Gordon "Slayer" Beckham Signs for 2.6 Million

[lostfan]

Yeah, to me they should leave Ramirez at 2B. He has an above average arm for the position and looks excellent out there. At SS, I think he would have just an okay arm for the position and his numbers offensively wouldn't be what you want from your SS IMHO.

From what I've seen Alexei's arm is nearly comparable to Uribe's. He's got a rifle. I'm not worried about that.

 

What do you mean by his offensive numbers aren't what you want for your SS? A solid defensive SS who bats over .300 and has 15-20 HR power is golden in most people's books considering it's a premier defensive position. The only drawback to Alexei's game right now is his OBP.

[Jeremy]

Alexei's made some slick plays at 2B but he looks wild out there at times and his fielding metrics are very mediocre at 2B. I'm not sure he can handle SS particularly well. I'd prefer to consider Beckham the SS of the future until he shows he can't play the position. We can try Alexei at SS next season and see how that works.

[scenario]

Alexei's made some slick plays at 2B but he looks wild out there at times and his fielding metrics are very mediocre at 2B. I'm not sure he can handle SS particularly well. I'd prefer to consider Beckham the SS of the future until he shows he can't play the position. We can try Alexei at SS next season and see how that works.

 

Try him at shortstop and see how it works? Keep in mind that he was a shortstop. That is his natural position. He's out of position playing 2B.... this is the first year he has ever played it.

 

Regarding his arm... I can't imagine why anyone might think he doesn't have the arm to play SS. The guy has a freakin' cannon. If we moved him over, he'd have one of the top five arms for a SS in MLB right now.

[JPN366]

Roto says he will report to Kanny, but they link the article at WhiteSox.com, where there is no mention of that.

 

 

A couple of guys were promoted from Bristol to Kanny, so I imagine one of them will be sent back.

[whitesoxbrian]

Great news. Hopefully we can sign Danks now- I heard Danks took BP with the team a month or so ago and he hit one onto the concourse.

[The Ginger Kid]

i watched BA take batting practice after he signed - it was cool to see big Frank giving him some pointers, you could tell he was on cloud 9. I like that tradition.

[NorthSideSox72]

Roto says he will report to Kanny, but they link the article at WhiteSox.com, where there is no mention of that.

I got a text from MG at the Trib, saying he's going to Kanny.

 

I assume this means that Escobar and/or Miranda will be shipped to a different team in the org to make room.

 

[Heads22]

So will Slayer throw out the first pitch? Or did he do that after the draft?

[WCSox]

And this francise won't do that with Ramirez, Beckham, and Getz in the system. Not saying that's right

 

Then I'll say it. This franchise is already over-paying for a good-but-not-great SS. They don't need to make that mistake again next year with Alexei and Beckham already at their disposal. The Sox need to concentrate on 3B, CF, and C.

 

[whitesoxbrian]

Then I'll say it. This franchise is already over-paying for a good-but-not-great SS. They don't need to make that mistake again next year with Alexei and Beckham already at their disposal. The Sox need to concentrate on 3B, CF, and C.

If Posey would have fell to us this year, he would have been ours. Unfortunately, it didn't happen.

Danks is a CF'er but he might not even sign so that could be out.

 

Next year, with our 5-7 picks in the first 35 or whatever, we will most certainley draft a C, 3B, CF, 1B, and probably a SP/RP.

[rpay10]

Glad Kenny got him signed in time....lets see what he has to say in the 3rd inning

[rpay10]

yep going to Kanny

[Jimbo's Drinker]

Kenny will trade him, he will never see US Cell in sox uniform.

[Balta1701]

Kenny will trade him, he will never see US Cell in sox uniform.

Well, even though I raised the possibility of him being dealt earlier in this thread, I will point out one thing...who was the last #1 pick that KW actually traded? Anderson, Fields, Broadway, McCullough, Poreda all still with the club.

[Jimbo's Drinker]

Borchard

[Flash Tizzle]

He better be a major league contributer within three years, at most, and an all-star within five.

 

We haven't had any luck with developing talent and since this may be the last Top 10 selection for awhile (if the last 15 years before last summer were any indication) we can't have him pulling a Borchard.

 

Now begin raking, Beckham.

[Kalapse]

Borchard

LONG after he lost his prospect status, Borchard was on the cusp of being released. So there's no real history to back up your prediction.

[knightni]

I am riding shotgun on his bandwagon. I'll have no problem using said shotgun on OC, Juan or Fields on the way there.

 

Juan has no problem using it on you, either.

[daa84]

Like a month or so? This isn't the NFL where not signing basically benches you for your rookie year.

he's gonna get two worthless weeks at Kanny...CWS ended june 25....so he coulda gotten all of july and all of august...so 2 months...if he started at Kanny he conceivably could have been to W-S and maybe even Bham at the end of this year with BHam likely a start next year....now he prolly will start in A ball next year...its not a huge deal, but it woulda been nice for the kid to play....we are a bit short on prospects, and i for one would have been happier if he was playin ball rather than sitting at home for the past 8 weeks

[WhiteSoxfan1986]

\who was the last #1 pick that KW actually traded?

 

Royce Ring

 

[caulfield12]

Ramirez is obviously the SS of the future. He's out of position at 2B, and has still shown flashes of GG caliber defense that nobody in the majors can claim...and his bat's even more of a plus at SS.

 

Beckham will go to either 3B or 2B, depending on what happens with Crede/Fields. Then you have to keep Uribe in the mix as well, especially if he continues to play better defense than Crede showed the first half of season. He's saved more runs (and big runs) in the last 3 weeks than we've given up offensively by having him in the line-up. Actually, he's had some good moments with the stick, too...I remember in 2004 he basically carried the Sox for the first two months of the season (or was that 2003?) One of those seasons.

 

(Note, the only thing that will affect Beckham's final position is what KW does with Fields...as Crede, if he did come back next year, it would be on a one year deal with incentives. And that's completely dependent on what he does the rest of the seaason, if anything).

 

Getz could become the heir-apparent at SS, with Beckham then going to 3B. If gets becomes an "Aaron Miles" type player, he will probably just become the utility infielder (Ozuna role).

 

On a playoff-caliber team, I think Ramirez and Beckham are up the middle and Getz is on the bench as the swing man (Uribe/Ozuna). We'll see. I never thought Aaron Rowand should be an everyday player...so prove me wrong Getz. I don't think he could come close to being the debacle that was the Andy Gonzalez Era of Sox baseball. Thankfully, that didn't last very long at all (but it seemed to be forever!)

Edited August 14, 2008 by caulfield12

[witesoxfan]

Gio Gonzalez was a supplemental rounder and has been dealt on several occasions.

 

Happy to see Beckham signed...his signing is a huge shot in the arm to a porous minor league system.

[jenksycat]

he's gonna get two worthless weeks at Kanny...CWS ended june 25....so he coulda gotten all of july and all of august...so 2 months...if he started at Kanny he conceivably could have been to W-S and maybe even Bham at the end of this year with BHam likely a start next year....now he prolly will start in A ball next year...its not a huge deal, but it woulda been nice for the kid to play....we are a bit short on prospects, and i for one would have been happier if he was playin ball rather than sitting at home for the past 8 weeks

 

I can gurantee he hasn't been sitting on his couch eating ice cream since the CWS ended.

[caulfield12]

So who blinked?

 

Just curious to see how 2.6 million compares to what expectations were... maybe the draft guys could shed some light?

 

The slot was projected at one point around 2.23 million, so about $370,000 over what the Sox were hoping/expecting to pay.

 

Hey, after all the bonus money wasted on Honel, Broadway, McCullough, Borchard, Ring, etc., what does it matter? Heck, Dave Wilder probably took more than that. I know we're paying MacDougal significantly more just to sit in the bullpen at Charlotte.

 

Not to mention we signed the irreplaceble Po-Yu Lin for $300,000. I hope KW gets Danks signed so we can get some quality outfield depth that can play at the upper levels (AA) relatively quickly.

Edited August 14, 2008 by caulfield12

[daa84]

I can gurantee he hasn't been sitting on his couch eating ice cream since the CWS ended.

and i can guarantee he hasnt been doing anything that resembles playing in A ball

 

from KW

 

That won't happen with the Sox, Williams said. Even with a gaudy .411 batting average and 28 home runs in his junior season at Georgia, Beckham could have benefitted from the last month of minor-league baseball, he said.

 

''I'm less concerned about all of that -- negotiations, deadlines -- than ... the missed opportunity for development,'' Williams said.

 

''With each day that goes by, there's a missed opportunity for development. Which means that delays the chance to have him here. ... That's what concerns me. All the other stuff, well, that's secondary.''

Edited August 14, 2008 by daa84