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 Lamar Beckham, born on January 27, 1990, is a former professional baseball player from the United States. He played as an infielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) for several teams. These teams included the Tampa Bay Rays, Baltimore Orioles, Seattle Mariners, and Minnesota Twins. In 2008, the Rays chose Tim as the very first player in the MLB draft. He received a large signing bonus. Tim made his MLB debut in 2013. He played for the Rays until 2017, then for the Orioles, Mariners, and Twins.
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Early Life and Baseball Beginnings
Tim Beckham grew up in Griffin, Georgia. He was the youngest son of Jimmy Beckham. Tim 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. In eighth grade, Tim became the shortstop for the junior varsity baseball team at Griffin High School. He then joined the varsity team in 2005 as a freshman. His older brother, Jeremy, also played baseball at Georgia Southern University. Jeremy was later drafted by the Rays in the same year as Tim.
High School Baseball Career
During his freshman year on the Griffin High varsity team, Tim Beckham hit 14 home runs. In 2006, as a sophomore, he hit a home run in his very first turn at bat. For that season, he had a batting average of .405. He also hit five home runs, three triples, and six doubles. He added 22 runs batted in (RBIs) and stole 15 bases.
In his junior year at Griffin, Tim's batting average was .512. He hit nine doubles, six triples, and six home runs. He also had 39 RBIs and stole 20 bases. After this season, Tim played in a special tournament in Cincinnati, Ohio. He was ranked as the top player out of over 2,000 participants. Later in 2007, Tim won the MVP award at another big event in San Diego, California. By the end of summer 2007, he had a batting average of .409. He hit nine home runs, 15 doubles, eight triples, and stole 32 bases against some of the best young players in America.
Tim decided to go to the University of Southern California for college. However, he still planned to enter the MLB Draft in 2008. In his senior season, Tim had a .500 batting average through 24 games. He hit five home runs, nine doubles, and three triples. He also had 31 RBIs and stole 16 bases. Experts like Baseball America rated Tim as the best high school baseball player in the country. They thought he could become a five tool player in Major League Baseball.
Professional Baseball Journey
Starting in the Minor Leagues
The Tampa Bay Rays picked Tim Beckham as the first overall player in the 2008 MLB Draft. Tim signed with the Rays on June 19, and he received a signing bonus of $6.15 million. He played for several minor league teams. These included the Princeton Rays, the Hudson Valley Renegades, the Bowling Green Hot Rods, and the Charlotte Stone Crabs.
In 2011, Tim was chosen to play in the All-Star Futures Game. This game features some of the best young players in baseball.
In May 2012, Tim was suspended for 50 games. This was due to a second positive test for a substance that is not allowed. After the 2012 season, Tim was added to the Rays' main roster to protect him from a special draft rule.
Playing for the Tampa Bay Rays
On September 18, 2013, the Rays called Tim up to play in the major leagues. He made his MLB debut on September 19. He entered the game 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 finished with 3 hits in 7 times at bat, all singles. He scored one run and helped another run score.
After the 2013 season, Tim had an injury to his knee. He missed the entire 2014 season while recovering.
On April 11, 2015, Tim hit his first major league home run. For that season, his batting average was .222.
In 2016, Tim played in a backup role, mostly at shortstop. He also played at other infield positions. On August 31, 2016, he was sent back to the minor leagues. He finished the 2016 season with a .247 batting average. He hit 5 home runs and had 16 RBIs in 64 games.
In 2017 spring training, the Rays said Tim was practicing playing in the outfield. This was to give him more chances to play. Because another player, Matt Duffy, was injured, Tim got to play a lot at shortstop. He even started the first game of the season. Tim played in most of the Rays' games. He had a good start to the season, batting .266 with 8 home runs and 26 RBIs in the first two months. Even with his improved play, he was expected to lose his starting spot when Duffy returned. When the Rays got a new defensive player, Adeiny Hechavarria, Tim moved to second base. He made 20 errors that season, which was the second most among all players in the American League.
Time with the Baltimore Orioles
The Rays traded Tim Beckham to the Baltimore Orioles on July 31, 2017. He made his Orioles debut the very next night. He had a great start, getting 2 hits, including a double, and scoring two runs. On August 5, Tim hit a home run for the third game in a row. His home run was the 10,000th in the Orioles' team history. In his first five games with the Orioles, Tim had 13 hits in 20 times at bat, which is a .650 batting average. He also hit three home runs and had five RBIs. Because of his amazing performance, Tim was 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 had a .531 batting average. He hit seven doubles, two triples, and three home runs. He also had nine RBIs and scored 14 runs.
Tim collected 50 hits in his first month with the Orioles. This was the second most in team history, just behind Cal Ripken who had 53. He got a hit in 27 of the 29 games he played that month. He had a .394 batting average, with ten doubles, two triples, and six home runs. He also drove in 19 runs and scored 27 times.
Before the 2018 MLB season, the Orioles announced that Tim would move to third base. Another player, Manny Machado, would move to shortstop. Tim was placed on the injured list on April 25 due to a groin strain.
Playing for the Seattle Mariners
On January 10, 2019, Tim Beckham signed a one-year contract with the Seattle Mariners. He was named the Mariners' starting shortstop for Opening Day. He made his debut against the Oakland Athletics on March 20, 2019, in Tokyo, Japan. Tim got a hit in 9 of his first 10 games that season. During that time, he had a .410 batting average with 4 home runs and 11 RBIs. Because of this great start, he was named the American League Player of the Week for the first week of 2019.
On August 6, 2019, Tim received an 80-game suspension. This was because he tested positive for a substance that is not allowed in Major League Baseball. This suspension effectively ended his season. He finished the season with a .237 batting average, 15 home runs, and 47 RBIs. On December 2, 2019, Tim became a free agent.
Later Career with White Sox and Twins
After not playing in 2020, Tim signed a minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox team on October 29, 2020. Tim spent the 2021 season playing for the Triple-A Charlotte Knights. He played in 45 games, hitting .279 with 11 home runs and 32 RBIs. He became a free agent after that season.
On February 5, 2022, Tim signed a minor league contract with the Minnesota Twins. He missed the first two months of the 2022 season due to a leg injury. After recovering, he played for the St. Paul Saints. The Twins then called him up to the major leagues on July 30. On August 26, Tim was removed from the Twins' roster. He then became a free agent on August 31.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball players suspended for performance-enhancing drugs
