angeles for just one mostly unheralded prospect, right-handed pitcher Clayton Beeter.
At the time, Beeter was ranked as the Dodgers’ No. 15-overall prospect and had a 5.75 ERA with the Tulsa Drillers, Los Angeles’ Double-A affiliate.
But the Texas native thrived in seven appearances with Double-A Somerset last year after the trade, and has elevated even further in stature this season.
After pitching to a 2.13 ERA with Somerset in 2022, Beeter owns a 6-2 record this season with an Eastern League-best 2.08 ERA and 76 strikeouts in 60 ²/₃ innings pitched.
“I think just the mentality, the consistency that he comes out here with, day in and day out [has stood out],” Somerset pitching coach Grayson Crawford said. “You kind of watch him, whether he’s having a clean inning, or whether there is some traffic on the bases, it’s pretty much the same guy all the way through. Extremely competitive, has made some really big pitches at times when he’s needed to.”
Beeter has risen to become the No. 13-ranked prospect (No. 6 among pitchers) in the Yankees’ organization, and is much more of a serious option to eventually make the major league roster than he was when he arrived.
He likely won’t get that call soon, but it could happen either toward the end of the season or next year.
Beeter’s velocity has commanded the most attention and has helped him emerge as an imposing strikeout pitcher and the ace of the Patriots’ staff.
He consistently throws his fastball in the mid 90s, at times reaching 97-98 mph.
If the 24-year-old Beeter is to make the jump to the next level, it’ll likely be on the back of that fastball.
“Velocity is always something you can improve on,” Beeter told The Post. “Especially right now, that’s probably the main thing that I’m working on. Trying not to lose what I have, but also trying to gain a couple of extra miles per hour.”
After recording elite strikeouts-per-nine-innings marks throughout his minor league career (he struck out 15.1 batters per nine innings last year), Beeter success in that department waned in the early stages of this season.
That likely can be attributed to the Yankees lengthening Beeter out as more of a true starter. He was used primarily as an opener in the Dodgers’ system.
Both Beeter and Crawford are confident he has turned a corner in rediscovering his strikeout dominance, however, as he continues to adjust to increased usage.
“Consistency is definitely a big factor,” Beeter said. “When you look at really good big leaguers, day in and day out you know what you’re gonna get from them. I think for me, this year has been really good, to see how I bounce back from outings and show everyone that I really can take on this workload and not let it affect me negatively. That’s the one thing I’m happiest about this year.”