Welcome to Volume Seven of PARScards for 2026!
Next up, we have Jace Beck of the Cubs. He’s a big dude with some interesting details. Let’s dig in.
(TL;DR: Consider this one a priority prospect pickup)
Background
Man, this one is exciting. While doing a PARS update, I stumbled across Beck’s transition from reliever to starter, filed it away for later, then saw this:
Okay, he’s definitely going on the watch list...
His next start: 5 innings, 5 hits, 1 run, 11 strikeouts. Great, now it’s time to add him. But who is this dude?
Beck is a 6-foot-9 pitcher the Cubs signed off the scrap heap in the offseason, discarded by the Mets. Drafted 658th overall in 2019 out of an Oklahoma high school, he signed for $125k and forwent his college commitment. After seven somewhat injury-riddled seasons with the Mets, mostly as a reliever, he was cut loose. Beck definitely showed enough to stick—insane strikeout rates, albeit with serious control problems stemming from the mechanical challenges created by his enormous frame and long levers. Still, the underlying traits were there. A plus four-seam fastball that lives 94–96 but touches 98. Elite extension and huge ride thanks to his gigantic frame. This was a very raw ball of clay that the Mets had no clue how to mold. Even at age 25, the Mets never promoted him beyond High-A.
How’d We Get Here?
Enter the Cubs. He signed in November and was assigned immediately to Double-A. In his last two seasons with the Mets, he faced 10 or more hitters in an appearance just three times out of 68 games, with all of them coming in 2023 (he lost the entirety of 2024 due to an injury that I could not unearth). In his first 17 appearances with Chicago, he faced 10 hitters or more in 13 of those games, often working three innings. The Cubs got him in a groove by turning him loose. They even sent him to Triple-A for two games in April before returning to Double-A.
He was then moved to the rotation on June 12 and went completely ballistic. The formula caught it, switching him to a starter and ranking him as the 53rd best SP prospect upon his debut on the SP-Spec tab three weeks ago:
In five starts, he totaled 23 innings, allowing 17 hits and three earned runs while striking out 45 against 10 walks. That’s good for a 1.17 ERA (1.83 FIP), a 46% strikeout rate, and a 10% walk rate. Sick. Beck is screaming at us that he can start. The Mets kept him on a short leash, whereas the Cubs have completely unclipped the leash from the collar and are letting him run amok in the dog park. He’s having the time of his life.
Dominant start on July 11, 2026
And guess what happened next? He was promoted to Triple-A over the All-Star break…as a starter. Paying attention yet?
The Good
- Power arm with very little mileage on it
- Elite strikeout upside
- Absolutely shoving since a move to the rotation (Southern League Pitcher of the Month in June)
- Three- to four-pitch mix further speaks to him being a starter, not a reliever
- FS: the fastball is plus and his standout weapon. We talked velo, but he also gets over 17 inches of IVB with armside run.
- Splitter: his best secondary that plays well with his FB
- Slider/curve: these are works in progress, but from the videos I’ve watched, it’s clear that whatever the Cubs have been working on is clicking. Part of the fix could be that they’ve ditched the windup and have him working exclusively from the stretch
The Bad
- Older prospect at 26; virtually untested at Triple-A
- Not much of a track record, plus spotty injury history
- Prior struggles with command. This is really what will make or break the profile. Will the gains he made as a starter at Double-A Knoxville carry over to Triple-A Iowa?
The Verdict
Buy. Buy. BUY. Go get him. Make space. If you’re conservative or skeptical, or play in a very shallow league, you could wait to see how he fares in Triple-A after the break. But, if he’s as electric with Iowa as he’s been with Knoxville, the interest will skyrocket and you might miss out. He might even get some starts late in 2026. The Cubs’ rotation is a hot mess due to a slew of injuries. They clearly love Beck, adopting him, giving him a good home and letting him run free to do his thing. From the placement in Double-A out of the gate, to the switch to the rotation, to the move to Triple-A… accomplishing more in three months than what the Mets could in seven years.
And if you need more confirmation? How about Cubs GM Carter Hawkins saying EXACTLY how they feel about their newest family member:
Hawkins on 104.3 The Score, July 1, 2026
I’m telling you. This is a potential DUDE alert. Pitching is so hard to come by in most leagues, yet Beck is just 2% owned. Everything about this profile screams breakout. And because he’s 26, and started out as a lowly relief arm, we have a perfect buying opportunity. A September callup is not out of the question either. Go adopt a Beck of your own. JT coined dRAKE Baldwin in 2025. We’re coining jACE Beck in 2026. He’s got that dawg in him and PARS has identified him as a good boy.
Thanks for reading!
- Rick ✌🏼