Beck eyeing strides forward on offense

This story was excerpted from Thomas Harding’s Rockies Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- First-round pedigree or any other high outside expectations mean little to Rockies left fielder Jordan Beck, who demonstrated the talent during some sizzling streaks last season – his first as a regular in the Majors.

The goals that Beck holds most dear are written in the mist.

“You just write it down, look at it, say it in the mirror a few times,” said Beck, selected out of the University of Tennessee 38th overall in 2022. “For me, for whatever reason, I like to write it in the shower -- the glass shower. You write stuff down, wipe it off, keep going. It’s a constant reminder every day, whether I’m in the shower or not.

“I know it's different than most guys, but that's just what I do.”

As for those condensation affirmations, Beck said, “I keep them to myself, but you have an idea of what kind of player you want to be.”

The Rockies Beat newsletter promises in-depth coverage, but this will not be an investigative piece during which we present pictures of traces of Beck’s temporary manuscripts. We’ll let him have his privacy.

But if the highs of last season occur more consistently, we’ll all know. Here are some:

• With three homers in a doubleheader at Kansas City on April 24 and two at home against the Reds on April 25, he became the first player in club history to hit five homers in a two-day span -- not to mention the first since Hall of Famer Ty Cobb (May 5-6, 1925) to hit his first five homers of a season in two days.
• He reached base in 17 straight games from May 1-19.
• In July, he slashed .314/.359/.442 with three doubles, one triple, two home runs, eight RBIs and two stolen bases.

Beck finished tied for third on the team with 16 home runs and led the team in stolen bases with 19. However, the final numbers -- .258/.317/.416, 53 RBIs -- suggest the need for growth in terms of consistency.

Some of what are known as “platoon splits” open eyes. Beck ranked 13th in the National League against left-handed pitching in batting average .291 (37-for-127) and was tied for 12th in slugging percentage. He also slashed .303/.348/.466 with 18 doubles, three triples, eight home runs and 36 RBIs in 76 games at home, but in 72 road games slashed .204/.280/.355 with nine doubles, two triples, eight home runs and 17 RBIs.

Under a new front office, the Rockies have a roster that’s multi-positional and matchup-oriented. But the Rockies see Beck as a regular who can provide impact in the middle of the lineup.

Manager Warren Schaeffer sees Beck as a developing player with a high ceiling in hitting for average and power, reaching base, running and defense. Schaeffer also said Beck off the field reminds him of one of his teammates as a Minor Leaguer in the Rockies system -- eventual Rockies star Charlie Blackmon.

“The great thing about Jordan Beck is that he prepares pretty dang good,” Schaeffer said. “I've said this before, but Chuck always prepared the best. Everybody knew that. Beck learned a lot from that [Blackmon serves as a special assistant to the general manager]. You see him in the video room, probably second to Chuck. You trust that he will get better at those things, because he cares.”

The ability to prepare showed late last season, when he was going through the usual fatigue that hits a player when going through a full Major League season for the first time.

Beck finished 2024 in the Majors, but a left wrist injury limited him to 55 games with the Rockies. Last season, Beck endured a 10-day option to Triple-A Albuquerque in April after a slow start, but his 148 games with the Rockies represented a full workload.

But during the second half, Beck sought reasons he was not getting to fly balls as efficiently as he expected. Research and work with manager of performance sciences Brendan Stone led to a slight change in his pre-pitch setup, and Beck improved.

The offseason was devoted to learning himself as a hitter, in hopes of closing gaps that may have occurred last year because he didn’t have as much experience.

“If you're not adapting in this game, you're going to get left behind,” Beck said. “Every year, pitchers are coming up with new pitches and more pitches that we need to handle and be able to cover both sides of the plate even more. I didn't change a ton -- just honing in on what my skills are and what I'm good at.

“I know what I can do at my peak end. I think that all our players do. We know what we're capable of. I still think I'm scratching the surface of what I'm truly capable of.”

What Beck expects is written in the steam.