Gordon Beckham Needs a Better Approach at the Plate…

It’s hard to judge rookies when they first come up to the major leagues. After all, they are just rookies. They might be nervous, anxious or they might be in awe of their surroundings. For White Sox rookie Gordon Beckham, I think it is a case of him being a little too anxious.

Beckham was called up to the majors last Thursday and in 14 AB’s he is 0-13 with one walk. What is a little troubling so far about Beckham is that doesn’t seem to have an approach at the plate. In 14 total AB’s, Beckham has only seen 39 pitches. That is an average of 2.7 pitches seen per AB. That needs to improve.

Beckham has swung at the first pitch five times and has only seen one, three ball count in four games. Beckham even had a game last Friday against the Indians where he only saw three pitches in three AB’s. That is hard to do even in little league. From what I have seen, he has no game plan when he gets to the plate.

Beckham’s approach at the plate might be a carry over from his time spent in Triple A this year. In 30 plate appearances for Triple-A Charlotte, Beckham didn’t draw one walk. Of course nobody complains about taking pitches when you are hitting .464.

My guess as to what is happening with Beckham is that since he is unfamiliar with the pitchers he is seeing, he doesn’t feel comfortable getting deep into counts. I have full confidence that he will figure things out sooner rather than later.

However, his approach needs to change quickly or else he might find himself back in Charlotte real soon.