Prospect Profile: Tim Beckham

This is the first post of a series with which I will periodically dedicate a few paragraphs to a minor league player - track record, strengths, weaknesses, upside, etc. However, I should note that in the interest of fairness if my only sources for the information are subscription material, such as that provided by Baseball America and Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus, I will be very brief in my comments. Free material and other primary/secondary sources are fair game. If applicable (IE if I saw the player in person one or more times), I'll provide my own amateur anecdotal observations and some visuals as well.

Ultimately, the purpose is mostly for fun and to take a look at perhaps less heralded prospects on their ascent to MLB, in addition to getting a look at the player's swing or delivery, which isn't always easy with very limited television coverage of minor league games. All footage I currently have was taken with a low-end digital camera without a tripod, so my apologies regarding the mediocre zoom and the shaking. A decent video camera is on the list for next baseball season.


BACKGROUND

Contrary to the introduction, the first prospect profile is far from a low-profile player. Tim Beckham was the first overall pick in the 2008 amateur draft after a prolific career at Griffin High School in Georgia. A rough introduction to professional baseball as an 18-year-old has already led some to question the selection of the shortstop over #2 overall pick Pedro Alvarez of Pittsburgh, but long is the list of teenagers who have struggled against older competition on their rise to stardom.


STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

Simply put, Beckham is a high school talent absolutely loaded with tools. His upside is a star-level player playing a middle-diamond position (whether SS or CF), the hardest kind to come by. Perhaps most encouraging is that unlike many who are drafted as shortstops before moving leftward on the defensive spectrum, Beckham is very good defensively and is unlikely to move off the position unless Tampa Bay's roster composition dictates it when he is ready for MLB. His arm and athleticism would handle a transition to CF and probably thrive there as well. Tim gets high marks for his character and attitude, which while unquantifiable are encouraging traits for a high school pick with work to do to achieve his upside.

Scouts project Beckham to add power as he develops (currently 6'2", 191 lbs.), but he will likely never anchor a lineup. It is easier to foresee Beckham as a leadoff hitter with modest power or a very good #2 hitter. However, despite his obvious potential and bat speed, he'll have adjustments to make to reach that level. The good news is that should his bat never fully come around, quality defense at shortstop means generally much lower expectations with the bat; he can miss on his offensive upside and still be a high quality regular.


PERFORMANCE

Beckham batted an unimpressive .243/.297/.345 in 197 plate appearances in the Appalachian League, and went 2 for 6 with a pair of walks in a brief stint in the New York-Penn League. His strikeout total (43) was troubling, which would project out to 131 strikeouts over a full 600 PA season. That said, if Appy League statistics meant much at all, there would be a whole slew of 23-year-old first basemen with bright MLB futures based on their performance against younger competition in the league, and it is certainly understandable for a player like Beckham to perhaps press in light of the immense expectations placed on him as a first overall pick. Beckham will spend 2009 in low-A as a 19-year-old, again one of the youngest players in his league.


FOOTAGE




This footage was taken in August 2008 at Burlington Athletic Stadium in Burlington, NC, at a Princeton Rays - Burlington Royals Appalachian League game. Since I was working, I was unable to record all of his at-bats. He struck out swinging in his first AB, and reached on an infield error in his second (contact shown in footage). Footage of Beckham on the bases is also shown; he didn't run, but you can get a feel for his secondary leads as well as his first step quickness.

Anecdotally, Beckham looked frustrated and I would have to imagine was pressing a bit. Not shown are a couple reactions to strike calls. Below is the second clip (first swing) from this footage replayed at 1/4 speed.


SWING