Tim Beckham facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tim Beckham |
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Beckham with the Orioles in 2017
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| Infielder | |||
| Born: January 27, 1990 Griffin, Georgia, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| September 19, 2013, for the Tampa Bay Rays | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| August 24, 2022, for the Minnesota Twins | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .246 | ||
| Home runs | 63 | ||
| Runs batted in | 199 | ||
| Teams | |||
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Timothy "Tim" Lamar Beckham (born January 27, 1990) is an American former professional baseball player. He was an infielder, which means he played positions like shortstop or second base on the baseball field. Tim played in Major League Baseball (MLB), which is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada. He played for teams like the Tampa Bay Rays, Baltimore Orioles, Seattle Mariners, and Minnesota Twins.
Tim Beckham was a very special player because he was the first player chosen in the entire 2008 MLB Draft. The Tampa Bay Rays picked him first! He received a large signing bonus of $6.15 million. Tim made his MLB debut in 2013. He played for the Rays until 2017, when he was traded to the Baltimore Orioles. He then played for the Orioles, Mariners, and Twins during his career.
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Tim Beckham's Early Life and Baseball Journey
Tim Beckham grew up in Griffin, Georgia, as the youngest son of Jimmy Beckham. He often played baseball in his yard with his older brothers, Stephen and Jeremy. When he was younger, Tim played football, basketball, and baseball. However, he stopped playing baseball for a while to focus on football and basketball.
His brothers encouraged him to get back into baseball. Tim became the shortstop for his school's junior varsity baseball team in eighth grade. He then joined the varsity team at Griffin High School in 2005 as a freshman. His older brother, Jeremy, also played baseball at Georgia Southern University and was later drafted by the Rays in the same year as Tim.
High School Baseball Achievements
In his first year on the Griffin High varsity team, Tim Beckham hit 14 home runs. This is a lot for a freshman! In 2006, as a sophomore, he hit a home run in his very first at-bat. That season, he had a batting average of .405, meaning he got a hit in more than 40% of his turns at bat. He also hit five home runs, three triples, and six doubles. He had 22 runs batted in (RBIs) and stole 15 bases.
During his junior year, Tim's batting average was even higher at .512. He hit nine doubles, six triples, and six home runs. He also had 39 RBIs and stole 20 bases. After this great season, Tim played in a special tournament called the World Wood Bat Association 17-Under Summer Championship in Cincinnati, Ohio. He was ranked as the number one prospect out of over 2,000 players! Later that year, he won the MVP award at the Aflac Classic in San Diego, California. By the end of summer 2007, Tim had a .409 batting average against some of the best young players in America.
Tim decided he would go to the University of Southern California for college. However, he also planned to enter the 2008 MLB Draft. In his senior year, he continued to play well, batting .500 with five home runs, nine doubles, and three triples. He also had 31 RBIs and 16 stolen bases. Experts like Baseball America magazine called him the top high school baseball player in the country. They thought he could become a "five-tool player" in the major leagues. This means he was good at hitting for average, hitting for power, running, throwing, and fielding.
Tim Beckham's Professional Baseball Career
Starting in the Minor Leagues
The Tampa Bay Rays picked Tim Beckham as the first overall player in the 2008 MLB Draft. He signed with the Rays on June 19, receiving a $6.15 million signing bonus. He started his professional career playing for different minor league teams like the Princeton Rays, Hudson Valley Renegades, Bowling Green Hot Rods, and Charlotte Stone Crabs.
In 2011, Tim was chosen to play in the All-Star Futures Game. This is a special game for promising young players in the minor leagues. After the 2012 season, he was added to the Rays' main roster to protect him from being picked by other teams.
Playing for the Tampa Bay Rays
On September 18, 2013, the Rays called Tim Beckham up to the major leagues. He made his MLB debut the next day as a pinch hitter against the Texas Rangers. In his first time at bat, he got his first MLB hit, which was a single. He ended up with 3 hits in 7 tries during his first short time in the majors.
After the 2013 season, Tim had an injury to his knee and missed the entire 2014 season. On April 11, 2015, he hit his first major league home run. In 2016, Tim played many different positions in the infield as a backup player. He was sent back to the minor leagues for a short time in August 2016. He finished that season with a .247 batting average.
In 2017, Tim started working on playing in the outfield too. Because another player was injured, Tim got to play shortstop a lot, even starting on opening day. He played very well in the first two months, hitting .266 with 8 home runs.
Moving to the Baltimore Orioles
The Rays traded Tim Beckham to the Baltimore Orioles on July 31, 2017. He played his first game for the Orioles the very next night and got two hits. On August 5, he hit a home run for the third game in a row! This home run was also the 10,000th home run in the Orioles' team history. Tim had an amazing start with the Orioles, getting 13 hits in his first five games. He was even named the American League Player of the Week.
Tim had a 12-game hitting streak when he first joined the Orioles. During this streak, he hit incredibly well. In his first month with the Orioles, he got 50 hits, which was the second most in team history for a player's first month. He hit in 27 out of 29 games and had a .394 batting average.
Before the 2018 season, the Orioles announced that Tim would play third base. He was later placed on the injured list in April 2018 due to a groin injury.
Playing for the Seattle Mariners
On January 10, 2019, Tim Beckham signed a one-year contract with the Seattle Mariners. He was the Mariners' starting shortstop on Opening Day, playing his first game against the Oakland Athletics in Tokyo, Japan. Tim started the season strong, getting hits in 9 of his first 10 games. He hit .410 with 4 home runs and 11 RBIs during that time. Because of his great start, he was named the American League Player of the Week for the first week of 2019.
Tim's 2019 season ended early. He finished the season with a .237 batting average, 15 home runs, and 47 RBIs. After the season, he became a free agent.
Later Career with White Sox and Twins
Tim Beckham signed a minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox organization in October 2020. He played for their Triple-A team, the Charlotte Knights, in 2021. He hit .279 with 11 home runs in 45 games.
In February 2022, Tim signed a minor league contract with the Minnesota Twins. After recovering from an injury, he played for the St. Paul Saints. The Twins called him up to the major leagues on July 30, 2022. He played for them for a short time before becoming a free agent again in August.
Images for kids
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Beckham with the Orioles in 2017
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Beckham in 2009 spring training
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Beckham with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2015
