2k13: Gordon Beckham

[joncarlos]

Is there any hope?

2012: 582pa 234/296/371-16hr-5sb 7% bb rate, 15% K rate, .254 BABIP, 19% LD, 38% GB, 42% FB, 14% infield flies

Bill James' projection: 246/314/398-15hr-5sb

So Bill James says no, but this Fangraphs article is a little more optimistic:

http://www.fangraphs.com/fantasy/index.php/gordon-beckham-hope-on-the-horizon/

He lowered his strikeout rate, took a few extra walks here and there, and he cut down on the ground balls and the feeble pop-ups. A dismal .254 BABIP helped keep the batting average and OBP down, but his ISO jumped from .106 to .137 and he very much looked like things were finally getting back on track

Beckham finished the year on a high note. His September/October numbers weren’t as strong as they were in May or June power-wise, but his walk and strikeout rates were the best they had been in a very long time. He actually looked, at times, like the Beckham we all saw in 2009.

The amazing thing is that 20% of his fly balls were pop-ups in 2011. That's staggering. He cut it down to "only" 14% last year. That's a good way to crush your BABIP.

If you squint, you can see .265-18-70 with a few steals.

[Gregg]

How do you project a head case? All of the tools, all of the talent, seems to have been crushed by his sophmore slump.

That said, he is still about the 10th best 2b option in AL only leagues. I like him better than Jamey Carroll but maybe a tick below Omar Infante.

In our roster cut downs he was dropped at $13, I did not pick him up, but someone else did after me.

[TopChuckie]

I offered a $5 Smoak for a $9 Beckham and was turned down. I actually like Smoak better, but my keepers are loaded at CM and barren at MI, so I was looking for a little better balance so I'm not desperate in the draft. Beckham probably has a little more job security though.

[Controller Jacobs]

"finished the year on a high note." is very strong language if you look at his game log.

He was solid from Sept 3-21, as he raised his overall OPS from .640 to .687 in that span. Then in the next 10 games he brought it back down to .668. That magical 16 games stretch included 6 games vs Minnesota and 6 vs Kansas City.

He's a Denny's middle infielder - you never set out to go there, you just end up there.