With their 1st top 10 draft pick since 1990, the White Sox select Georgia SS Gordon Beckham as their top draft pick (8th overall) in 2008.

 

Name: Gordon Beckham

Position: Shortstop

College: Georgia

Bats: Right

Throws: Right

 

2008 Junior Statistics:

.397 BA, 24 HR, 65 RBI, 85 R, 19 2B, 47 BB, 17/18 SB, .781 SLG, .505 OBP (SEC Player of the Year)

 

2007 (Sophomore):

# Started all 56 games at shortstop and led the team with 13 home runs, 51 RBI, 23 multiple-hit games

# Batted .307-13-51 with a .943 FLDG% in 280 total chances (16 errors)

# Ranked among SEC leaders with 19 doubles and 130 total bases

# Hit .322 in SEC action including team-high seven HRs and 22 RBI

# Batted .571 (4-for-7) with the bases loaded including a grand slam versus Furman on March 28 that won a Bulldog fan $5,000

# Seven three-hit games including one over Furman with a career-high 7 RBI too

# Went 2-for-5, 2 HRs and 4 RBI in season-opener versus #15 Oregon State

# Hit .417 (5-for-12) with 5 runs scored and 6 RBI in series at Kentucky in April

# Batted .500 (6-for-12) with 5 RBI in series at #7 South Carolina in May

 

2006 (Freshman):

# Named Freshman All-American by Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball

# Started all 70 games at shortstop in helping lead Georgia to the College World Series

# Batted .280-12-54 with a .937 FLD%; Batted .273-5-16 in SEC action

# Tied for second on the team in RBI (54) plus was second in Runs Scored (61) and third in Home Runs (12)

# Had 22 multiple hit games including 11 three-hit games

# Ranked second in the SEC with 219 assists

# Moved up to the third spot in the order for the final 30 games and batted .297 with 22 RBI and 30 Runs Scored

# Hit first career home run (3-run) vs. #8 San Diego on Feb. 26

# Smacked a two-run home run in the top of the ninth at #11 Arkansas to win 8-7 and clinch the series

# Batted .600 (6-for-10) with six RBI and four runs in series sweep of Louisville

# In the sweep of #12 South Carolina, he batted .584 (7-for-12) with five runs scored and perfect fielding in 12 chances

# Batted .727 (8-for-11) with seven RBI and four runs in three games vs. Georgia Tech including scoring the game-winning run in the 11-inning thriller at Turner Field in front of a crowd of 19,119

# Career-long eight game hitting streak from May 14-26 when he batted .429 (15-for-35) with 12 RBI and 11 Runs Scored

# A member of the SEC Freshmen Academic Honor Roll

 

High School:

# A graduate of Westminster and two-sport standout

# Played baseball for Jim Jefferson and football for Gerry Romberg

# A four-year starter in baseball and three-year starter in football

# Senior year led the team with a .456 batting average as well as in runs scored, hits, triples, home runs, total bases and walks

# Named team captain and earned the MVP Award

# Named All-City first team and the Braves 400 Club All-Star team

# Hit .323-1-16 and .359-1-17 in his first two years as the Wildcats advanced to the final four of the state playoffs

# Batted .340-3-21 with 10 SBs as a junior

# Earned the F. White Kenan Award and was the captain of the team plus named All-City first team

# Member of East Cobb Yankees and Astros summer league teams

# Helped Yankees win the 2005 Connie Mack World Series and the Astros to the 2003 AAU Junior Olympics title

# Named MVP and won Golden Glove and Top Hitter Awards

# Named AAA All-State his junior season as a FS, and as a QB as a senior by the GACA, Associated Press and Atlanta Journal

# Threw for 1,829 yards and 25 TDs as a senior

# Also rushed for 7 TDs as a senior

 

Personal:

# Born Sept. 16, 1986

# Son of Gordon and Sully Beckham

# Gordon's father was a QB for the Univ. of South Carolina

# Major: Pre-Business

 

Shortstop Gordon Beckham is an excellent athlete who has quick wrists and plus bat speed. At 6'0" 180 lbs, the junior has good range and a strong enough arm for shortstop, but sometimes gets burned by trying to do too much at the plate and in the field. He burst onto the college scene his freshman year at Georgia by batting .280 with 12 homers and 54 RBI to lead his Bulldogs to the College World Series. Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball named him a Freshman All American for his efforts. He followed that up with an impressive .307-13-51 line as a sophomore.

 

This past summer playing for the Yarmouth Dennis Red Sox, Beckham showed scouts what kind of damage he could do with wood. He displayed the most power on the Cape for a middle infielder since Evan Longoria, leading the CCBL with nine home runs and tied Miami's Dennis Raben for league best with 35 RBI. He was second in extra base hits (19) to Wichita State's Conor Gillaspie and had a .284 batting average.

 

 

great post. I'm excited about this guy bein part of the sox.

Aight lets get em signed, then get em a haircut and hell be all ready to go

Beckham had a huge 2-run double yesterday and hit another RBI double today. He showed some good ability to go with the pitch, taking a fastball high and out over the plater to the right-center gap.

Slayer has been tearing it up in the College World Series fyi. He's got a 14 game hitting streak going.

WhiteSox pick Beckham doesn't bend

 

Good article on whitesox.com

 

 

GoBe has his average up to .406 on the season. Seems like every game he has at least 2 hits. And they just showed a replay from Game 1 of the CWS Finals were GoBe snagged a liner, and dove at the runner who strayed off 2nd too far. He dove and tagged the leg of the runner diving back to 2nd. Great play.

Beckham has officially signed for 2.6 million. No word on where he will report just yet.

He will be reporting to Class A Kannapolis.

From a chat today on ESPN

 

Steve (SD): I have first pick amongst the most recent MLB draftees...how do you rank the top 3 fantasy-wise?

 

Jason Grey: Assuming quicker path to the majors is a factor, Wallace, G Beckham and Posey. T Beckham has the best chance to turn into a superstar, though he'll be in the minors quite a while.

Becks has started the season off by hitting a sizzling .444 with a 1.056 OPS with the AA Birmingham Barons. He'll be in Charlotte soon enough. Through 4 games, he's 8 for 18 with 2 2B, 3 RBI, 4 runs, 2 walks, and 5 strike outs. No home runs yet, but he's gotten a hit in all 4 games thus far.

Becks has started the season off by hitting a sizzling .444 with a 1.056 OPS with the AA Birmingham Barons. He'll be in Charlotte soon enough. Through 4 games, he's 8 for 18 with 2 2B, 3 RBI, 4 runs, 2 walks, and 5 strike outs. No home runs yet, but he's gotten a hit in all 4 games thus far.

Good chance he skips Charlotte.

Good chance he skips Charlotte.

Yeah, I meant to say Chicago, but I was thinking Charlotte for some reason.

 

Update through 9 games: .368 AVG, .422 OBP, 1.073 OPS, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 4 2B, 9 R, 1 SB, 0 CS, 4 BB, 7 SO. He also has 3 errors in the field. He's pretty much leading the team in everything but HR, where he is 2nd to Gatrell's 3 HR.

He'll need to cut the errors and Ks before coming to Chicago.

 

I can see him going to AAA and 2nd base by next year.

Through 26 games, team ranks in parenthesis...

 

.303 avg (2nd)

.381 obp (3rd behind Flowers and Gartrell)

.886 ops (4th)

2 hr (5th)

14 rbi (5th)

30 hits (1st)

14 2b (1st, wow)

12 bb (t-3rd)

19 k (4th most)

1 sb/0 cs

 

99 at-bats, 30 hits, 16 of them are for extra bases (14 2B, 2 HR).

Beckham also missed the past couple games with an abdominal injury of sorts but is expected to return to the lineup tonight.

Slayer was FINALLY back in action after a 10 day layoff. He went 0-4.

After going 1-15 in his first 4 games back, Beckham finally found his stroke again, going 4-5 with a HR and 2 RBI last night.

Reports state that Beckham has been promoted to the AAA Charlotte Knights. Beckham played 38 games in Birmingham, hitting .299 with an .862 OPS.

In case you live under a rock that is under a boulder that is under a volcano that is lodged somewhere in the center of the Earth, Gordon Beckham was called up to the White Sox 3 days ago.

In case you live under a rock that is under a boulder that is under a volcano that is lodged somewhere in the center of the Earth, Gordon Beckham was called up to the White Sox 3 days ago.

WHAT??????

Edited June 6, 200916 yr by Thunderbolt