MLB Fantasy Baseball Profile: Will Chicago's Gordon Beckham Break Out?
Gordon Beckham was the Chicago White Sox's first pick (eighth overall) in the 2008 Amateur Draft after compiling 97 runs, 28 HRs, 77 RBI, 17 SBs and a .411 batting average for the University of Georgia.
He tore through the minors, hitting .322 with 40 runs, seven HRs, 33 RBI and two SBs in 59 games for Single-A Kannapolis, Double-A Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte.
His adjustment to the majors went swimmingly, as he hit .270 with 58 runs, 14 HRs, 63 RBI and seven SBs as a rookie with the White Sox in 2009. He was highly regarded heading into last year.
He started the season hitting just .216 with a .277 on-base percentage, a .304 slugging percentage and .581 OPS before the All-Star break. He had just one HR and 10 RBI in the first two months of the season.
He flipped a switch following the break, though, as he hit .310 with a .380 OBP, .497 SLG and .877 OPS the rest of the way. He had six HRs and 27 RBI in his final 171 at-bats after having just three and 22 in his first 273.
Unfortunately, the struggles returned for Beckham in September. He had just six hits in 32 ABs (.188) with two runs and two RBI. With just two good months on the year, Beckham won’t be as popular in fantasy drafts.
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Beckham is expected to hit second for the White Sox, who added Adam Dunn during the offseason to go along with Alex Rios, Paul Konerko and Carlos Quentin.
With Juan Pierre setting the table and wreaking havoc on the basepaths, Beckham has a good chance to have a solid RBI total from the two-hole. With the aforementioned boppers behind him, he should score plenty of runs, as well. I don’t see him as a major SB threat, but that’s just fine if he can provide the power that he’s capable of.
What’s your take? Do you like Beckham in 2011 or not?
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