Tuesday, September 01, 2009
Revisiting last year’s top pick
Posted by Alex PediciniWith the number one pick in the 2008 draft the Tampa Bay Rays selected the toolsy prep shortstop Timothy Beckham.
Beckham has solid speed, great range and hands, and above-average arm strength which will allow him to stay at shortstop in the future. His premier athleticism has scouts drooling, but there is growing concern about his slender frame and ability to hit for power.
In his first full professional season he is batting an unspectacular .281/.335/.403 for Bowling Green of the South Atlantic League on the year. His strike zone command has been rather poor, as is expected with most 19-year old prospects, which has resulted in a lowly .29 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Beckham's numbers may be greatly influenced by his home park. His home OPS is .601 while his road OPS stands at .871. His BABIP is also over 100 points higher on the road. Strangely, it appears no other teammates are as greatly affected by their home stadium.
Despite his great speed (reported 6.3 seconds in the 60-yard dash) he has been been caught stealing nine times in 21 attempts. He has also hit into nine double-plays this season.
Beckham is clearly still raw. His defense as supposedly advanced beyond his bat but he has committed 40 errors on the season. These struggles are likely due to the steep learning curve and adjusting to pro-ball at such a young age. There is still plenty to look forward to for Rays fans, Beckham is mature enough to handle the pressures and struggles of being a rising star at a premium position unlike other past number one picks (Matt Bush anyone).
Alex is a student in Boston. He welcomes all questions and comments here
Baseball America has hinted that he’s put on some weight this year and that may be the cause of some of his struggles on the basepaths. Can you confirm this?