ANDERSON, S.C. – A little less than two weeks into the minor league season, former Trojan hurler Landon Beck continues to thrive with the Palm Beach Cardinals (Class-A Advanced) of the Florida State League.
The hard-throwing right-hander split time between Peoria and Palm Beach last season, posting an impressive 2.70 ERA in 10 appearances with the Peoria Chiefs with four saves in four opportunities, while fanning 20 batters and issuing just four walks in 13 1/3 innings. His performance prompted a promotion to Palm Beach last May and the Hartwell, Ga. native, recorded a 3.54 ERA in 34 relief appearances with the FSL club. He earned seven saves, while tossing nearly 41 innings and notching 39 strikeouts.
Beck has made four early-season relief appearances in 2017 and leads the team with three saves, while working 4 1/3 innings on the mound. He earned a save in the Cardinals' second game of the season, a 3-2 road win over St. Lucie, by tossing an inning of one-hit relief. Beck followed up three days later with another save in their 4-3 victory over Charlotte, while surrendering just one hit and striking out one.
He recorded his third consecutive save in the Cardinals' 8-7 victory over Charlotte two days later, after limiting the Stone Crabs to a run on one hit. Beck absorbed his first setback of the season last Saturday after surrendering the winning run in Palm Beach's 10-inning, 2-1, loss at Clearwater.
Beck began his professional career with the Johnson City Cardinals in the Coastal Plains League and worked his way up to the New York-Penn League's State College Spikes before moving to Peoria in August, 2015.
He set the school record for strikeouts in a single season with 90 during the 2014 campaign.
