In 2011, Beede's senior year at Lawrence Academy in Groton, Massachusetts, Tyler committed to a baseball scholarship at Vanderbilt.

Tyler says Lawrence Academy is a great place to prepare for college living and getting to meet new people. It provides boarding. A friend from the summer baseball circuit, Joe Napolitano, was a sophomore at Lawrence Academy at the time, and he tried to sell Beede on the benefits of private school.

“He was looking for something with more of a college atmosphere and more competition,” says Napolitano, a junior committed to Boston College. “I told him Lawrence Academy was good for getting you ready (for college) and it was a high level of play here."

Beede's dad, Walter, is a former June draft pick by the Chicago Cubs out of high school. He played in the minors for a few years and was a teammate of Brewers scouting director Bruce Seid.

Walter then passed his knowledge down to Tyler and his brothers. When Tyler Beede was 8, his dad taught him proper mechanics (“Always find your balance position,” recites Beede); when he was 12, he learned how to throw a curveball.

"I was born into the game. I always wanted to play. Once I got old enough to play in a league I just fell in love with it and it went from there," said the young Beede. "The last year of little league everything was easy for me. I was striking guys out. I was winning games pretty easily. I wanted to challenge myself more."

The Blue Jays chose Beede as their first round pick in the June, 2011 Draft, the 21st player chosen overall.

But Tyler did not sign, choosing his baseball scholarship to Vanderbilt.

"They were still far off," Beede told the Worcester Telegram and Gazette on August 15, the deadline for signing and turning pro. "They ended up getting to $2.5 million, but that still wasn't what we valued the Vanderbilt education at (which was $3.5 million). It was obviously the hardest decision I've ever had to make, but I'm tremendously excited."

And Tyler bared his soul in the form of a hip-hop song he wrote, recorded and posted on the Internet under the name “Young Beedah.” He raps, and has produced eight songs.

The amount Beede left on the table in 2011 was reportedly $2.5 million. It’s more than most people earn in their lives, so some resent Beede for walking away from it. Beede, as his lyrics illustrate, has been shaped by the experience. But rather than derail him, it has helped him grow.

After a trying freshman year, Beede went 14-1, 2.32 ERA as a sophomore and was one of three finalists for the Golden Spikes Award. His junior year has been up and down—he was 7-6, 3.42 ERA, with 88 strikeouts and 36 walks in 84 innings

Beede, known as Young Beedah on campus at Vanderbilt, wrote and recorded a song, "Boston Strong," during the summer in 2012.

On April 20, 2013, during the Red Sox first game after the Boston Marathon bombing, catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia used the song as his walk-up music before each at-bat. Tyler had released it on YouTube and Facebook right after the tragedy.

June 2014: Beede was the Giants first round pick, out of Vanderbilt University in Tennessee. Tyler was the 14th player chosen overall.

July 11, 2014: Beede signed with the Giants, via scout Andrew Jefferson, agreeing to terms with the club on a $2.6 million contract.

Gians scouting director Bobby Evans said after the draft: "We didn't necessarily think he would be. We still had some good names on the board, but we were very happy he was still there. For the most part, whenever you get a guy you really like No. 1, the rest [of the Draft] is somewhat of a sigh of relief."

A native of Auburn, Mass., Beede made 52 appearances (47 starts) in his three-year college career, compiling a 23-14 record and 3.56 ERA. He recorded 287 strikeouts and issued 148 walks in 286 collegiate innings. He was 8-8 with a 4.05 ERA with 116 strikeouts in 113 1/3 innings this past season for the Commodores.

"Moving forward is all about preparing myself for each step," Beede said. "Whatever level I go to, the goal is just execute pitching plans while I'm there, throw quality pitches and be myself so that by the time I get to the big leagues, I'm prepared to stay there for the long haul." (Ryan Hood MLB.com 7/11/2014)

In 2015, the Baseball America Prospect Handbook rated Beede as the second-best prospect in the Giants organization, behind only C Andrew Susac. And #2 again in 2016, behind only SS Christian Arroyo.

But the Giants moved Tyler up to the #1 prospect in 2017. He was at #3 before 2018 spring camps opened, but fell to #28 in the spring of 2019.

In 2015, Beede was selected by the Giants to play in the Futures Game.

Tyler Beede plans to dabble as a rapper, not double as one. Beede intends to launch a website (tylerbeede.com) that will feature about a half-dozen of his recordings, reflecting an interest in music that has gripped him since high school.

"Music is just a little side hobby that kind of takes my mind off of things that are going on within the game or things off the field, too. It's nothing I take extremely seriously, but it's definitely something I enjoy doing."

Beede, acknowledged that his music would fit most easily into the category of Christian rap. It's an outlet, he said, that enables him to "portray and voice who I am off the field—my values, my faith and everything of that nature. It gives me an opportunity to sort of humanize myself, be transparent about who I am and what I believe in."

Beede counts artists such as J. Cole and Mike Stud among his influences. Like most rappers, he has an alias, "Beedah," a moniker that a friend gave him in junior high school. "It kind of just stuck from there," Beede said. (Chris Haft is a reporter for MLB.com. - February 20, 2016)

One of the keys to Beede’s big step forward in 2016 was his emphasis on conditioning. In a January, '16 camp that included several big leaguers, Beede won the Giants’ award for the hardest worker.

April 10, 2018: Two hours after he was removed from his Major League debut against the Diamondbacks, which the Giants won, 5-4, Tyler wore his full uniform as he chatted with friends and relatives outside the team's clubhouse.  So, you were so thrilled about your Major League debut that you didn't want to shed your work clothes, right, Tyler?

Wrong. He put his jersey back on to give his loved ones what they wanted as they posed for pictures. "For family photos, that was probably the play," Beede said. 

Beede didn't satisfy just the folks who came to see him. He kept the score close during his four-inning stint, allowing a pair of first-inning runs but little else. Beede received no decision, but he certainly contributed to San Francisco's victory.

"A lot of thoughts come to my mind, but at the end of the day, I kept the team in a position to win," said Beede, who surrendered three hits, walked five and struck out three besides yielding those two runs.  I was nervous probably prior to the game," Beede said. "Once I got out there, I settled in."  (Haft - mlb.com)

April 10, 2018 was a night for the memory books for freestyler rapper/Giants pitcher Tyler Beede, who made his MLB debut against the D-backs. He threw four innings of three-hit ball while allowing two runs, all under the watchful eye of his mother, Cheryl. The Giants went on to win, 5-4.

At the start of the bottom of the third inning, NBC Sports Bay Area reporter Amy Gutierrez caught up with Cheryl, who explained how Tyler told her that he would be coming up from Triple-A to pitch for the Giants. While discussing the emotions of his debut, though, Gutierrez pointed out that the PA announcer was about to say Beede's name for his first MLB at-bat. 

Cheryl Rivers was so happy and thrilled about it that she asked if she could pause the interview to watch her son's debut at the plate. Gutierrez obliged, of course, and Cheryl got to snap a picture of this dream come true. It didn't matter that Beede went down on strikes. That's a memory he'll have forever—and so will his mom.  (Mearns - mlb.com - 4/10/2018)

Beede has settled on a 3-pitch mix—a four-seam plus FASTBALL with life at 93-97 mph, an 80-82 mph power CURVEBALL (a 60 pitch), and a good 79-80 mph CHANGEUP that impresses because of his arm speed, which is the same as with his heater. (Spring 2019)

He can get hitters to chase his curveball into the dirt. His sinker both sinks and tails in on righthanded batters. (Spring, 2018)

SCOUTING GRADES: Fastball is a 55, curve gets a 60, and 50 changeup. And Tyler gets a 45  for his control—all on the 20-80 scouting scale.

Beede is at a crossroads in his career, with questions as to whether he is a starter or reliever. Out of the bullpen, Tyler shows flashes of his plus stuff with his fastball, but his two off-speed offerings—, curve and changeup—lack consistency and vary in grades depending on the appearance, but his hard breaking ball and late-fading changeup, flash above-average potential most often. His below-average control hurts his chances as a starter. He walked more than six batters per nine innings in 2018. (Spring 2019)

2018 Season Pitch Usage: 4-seam Fastball: 30.7% of the time; Sinker 21.1%; Change 29.5%; his Curve 13.3%; and Cutter 5.4% of the time. Average velocity: 4-seam 93.9 mph, Sinker 92.3, Change 81.9, Curve 79.4 mph, and Cutter 88.2 mph.

Tyler displays advanced pitchability. He has learned to get outs earlier in the count, thus pitching deeper into games.

Beede does not have stuff that misses bats—at least not very often. (Spring, 2018)

Tyler's changeup has an interesting story:

"It's  not a circle change, it’s not a box change, it kind of lays in my fingers and whatever happens to my hand moving, it happens. Sometimes I don’t even know which way the ball is going to move, and if I don’t know which way it’s going to move, the hitter doesn’t,” Beede said.

“I hold my palm up. All of my fingers are on the top of the ball. It’s like a two-seam grip. My thumb and pinky aren’t on the sides, they’re all on the top aligned. It’s something I pronate over, and it either drops or fades, and sometimes it cuts. It’s a real unique pitch for me.”

Some scouts had questions in the past about Beede’s mechanics and arm action, but he smoothed them out in 2014-2015, repeating his delivery well and getting good extension out front.

The Giants had Beede scrap his full hands-over-head windup. Now he simply breaks his hands at his waist and uses a simple hip turn. He also adjusted to a slower-tempo delivery with a quick finish, something Beede says he modeled after Zack Greinke.

The tempo builds as he gathers on the rubber. The Giants also asked him to focus on throwing more two-seam fastballs and cutters and relying less on his power four-seamer.

Tyler has a very smooth and fluid, high three-quarter delivery that he repeats well. He has a clean arm action, since the Giants cleaned it up. He's now on a straight line to the plate.

Beede has an exceptional arm and has come a a long way from the all-power, all-the-time approach he once used, but he’s no soft-tosser. He now can pitch or overpower. His body control still wavers enough to make it hard to see him ever having plus control, but he has refined his delivery to the point where average control is possible.

He comes at hitters from a good downhill plane. He could use a bit more leg drive in his delivery to increase his velocity a tad, but he gets good extension out front. And it is a good arm action—a very solid delivery.

"It's a really advanced delivery," Blue Jays scouting director Andrew Tinnish said. "He's a full windup guy, he's got great tempo. It's a high leg kick, it's a great stride, a long stride down the mound. It's a quality follow through. One thing that is important to us as scouts is to break down deliveries, not just for projection but as far as how well we feel the arm will continue to work long term.

"And his delivery really works. It's a delivery that he repeats, and if you can't repeat your delivery you have a tough time throwing strikes. He does throw strikes at a good clip right now. I think he'll continue to get better at that and I think a lot of that is related to his delivery.

Scouts are impressed with Beede's approach to the game. He is an intelligent pitcher with a real aptitude and very polished.

He has a real knack for pitching himself out of tight spots. He has a high baseball IQ and impressive pitchability

Tyler is athletic and very competitive. He has a feel for setting up hitters.

On some occasions, Tyler has control issues, most of which stem from getting out of rhythm as the rest of his delivery tries to catch up to his ultra-quick arm.

"When you see power pitchers, it’s tougher to stay consistent with their mechanics,” said Beede,. “It’s harder to keep the ball down. This organization doesn’t want to walk guys.”

So in 2015, his first spring as a professional, Beede set aside his mid-90s four-seam fastball and big curve for a more efficient set of tools: a sinking, two-seam fastball and cutter designed to retire batters on three pitches or fewer.

He’ll still throw high fastballs with a two-strike count if he wants to overpower a hitter, but the idea is to “pitch deeper into ballgames, pitch a full season, not miss any starts and get hitters out more effectively,” he said.

Many think Beede's tendency to overanalyze is a big reason for his high walk rate during his college career.

Tyler says he would prefer to pitch to contact so he can pitch deeper into games, but he’s had a tendency to run up high pitch counts early in games before settling into grooves later.

"I initially tell myself to split the plate,” he said. “I pitch to contact, get ahead early, and don’t walk guys. It’s not my mindset to not walk anyone, but split the plate. I don’t necessarily need to be more fine, but I need to pitch to the spots on the corners and more the thirds than the halves of the plate.”

Despite his large frame, Tyler brings athleticism to the table with an easy, repeatable delivery. He needs to trust his stuff and not try to be too fine with his location.

Beede spent his first two pro seasons learning how to cut and sink his fastball, and lost some gloss on his prospect status as a result while operating in the low 90s.

Giants coaches insisted all along they had a plan for Beede, who appears primed to be a member of the big league rotation sometime in 2017.

Beede should be become a #3 or #4 starter.

“I finally found that rhythm,” said Beede, 24. “I finally found that repeatable mechanic. It’s really helped me with commanding the zone and controlling my pitches.”

At Double-A Richmond in 2016, Beede cut his walk rate to 3.2 per nine while leading the Eastern League with a 2.81 ERA.

Of course, control and command aren’t solely a function of mechanics.

“Yeah, it is a mindset, too,” Beede said. “For me, the biggest thing was really just getting over that being such a big focus for me: ‘Hey, you’ve got to throw strikes. You’re a guy who always walks people.’ ”

Beede is listed at 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds.

“He’s a big guy who has four pitches,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “He’s got the equipment to pitch here. Now, it’s all about developing all those pitches.”

“(Beede’s) competitiveness will get him (to the majors),” said shortstop Christian Arroyo, Beede’s teammate in the minors. “His stuff’s obviously there.” (Steve Kroner- Baseball America - 5/26/2017)

2019 Improvements: Beede simplified things last year when he was moved to the bullpen in Triple-A, and over the offseason, he worked with a specialist to make his arm path more efficient. He has altered the grip on his fastball and curve to up the spin rate, and the early results are promising. 

March 18, 2019: It’s been a resurgent spring for Giants righthander Tyler Beede. A first-round draft pick of the Giants in 2014, Beede saw his stock tumble after enduring a rough 2018 campaign that included a 7.05 ERA with 56 walks over 74 innings at Triple-A Sacramento. He debuted with the Giants last April, 2018 but he lasted only 7 2/3 innings over two starts and gave up seven runs. After returning to the Minors, Beede was shifted to the bullpen.

Over the offseason, Beede worked to tweak his grips and repertoire, abandoning his two-seamer, cutter and slider to focus on his three best pitches: his four-seam fastball, curveball and changeup. The adjustments have helped turn Beede into one of the best surprises of the spring. President of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi and manager Bruce Bochy have both mentioned the 25-year-old as one of the early standouts in camp.

“It looks like he’s on a mission to show that he’s put a lot of hard work in and doing all he can to open eyes again,” Bochy said. “He’s got the equipment. This guy, it’s his time. He’s really taking advantage of this spring and showing that he’s a different guy.” 

Buoyed by the feedback, Beede is now brimming with confidence and ready for everything to finally click.

“It feels good,” Beede said. “I wanted to come in and compete. That was about as simple of a goal that I made for this spring, and I’m happy with the way that I’ve, for the most part, competed throughout Spring Training. It’s a good foundation to build on, and I’m happy that I’ve impressed some people, especially Farhan, as he’s new here. I’m sure he’s read some things from last year and wanted to see some improvement, so I’m happy that I’ve been able to impress him.

“I’m a lot more confident,” Beede said. “I’m a lot more consistent with what I’m doing in my preparation in the days leading up to my starts and my outings. And what I’m doing on the mound, everything is much more consistent. Everything is a lot simpler. I’m focused on competing versus analyzing.” (M Guardado - MLB.com - March 18, 2019)

June 17, 2019: Even after he posted an 8.06 ERA over his first four starts of the season, the Giants were willing to stay patient with Tyler . The 26-year-old rookie delivered the breakthrough performance they had been waiting for. Despite issuing five walks, Beede held the first-place Dodgers to just a Max Muncy solo home run over six innings to earn his first Major League victory in the Giants’ 3-2 series-opening win at Dodger Stadium.

“Obviously, to win here in this ballpark against this team is awesome enough,” Beede said. “But for it to be my first is obviously special and something I’ll never forget.”

“I’m proud of the kid,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “That’s the best part of the game when you see these kids come up and do well. He was pretty excited after the game.”

Beede scattered three hits and struck out seven, five of which came on his curveball, in the best start of his young career. He is only the fourth Giants pitcher to pick up his first career win at Dodger Stadium, joining Shawn Estes (July 13, 1996), Larry Carter (Sept. 11, 1992), and John Burkett (April 30, 1990).

“He stepped up in a big way, obviously,” catcher Stephen Vogt said. “To me, he showed tenacity tonight. He didn’t have the best command I’ve seen him have, and he figured out a way to make pitches when he needed to and figured out a way to get outs. To me, that’s the sign of somebody who is trending in the right direction.”

A first-round draft pick of the Giants in 2014, Beede endured a disappointing 2018 campaign that included a brief demotion to the bullpen. But he arrived at 2019 Spring Training with renewed confidence and a streamlined repertoire that quickly made him one of the biggest revelations of camp. He earned his first look with the Giants after logging a 1.99 ERA over his first five starts with Triple-A Sacramento, though he initially struggled to translate that success to the Majors.

Still, Beede’s confidence never wavered, and he appeared on the verge of a breakthrough after striking out a career-high seven over 4 2/3 innings in his last start against the Padres.

The flashes of promise finally clicked into place against the Dodgers, as he paired a fastball that topped out at 96.1 mph with a sharp curveball and changeup to stymie one of the best lineups in the National League. After issuing a two-out walk to Matt Beaty in the first inning, Beede came back to whiff NL MVP frontrunner Cody Bellinger on three pitches after spotting a curveball on the outside corner for a called third strike.

“I think everything plays off the fastball location,” Beede said. “When I’m locating the heater down and away or riding it up in the zone for a strike, I think that makes that curveball just as good.” (M Guardado - MLB.com - June 18, 2019)

The numbers made sense to Beede, who said he’s better at inducing soft contact and missing bats when he’s up in the zone.

“It just gives me more conviction to know that I can ride the ball up in the zone,” Beede said. “I think in previous outings, I’ve been really focused on driving the ball down in the zone, and that just doesn’t play for me. It gets me into a situation where I start to pull balls off the plate. I think it’s just understanding what my strengths are. They are doing a good job of making me feel more convicted in that. Those guys brought that to my attention, and it was huge.” (M Guardado - MLB.com - June 28, 2019)

September 13, 2019: Showcasing his sharp command, Beede allowed only two Marlins to reach base over the first six innings, yielding a leadoff single to Starlin Castro in the second and a two-out single to Harold Ramirez in the fourth. He was removed from the game after issuing a one-out walk to Ramirez in the seventh and departed after throwing 87 pitches.

“He went out there and did it again,” Bochy said. “Good stuff. Good fastball, it had good life to it. He had a good breaking ball going, changeup. Really nice job carrying that game in L.A. into this one. He got us deep in the game and could have stayed out there a little longer. I just had Rogers ready. It couldn’t have really worked out better.”

July 25-end of 2017 season: Beede was on the DL with a groin injury.