Gordon Beckham, Retired

Date of Birth: 9/16/1986
Birthplace: Atlanta, Georgia
College: University of Georgia

Gordon Beckham, retired second baseman, was a star baseball player at the University of Georgia before being drafted by the Chicago White Sox in 2008. After just one season in the minor leagues, he was playing with the White Sox in 2009. That season, he had career highs in doubles with 28, RBIs with 63, and batting average with .270. He had 102 hits and 14 home runs in 103 games in his rookie season in the major leagues.

In 2010, Beckham played in 131 games and he had 112 hits, 25 doubles, and a .252 batting average. His numbers went down the following season when he batted .230 with 115 hits and 23 doubles in 150 games. He improved in 2012 and had highs in hits with 123 and home runs with 16. That season, he batted .234 with 24 doubles and 60 RBIs in 151 games.

Beckham spent two months on the DL in 2013. In 103 games in 2013, he batted .267 with 99 hits and 22 doubles. He started the 2014 season on the DL after suffering an injury during Spring Training. On August 21, 2014, he was traded to the Los Angeles Angels. He finished the 2014 season with 101 hits, 27 doubles, and a .226 batting average in 101 games with the White Sox and 26 games with the Angels. He played in two games in the postseason and he had no hits.

Beckham agreed to a one-year, $2 million contract with the White Sox on January 28, 2015. He finished the 2015 season with 44 hits and a .209 batting average in 100 games. Defensively, he played 76 games at third base, 11 games at second base, and 5 games at shortstop.

Beckham signed a one-year, $1.25 million contract with the Atlanta Braves on December 2, 2015. He was traded to the San Francisco Giants on September 27, 2016. He finished the 2016 season with 52 hits, 16 doubles, and a .212 batting average in 85 games with the Braves and 3 games with the Giants. Defensively, he played 51 games at second base, 15 games at third base, and 11 games at shortstop.

Beckham became a free agent on November 3, 2016. He signed a minor league contract to return to the Giants on February 8, 2017. The Giants released him on March 23rd. He signed a minor league contract with the Seattle Mariners on March 31st. He spent most of the 2017 season in the minors, playing in just 11 games with the Mariners.

Beckham elected free agency on November 2, 2017. He re-signed with the Seattle Mariners on January 16, 2018. He was released on March 23rd and then signed a minor league contract with them on March 26th. He spent most of the 2018 season in the minors, playing in just 22 games with the Mariners.

Beckham became a free agent on October 29, 2018. He signed a minor league contract with the Detroit Tigers on January 21, 2019. He finished the 2019 season with 48 hits and a .215 batting average in 83 games. Defensively, he played all infield positions.

Beckham became a free agent on October 31, 2019. He signed a minor league contract with the San Diego Padres on February 10, 2020. He was released a month later, on March 14th. He signed a minor league contract with the New York Mets on June 29th. He was released by the Mets on July 22nd. He didn't play professional baseball in 2020 and 2021.

Beckham retired on January 26, 2022.

Career batting statistics for Beckham through 2019 include:

• 1,069 games played
• 807 hits
• 187 doubles
• 351 RBIs
• 670 strikeouts to 266 walks
• .237 batting average

Career fielding statistics for Beckham at second base through 2019 include:

• 751 games played
• 2,070 assists
• 495 double plays
• 1,370 putouts
• 52 errors
• .985 fielding percentage

Personal Life

Beckham and his wife Brittany were married on November 9, 2013.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Gordon Beckham
ESPN - Gordon Beckham