Well, I guess this is the Thursday news we’ve all been anticipating?
In case you missed it scrolling through hundreds of tweets about Tony La Russa, the White Sox signed Tim Beckham, former #1 overall draft pick in 2008, to a minor league contract this afternoon.
As Feinsand mentions, Beckham has not played since 2019. Beckham started off fast in 2019, hitting safely in 9 of his first 10 games to begin the season with a .410/477/.846 slash line that included 4 home runs and 11 RBI during that span. However, later in the season, Beckham received an 80-game suspension after testing positive for Stanozolol, a performance-enhancing substance. Beckham’s season ended there, and after such a stellar start, he hit just .237/.293/.461 (99 wRC+) with 15 home runs and 47 RBIs. He was non-tended in December 2019.
Beckham is not a flashy signing by any means; he is a career .249 hitter with a career 96 wRC+. However, he is a solid depth signing that can use his career .431 SLG to add some pop as a backup or in the case of an injury. He will likely start the year in AAA and come up if necessary. The problem here is his defense. He has provided a negative Outs Above Average value in each season – the worst being -7 OAA in 2019 at SS. So, he doesn’t really appear to be a viable long-term option if someone gets hurt for a considerable amount of time. But, he is versatile in a pinch, playing 1B, 2B, SS, 3B, and LF in 2019.
While we await more news on free agent signings and the managerial search, for now, the White Sox have signed some depth. Absolutely nothing wrong with that.
With this, let the offseason begin.
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Featured Photo: MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) / Twitter
I’m puzzled by the Tim Beckham acquisition.He comes with a checkered past,is a poor fielder and a .249 career hitter.Grasping at straws,it seems.
Any chance the White Sox pick up Adam Eaton, who was non-tendered by the Nationals?