Beckham feels no added pressure from Semien/Johnson

[southsider2k5]

I don't think Beckham will get 4M a year. Keppinger had put up far better numbers then Beck when he signed that contract.

 

Their overall evaluation stats are incredibly similar. In fact, because of his defense, and playing every day, Beckham's numbers beat Keppinger's almost every single year. His defensive numbers are so bad, he is a negative WAR almost every year.

[Dick Allen]

Keppinger got that on the strength of a .325/.367/.439 (128 wRC+) walk year. If Beckham does that, he won't be looking for a job.

Ironically he got that 3 year $12 million contract one year after being non tendered.

[elrockinMT]

He shouldn't. Johnson is at least a year away from the majors. And, regardless of Semien's ceiling, Beckham is the superior baseball player "right now".

 

 

I agree with you. Johnson may be even two years away and I am not seeing star potential yet from Semien. He might be better suited for super sub anyway

[greg775]

BS. Semien was actually called a "professional hitter" by a Beckham hating mouth breather. People were disregarding he leads the league in striking out, pointing out his taking pitches helps the rest of the offense. Well his 4 strikeouts last night, helped the team pound out 4 hits. His flaws ignored. Just get rid of Beckham. Well, Semien isn't as good as Beckham.

I personally wanted to believe Semien was great thanks to his clutch hits. It's partly from being jaded for so many years with the lousy hitting of Beckham. I wouldn't lose any sleep if Semien is sent down or stinks. In fact, I kind of expect him to also be a bust. Compared to Beckham though, yes, I'd rather Semien take all Gordo's at bats.

 

He will have no problem finding a job.

He's very fortunate as to where he was drafted. If Luke Hochevar hadn't gotten hurt he also would never have had trouble finding a job. High draft picks. It's like a top quarterback pick in the draft. It takes a while for teams to finally kick him out of football for good even if he's rotten.

I mean, Dick Allen, tell me why anybody would pay Beckham more than 3-4 million a year down the road? His defense? Fine it's pretty good, but as they say, you can always find a second baseman somewhere. Even now in his 80 at bats he has six RBIs and is hitting .240 with a lousy on base percentage. He's average at best so I guess yes he'll always have a job.

Edited May 14, 2014 by greg775

[witesoxfan]

I personally wanted to believe Semien was great thanks to his clutch hits. It's partly from being jaded for so many years with the lousy hitting of Beckham. I wouldn't lose any sleep if Semien is sent down or stinks. In fact, I kind of expect him to also be a bust. Compared to Beckham though, yes, I'd rather Semien take all Gordo's at bats.

 

 

He's very fortunate as to where he was drafted. If Luke Hochevar hadn't gotten hurt he also would never have had trouble finding a job. High draft picks. It's like a top quarterback pick in the draft. It takes a while for teams to finally kick him out of football for good even if he's rotten.

I mean, Dick Allen, tell me why anybody would pay Beckham more than 3-4 million a year down the road? His defense? Fine it's pretty good, but as they say, you can always find a second baseman somewhere. Even now in his 80 at bats he has six RBIs and is hitting .240 with a lousy on base percentage. He's average at best so I guess yes he'll always have a job.

 

Luke Hochever was phenomenal as a reliever last year prior to getting hurt. Look at his numbers.

[Dick Allen]

I personally wanted to believe Semien was great thanks to his clutch hits. It's partly from being jaded for so many years with the lousy hitting of Beckham. I wouldn't lose any sleep if Semien is sent down or stinks. In fact, I kind of expect him to also be a bust. Compared to Beckham though, yes, I'd rather Semien take all Gordo's at bats.

 

 

He's very fortunate as to where he was drafted. If Luke Hochevar hadn't gotten hurt he also would never have had trouble finding a job. High draft picks. It's like a top quarterback pick in the draft. It takes a while for teams to finally kick him out of football for good even if he's rotten.

I mean, Dick Allen, tell me why anybody would pay Beckham more than 3-4 million a year down the road? His defense? Fine it's pretty good, but as they say, you can always find a second baseman somewhere. Even now in his 80 at bats he has six RBIs and is hitting .240 with a lousy on base percentage. He's average at best so I guess yes he'll always have a job.

Beckham started off slow, but has picked it up. $3-4 million is nothing in today's game. If he stays healthy, IMO his numbers will more than warrant that kind of deal if the White Sox want to go another direction.

[TaylorStSox]

Beckham started off slow, but has picked it up. $3-4 million is nothing in today's game. If he stays healthy, IMO his numbers will more than warrant that kind of deal if the White Sox want to go another direction.

Picked it up? His numbers are on par with his career. Gordon Beckham is not an everyday player. Maybe if he was a plus SS, not a mediocre 2nd baseman.

 

Comparing A 27 year old Beckham to a rookie Semien is ridiculous.

 

The entire lineup isn't giving the same type of AB's as when Eaton and Semien were in the line up. They took a lot of oitches, made pitchers work and set a tone. Semien's K's are the result if getting deep into counts and not being able to fight good pitches off. He won't learn how to do that at AAA where pitchers don't possess that type of stuff.

 

They should probably send Semien down, but that doesn't absolve Beckham and his 5 years of sucktitude.

[TaylorStSox]

Beckham and Keppinger are comparable, right? The Sox just paid $8M to have Keppinger go away. What does that say about Beckham's value?

[Vance Law]

What over the past two to three years gives you any indication of this. He's a below average starter and has consistently proven that.

 

Below average starter can still mean 16th best in baseball. Half of all starting players are below average.

Edited May 14, 2014 by Vance Law

[caulfield12]

Except OPS-wise, Beckham's been in the bottom quartile from 2010-2013.

 

At best, he's in the 3rd quartile or PERHAPS average if everything goes perfectly with his defensive metrics (which have eroded recently).

 

 

 

But the Sox could also create space if they chose to move a prospect, perhaps Johnson, to the outfield. Asked Wednesday after Jeff Keppinger was designated for assignment if any of his infield prospects could be moved to the outfield, general manager Rick Hahn said nothing is currently planned.

 

[MORE: White Sox designate Jeff Keppinger with future in mind]

 

But, those plans could change.

 

“It’s conceivable down the road that we start exploring other options with these guys, but right now, we want to put them in the best possible situation to continue their development, and changing too much on them at once is not a real sound method, in our opinion, to get them to maximize their ability,” Hahn said. “You move a guy to a new level, let’s get him comfortable at that level at the position he’s used to. Eventually if he gets to the point where we start trying new positions, it’s probably going to be after we feel he’s acclimated to the life and certainly offensively at that level. I’m not ruling anything out, but right now it’s not part of our plan.”

 

Last offseason one scout suggested Johnson could handle the switch to center field if he didn’t stick at second base, where the team has plenty of options.

 

A move to the outfield might be necessary to get Johnson’s bat in the White Sox major league lineup faster.

 

www.csnchicago.com

[Andy the Clown]

He will have no problem finding a job.

 

Good luck to him, and you.

[VAfan]

I was thinking of posting on Gordon Beckham with the title:

 

Gordon Beckham: Have We All Given Up On Him Too Soon??

 

But since this thread already exists, I'll post it here.

 

We only have a VERY TINY sample size, but these are Beckham's May numbers.

 

54 7 17 2 0 3 6 2 1 6 0 0 .315 .351 .519 .870

 

Aren't these the kind of numbers that we all HOPED we might get from Gordon Beckham when we drafted him?

 

We also saw these numbers pre-all-star game in 2013.

 

Pre All-Star 158 19 53 9 1 2 13 6 1 26 5 1 .335 .357 .443 .800

 

Again, not a very big sample. Plus, we all know that you can put up a lot of horrible hitting stats for Beckham to counteract these.

 

But I just wonder whether Gordon Beckham might be a late bloomer as a hitter. We can see how our new hitting coach has helped the approach of other guys in our lineup, like Viciedo, Flowers, and Ramirez. Why not Beckham?

 

I think the White Sox are still hopeful that Beckham will become the player they thought they had when they drafted him in the first round many years ago, and they are going to give him this year to prove it. Accordingly, unless he tanks again, I don't think he'll be traded this year. I think they'll give him a full year, and decide whether to keep him another season or move him in the offseason. There may be a growing backlog of second basemen in the system, but I think the Sox will want the best player available at each slot, regardless of cost. If that turns out to be Gordon Beckham, he may remain in Chicago far longer than any of us expected.

 

[chitownsportsfan]

This is almost certainly a hot little fluke run from Gordon, he has like 1200 PA in MLB and his body of work is not good. That said, I hope he continues to mash. We could use a fluke on the positive side for once.

[witesoxfan]

This is almost certainly a hot little fluke run from Gordon, he has like 1200 PA in MLB and his body of work is not good. That said, I hope he continues to mash. We could use a fluke on the positive side for once.

 

More than twice that. 2559 PAs.

[Eminor3rd]

More than twice that. 2559 PAs.

 

This is the thing ^

 

Dick Allen calls people "Beckham-hating mouth-breathers," but the reality is he's been s*** for five years. I'm not rooting against him, I'm just tired of watching him suck. What is it about him that makes people want to defend him? He's been bad for you for so long. Why hate Keppinger or Flowers or De Aza and then defend Beckham?

[ILMOU]

This is almost certainly a hot little fluke run from Gordon, he has like 1200 PA in MLB and his body of work is not good. That said, I hope he continues to mash. We could use a fluke on the positive side for once.

 

Flowers not flukey enough for you?

 

[Dick Allen]

This is the thing ^

 

Dick Allen calls people "Beckham-hating mouth-breathers," but the reality is he's been s*** for five years. I'm not rooting against him, I'm just tired of watching him suck. What is it about him that makes people want to defend him? He's been bad for you for so long. Why hate Keppinger or Flowers or De Aza and then defend Beckham?

I was specifically referring to the guy who blasts redundant threads and actually calls people mouthbreathers, and this guy can't go a week without telling us Gordon Beckham sucks and has a little head and is ugly....

 

Beckham has struggled, but he has also shown flashes. People think Gillaspie can improve. Beckham is less than a year older.

 

Gordon had 2 really bad years in 2011 and 2012. 2009 he was great. 2010 he was horrible in the first half, outstanding in the second half when he got hurt. 2013 he was hitting well, but with zapped power from a broken wrist. No one wants to give him any slack for that, and then played with a really bad quad, and his numbers suffered. I have said if he stays healthy, and that is a big if, he is very talented and will put up numbers that will shut at least the reasonable people up. I know there are quite a bit of people too invested in their Beckham sucks beliefs not to acknowledge any good that he will do, but if he stays healthy, you all will see.

 

He started off this year hurt again, but seems to have his stroke back after a slow start, where he was still hitting the ball hard. It wouldn't be the first time in MLB history a 27 year old turned it around. Haven't you posted how you are bothered the Sox didn't sign Salty? His first above average offense season happened when he was 28.

[chitownsportsfan]

Dick Allen -- Gordon is about to get much more expensive and given the Sox have compete log jam of guys that project as good or better than Gordon what exactly are you looking for the Sox to do? He's playing everyday, isn't that good enough? He's either going to continue to play either day, be pretty good, get traded for a legit prospect or -- he's going to continue to play everyday, suck, and get traded for a bag of balls to a desperate team like the Yankees.

 

Hit future in Chicago is not long, no matter what he does. It's partly his fault and partly just the reality of finally having some near MLB ready infield prospects.

 

Now, by all means, if Gordon turns into Chase Utley KEEP HIM. I''m talking like in late July he's hitting 300/350/500 then maybe you reconsider his future as a Sox.

[VAfan]

Just for clarity sake, I'm not defending Beckham.

 

My point is that I think the Sox will continue giving him the chance to play and see if he can't take these small stretches of very solid offense and turn it into a full-season stretch of offense that makes him worth keeping.

 

He's definitely in a "prove it" situation, and with the guys behind him, whether he feels any added pressure or not, he almost certainly knows it.

 

Seems like the Sox are in a win-win situation finally. Either Beckham turns it on and becomes the player we all hoped he'd be when he was drafted, or he peters out again and we have Semien and then Micah Johnson in the wings to improve our 2B production.

[TaylorStSox]

I was specifically referring to the guy who blasts redundant threads and actually calls people mouthbreathers, and this guy can't go a week without telling us Gordon Beckham sucks and has a little head and is ugly....

 

Beckham has struggled, but he has also shown flashes. People think Gillaspie can improve. Beckham is less than a year older.

 

Gordon had 2 really bad years in 2011 and 2012. 2009 he was great. 2010 he was horrible in the first half, outstanding in the second half when he got hurt. 2013 he was hitting well, but with zapped power from a broken wrist. No one wants to give him any slack for that, and then played with a really bad quad, and his numbers suffered. I have said if he stays healthy, and that is a big if, he is very talented and will put up numbers that will shut at least the reasonable people up. I know there are quite a bit of people too invested in their Beckham sucks beliefs not to acknowledge any good that he will do, but if he stays healthy, you all will see.

 

He started off this year hurt again, but seems to have his stroke back after a slow start, where he was still hitting the ball hard. It wouldn't be the first time in MLB history a 27 year old turned it around. Haven't you posted how you are bothered the Sox didn't sign Salty? His first above average offense season happened when he was 28.

 

Hey guys, he's talking about me!

[cabiness42]

Can we just kill two threads with one stone and agree that Beckham is the reason attendance is so bad?

[TaylorStSox]

Can we just kill two threads with one stone and agree that Beckham is the reason attendance is so bad?

His face keeps girls away from the park.

[Marty34]

Dick Allen -- Gordon is about to get much more expensive and given the Sox have compete log jam of guys that project as good or better than Gordon what exactly are you looking for the Sox to do? He's playing everyday, isn't that good enough? He's either going to continue to play either day, be pretty good, get traded for a legit prospect or -- he's going to continue to play everyday, suck, and get traded for a bag of balls to a desperate team like the Yankees.

 

Hit future in Chicago is not long, no matter what he does. It's partly his fault and partly just the reality of finally having some near MLB ready infield prospects.

 

Now, by all means, if Gordon turns into Chase Utley KEEP HIM. I''m talking like in late July he's hitting 300/350/500 then maybe you reconsider his future as a Sox.

 

It's still too soon to say Beckham won't be a part of this team going forward. He's hitting the ball consistently harder than he has in a longtime, line drives, not the pop-ups we've been accustomed to seeing from him. Severson may have fixed him.

[caulfield12]

http://espn.go.com/mlb/player/splits/_/id/.../gordon-beckham

 

 

If Beckham keeps up his 870 OPS from May for the rest of the season, I would be more than happy to give him a 3 year extension.

 

But how likely are those 50+ at-bats to hold up? How many times have we seen this before?

 

 

Well, he's going to get the benefit of the doubt one way or the other because Semien hasn't come up and taken his position away. And Johnson shouldn't even be a thought until September call-ups, if then.

 

 

[cabiness42]

His face keeps girls away from the park.

 

Using my wife as a barometer, he doesn't have nearly the effect that Podsednik and Quentin had.