McAdam: After disastrous spring training outing, Jalen Beeks get another shot

If nothing else, Jalen Beeks has found that the old maxim -- the one about never getting a second chance to make a good first impression -- is not, in fact, always true.

Thursday night at Fenway Park, Beeks will get his second chance. Or, third, depending on your math.

The first one came on March 10 in Fort Myers, and it didn't end well. In fact, it hardly began. That day, Beeks was a last-minute replacement for David Price at Hammond Stadium, the spring training home of the Minnesota Twins. With heavy rain in the forecast, the Sox scrapped plans for Price to pitch, wary that the wet grounds could cause injury or the heavy rain could interrupt his outing, opted to have Beeks pitch instead.

It did not go well. Beeks faced seven hitters in the bottom of the first, allowing six hits and one walk. Every one of the seven Twins hitters he faced came around to score, and the hits weren't gifts, or bleeders. It was the inning that wouldn't end -- until manager Alex Cora came out to put him out of his misery.

But if Beeks can apply the same deft touch to the Detroit Tigers hitters Thursday that he used in recalling that outing three months ago, he'll do fine.

"I didn't record an out,'' said Beeks Wednesday, in anticipation of his major league debut, "and that's not exactly how you want it to go.''

Nope, not the way you draw it up at all. But Beeks quickly demonstrated that two of the things a young pitcher needs are a short memory a thick skin.

"Getting shelled like that is tough,'' said Beeks. "It's definitely not what you want, especially in your first spring training. But I tried to use it as a positive; that's what I've always tried to do. I told myself, 'I've got to execute pitches better.' That day, I had one, maybe one, two pitches. I knew I needed to make some adjustments. But I didn't want to change anything too much. I think they just had my number that day, and I've had success before.''

(Beeks had actually faced the Baltimore Orioles in the week previous, but that was a split-squad contest, with fewer people from the Red Sox organization watching).

The next day, Beeks was optioned to the minor leagues, which, coming fast on the heels of his shellacking the day before, might have been a devastating one-two punch for another young player. But the Sox made sure that Beeks knew that the demotion wasn't the result of his forgettable start.

"They said, 'This was pre-determined. We're not sending you down because of the start. We don't think any less of you because of the start,' '' Beeks said.

Beeks was determined to take the Red Sox at their word and use the experience as a learning tool.

This isn't a first-round blue-chipper fast-tracked to the big leagues. Beeks was selected in the 12th round in 2014. He spent parts of two seasons at Double-A at Portland. His one-time University of Arkansas teammate, Andrew Benintendi, has been in the big leagues for almost two full seasons.

So, nothing has been handed to Beeks. He doesn't blow up radar guns, or wow evaluators with any plus-plus pitches. But when he's on, he has as many as four quality pitches as part of his repertoire, along with a delivery that makes it difficult for hitters to pick those pitches.

And if Beeks lacks the next-level velocity that makes scouts drool these days, he compensates by having a great feel for pitching, with precise command and an innate ability to keep opposing hitters off balance.

All of which have helped Beeks strike out hitters at Triple-A at a higher rate this season. In 56.1 innings, he's fanned 80 -- which translates into a 12.8 strikeout-per-nine-innings ratio, tops in the International League -- and walked just 14, while holding hitters to a .197 average.

"I think my delivery's gotten better this year,'' explained Beeks, "so each of my pitches has gotten better. I've had all four pitches in each game, so I've actually diversified, evened out the percentage of each pitch and not overused any of them.''

It's helped, too, that over the last few years, Beeks has refined a cutter, which has helped provide different looks to his hitter and helped play up his fastball and curveball.

Of course, it's one thing to have success at Triple-A, and quite another to do it against big-league hitters.

This will be cameo appearance for Beeks, who will be optioned back to Pawtucket after the start. There will be the usual nerves in the run-up to his debut, but if nothing else, Beeks can comfort himself with the knowledge that, by definition, his second chance to make a good impression can't be any worse than his first.