The Colorado Rockies have struggled to historic proportions early in the 2025 campaign. They enter today at 6-26, which puts them on pace to win just 37 games this season. That’s fewer than the White Sox last year, and would be the worst record of all time for any team in a 162-game season. Despite their struggles, outfielder Jordan Beck has been a bright spot. He’s slashing .260/.329/.562, and he looks like he could be an important contributor on the next winning Rockies team, as well as a critical piece on winning fantasy baseball rosters. Given he’s rostered in only 58% of leagues, Beck is a perfect opportunity to pick up a hitter with big-time power.
5 Reasons to Pick Up Jordan Beck
Reason #1: Excellent Barrel Rate
Barrels, as defined by MLB.com, are batted balls that have “the perfect combination of exit velocity and launch angle, or the most high-value batted balls.” Beck has excelled at producing high-quality contact this season.
MLB Barrel Rate, 2025 (min. 75 PA)
- Aaron Judge, NYY (24.2%)
- Oneil Cruz, PIT (24.0%)
- Cal Raleigh, SEA (22.7%)
- Jordan Beck, COL (21.7%)
- Shohei Ohtani, LAD (21.6%)
Hitting the ball hard and at optimal launch angles has led to improved power – he’s on pace for 25 home runs this season – as well as excellent expected statistics. Beck’s .531 xSLG (per Baseball Savant) is in the 86th percentile, which points to sustained success.
Reason #2: Boosted Bat Speed
Harboring a below-average bat speed last season limited Beck’s power output. But after speeding up his swing 2.5 MPH between this season and last, the Rockies outfielder has an 80th-percentile bat speed that enables him to make the most of his 47.8% Sweet-Spot Rate. The latter measures how often a hitter hits the ball between eight and 32 degrees, which are the best launch angles for productive batted balls. Beck ranks second among big leaguers with at least 75 plate appearances.
Beck didn’t just improve his bat speed – he did so more than nearly anyone else in baseball. Among hitters who qualified both this season and last, Beck would be tied for fourth in bat speed improvement. And he’d only be a tick below leaders Brendan Rodgers, Anthony Volpe, and Nolan Schanuel, who came in at +2.6 MPH.
Reason #3: He’s Pulling the Ball in the Air
Another change driving Beck’s success, much like other players breaking out around MLB? Pulling the ball in the air more often. Across MLB, the batting average on pulled line drives and fly balls is .590. Hitters are slugging 1.300 on such batted balls.
Only one player in baseball this season has pulled a higher share of his batted balls in the air than Beck has. That’s MLB home run leader Cal Raleigh. Beck comes in second at a 34.8% clip, which has helped him maximize his raw power. The 24-year-old has a 91.8 MPH average exit velocity, which makes pulling the ball in the air even more critical to his success. On such batted balls, Beck has a career .655 batting average and 1.586 OPS – even higher than league-wide production.
Reason #4: Beck is Dominating the Zone
Pitchers across MLB make their money on the corners of the strike zone. This season, hitters are slugging just .323 on pitches in the “shadow” zone, which encompasses the edges of the strike zone. In fact, it’s the worst slugging percentage hitters have had on such pitches since Statcast became available in 2015.
Beck, however, excels on “shadow” pitches. His +6 Run Value on said offerings this season is tied with Mike Trout for second in the big leagues, trailing only Pete Alonso.
MLB Run Value on Shadow Pitches, 2025
- Pete Alonso, NYM (+7)
- Mike Trout, LAA (+6)
- Jordan Beck, COL (+6)
- Pavin Smith, ARI (+5)
- Alex Call, WSN (+5)
Aggressiveness on borderline pitches has made it much easier for Beck to do damage early in the 2025 campaign.
Reason #5: Multi-Dimensional Talent
As is often the case with the best fantasy baseball players, Beck doesn’t just hit home runs. His power is complemented by excellent speed that dates back to his minor league days. In his 2024 MLB Pipeline scouting report, it’s noted that Beck “runs better than one might expect given his big 6-foot-3 frame, and isn’t afraid to use that speed on the basepaths.” He’s shown off that speed so far at the MLB level, swiping seven bases last year and four this year. The former first-round draft pick is currently on pace for a 20-20 season, which would be a huge boost to fantasy managers in all leagues.
Improvements in bat speed, swing decisions, and batted ball profile have fueled Jordan Beck’s early-season success in 2025. While there’s a good chance he’s currently available on your waiver wire, he won’t be for long if he keeps this success up.
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