STANFORD, Calif. – Senior Brendan Beck was selected 55th overall by the New York Yankees in the second round of the 2021 MLB Draft on Monday.
The selection is the highest for the Cardinal since Nico Hoerner (Chicago Cubs) and Kris Bubic (Kansas City Royals) went 24th and 40th, respectively, in the first round of the 2018 MLB Draft. Beck's brother, Tristan, was drafted out of Stanford in the fourth round (112th overall) by the Atlanta Braves in that same draft.
Stanford has now had 10 players drafted in the first two rounds of an MLB Draft since 2011.
Beck was a 2021 All-American according to the ABCA (first team), Collegiate Baseball (second team), D1Baseball (second team), NCBWA (second team), Baseball America (third team) and Perfect Game (third team). The 2021 Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year pitched to a 9-3 record and a 3.15 ERA (fifth in Pac-12) over 17 appearances and 15 starts this year, helping guide Stanford to its 17th College World Series appearance in program history. The native of Corona, Calif. struck out a Pac-12 best 143 compared to just 26 walks over 108 2/3 innings of work, finishing with a 5.50 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 11.84 strikeouts per nine innings. His strikeout-to-walk ratio placed third in the Pac-12 and 46th nationally, while his .98 WHIP led all Pac-12 players and ranked 33rd in the nation. Beck's 143 strikeouts are the most for a Cardinal in a single season since John Hudgins in 2003 (143), and the fourth-most strikeouts in the nation this season.
A two-time All-Pac-12 selection, including a first-team pick in 2021, Beck garnered Freshman All-America honors in 2018 while helping guide Stanford to a conference title that same year.
Stanford's Opening Day starter for three straight seasons (2019-21), Beck made 46 career starts and appeared in 55 games overall, compiling a 22-10 record and one save with a 3.11 ERA over 289.1 innings pitched. The right-hander struck out 289 hitters compared to just 69 walks (4.19 strikeout-to-walk ratio) and finished his career ranked 10th in Stanford history for strikeouts. A consistent starter, Beck logged five-plus innings in 35 of his 46 career starts, and guided the Cardinal to a 34-12 record in his 46 career starts.
The 2021 MLB Draft concludes on Tuesday with rounds 11-20. The first selection on day three is set to be made by the Pittsburg Pirates at 9 a.m. PT.
