Pedro Beato Stats & Scouting Report

IP	94
ERA	4.309
WHIP	1.298
BB/9	3.543
SO/9	5.745

Full name Pedro Beato
Born 10/27/1986 in Santo Domingo Centro, Dominican Republic
Profile Ht.: 6'6" / Wt.: 230 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School St. Petersburg JC
Debut 04/01/2011
Drafted in the C-A round (32nd overall) by the Baltimore Orioles in 2006 (signed for $1,000,000).

View Draft Report

Beato was considered an attractive, projectable pitcher as a high school underclassman at Xaverian High in Brooklyn, then had Tommy John surgery in April 2004. He returned for his senior season and showed enough to persuade the Mets to take a flier, drafting him in the 17th round last year as a draft-and-follow. They were expected to sign him, and he could command as much as $1 million. He lacks polish but flashes mid-90s heat from a clean, quick arm action. On scout day at St. Petersburg Junior College, he asked to run the 60-yard-dash and turned in a 6.7-second time, which speaks to his athletic ability. Beato features four pitches, with his fastball, slider and changeup all showing potential to be plus pitches. His fastball sits near 90 mph, touching 96. It has good, late life and sink. His 84-85 mph slider is a power pitch that he doesn't command consistently, but has sharp bite. He has feel for his changeup and will show a curveball that isn't the swing-and-miss offering his slider is. Beato has trouble repeating his delivery, which leads to erratic control. But his arm works well, and when he finds a comfortable, three-quarters slot, he can be dominant.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

The Mets took Beato out of a Brooklyn high school in the 17th round of the 2005 draft, and then controlled his rights when he attended St. Petersburg (Fla.) JC. But New York couldn't get him signed under the nowdefunct draft-and-follow process, and the Orioles made him the 32nd overall pick in 2006, signing him for $1 million. The Mets finally got their man in December, when they took Beato in the second round of the major league Rule 5 draft. He had floundered as a starter in his first four years as a pro, but flourished when he moved to the bullpen in Double-A in 2010. Beato has an ideal pitcher's frame, and his fastball ranges from 86-93 mph with sink and tail. He has thrown a variety of other pitches during his career, though none of them has developed into a reliable second offering. The best is probably his changeup, which shows good sink. He throws a curveball and slider but they often morph into a slurvy breaking pitch. He has a lot of effort in his delivery, which costs him command, though he has improved his control and was able to throw strikes and generate groundballs out of the bullpen. Beato doesn't have back-of-the-bullpen stuff but should be a reliable middle reliever. To hold onto him, New York will have to keep him on its major league roster throughout 2011. He can't be sent to the minors without clearing waivers or being offered back to the Orioles.
Signed for $1 million as a sandwich pick in 2006 after the Mets failed to sign him as a draft-and-follow, Beato is the biggest enigma in the system. He made steady progress in his first season and a half as he tried to work with a narrowed repertoire of pitches and improve his feel for pitching. But coming out of spring training last year, he lacked his usual mid-90s velocity and never found it. Baltimore shut him down for five weeks in mid-May and had his arm checked out a couple of times during the season, but found no physical problems. His difficulties may have resulted from his lower half getting out of whack in his delivery. He worked on his mechanics in instructional league and showed renewed pop on his fastball. He went to the Orioles' Dominican complex during the offseason to get a little more work and should be 100 percent for spring training. Beato mainly backs up his fastball with a curveball and changeup that have their moments but still need refinement. He's sharpening his slider to give him another breaking pitch. He could return to high Class A to open the season, and team officials hope he'll reassert himself as one of the organization's best prospects.
After the Mets failed to sign Beato as a draft-and-follow, the Orioles took him 31st overall and signed him for $1 million in 2006. He jumped to low Class A in his first full season and got knocked around a bit as he tried to work with a narrowed repertoire in order to improve his breaking pitches and changeup. Beato's stuff compares with that of anyone in the system, starting with a mid-90s fastball that has good movement and sink. He throws both a curveball and slider, with the curve the better pitch right now. His changeup has also made progress. He's intelligent and confident. While his stuff is good, Beato's pitchability still needs work. He's still inexperienced in knowing sequences and how to set hitters up. Baltimore took away his cutter, which he regards as his best offspeed pitch, and it was sometimes hard for him to pitch without it. He's too inventive with new pitches and actually makes it easier on hitters when he comes off his best stuff. His command also suffers when he tries to be too perfect. He had Tommy John surgery in high school, though he has shown no ill effects since. Beato will take the move up to high Class A this season, and he should be more effective with the cutter back in his arsenal. He'll need some time to develop but should be worth the wait.
Beato first drew attention as a high school pitcher in Brooklyn, but Tommy John surgery in April 2004 dented his draft prospects. The Mets still took him as a draft-and-follow in the 17th round in 2005, but decided not to exceed Major League Baseball's recommendation of an $800,000 bonus last spring. The Orioles jumped on him with the 31st overall pick, signed him for $1 million and were encouraged by the returns from his first summer and instructional league. Beato came to instructional league bragging about adding a sixth pitch to his repertoire, but the Orioles want him to focus on three: his fastball, curveball and changeup. He works in the mid-90s and always leaned on his fastball most, showing an ability to locate it to either side of the plate. His power curve is a well-above-average pitch at times. He's a strong competitor who brings an upbeat attitude to the park. His elbow is healthy and not a concern. The main reason Beato needs to focus on just a few pitches is to improve his location of all of them. He loves to pitch inside, but the Orioles want him to concentrate on commanding the fastball away better. He's athletic but is still working to repeat his delivery. With Erik Bedard and Adam Loewen having graduated to the big leagues, Beato is one of the Orioles' best pitching prospects, albeit at least a couple of years away from joining them. He could open his first full season in high Class A.

Minor League Top Prospects

A 17th-round pick out of a New York City high school in 2005, Beato emerged as Florida's top prospect this spring at St. Petersburg (Fla.) Junior College. When the Mets failed to sign him as a draft-and-follow, the Orioles pounced on him as a supplemental first-round pick and signed him for $1 million. While he elevated his fastball at times and gave up six homers in 57 innings, Beato showed a plus fastball that sat at 92-94 mph range and regularly reached 96. He does it easy with a quick arm, and his athletic abililty leads scouts to project above-average command once he finds a consistent arm slot. He also showed the ability to throw his curveball and his slider for strikes, though his changeup was a bit firm at times. "He's still learning to pitch," Aberdeen manager Andy Etchebarren said. "He still has to learn to be more efficient, but he has a very, very good arm."