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Beckham's Journey Begins At Princeton

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By MARC LANCASTER

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 22, 2008

ST. PETERSBURG - Three days ago, 18-year-old Tim Beckham signed a piece of paper that guaranteed him more money than most people will see in their lives.

Today, he'll leave his home near Atlanta for Princeton, W.Va., where he will begin his quest to prove he's worth the $6.15 million the Rays have committed to him.
Beckham wouldn't be human if he didn't feel some sort of burden to live up to those expectations, but one player who has been there before has some advice for the shortstop: Get it out of the way quickly.

"You've just got to try not to do too much," B.J. Upton said. "The first thing you want to do is get caught in the hype, but you've just got to stay within yourself."

Upton was the second overall pick in the 2002 draft but got the biggest bonus of anyone in his class, $4.6 million, when he signed with the Rays that September. Because Upton didn't sign until after the minor-league season had ended, he had to wait until the following spring to play in his first professional game.
Beckham will be in the spotlight beginning this week. He is slated to join Princeton today and work out for a few days before making his debut. From there, all eyes will be on him as he begins his journey through the farm system.

Those following Beckham from afar will be left to focus on the numbers he puts up as a measure of his progress.

What should we expect? It's hard to say based on what happened with his Rays predecessors. The Rays' last nine first-round picks have been among the top eight overall selections, so it's fair to say all were considered elite players at the time they were selected.

Five of them - David Price (2007), Jeff Niemann (2004), Delmon Young (2003), Upton (2002) and Dewon Brazelton (2001) - didn't play the summer they were drafted.

Results were mixed with the others. Evan Longoria (2006) rolled through three levels, topping out at Double-A, while hitting a combined .315 with 14 homers and 58 RBIs in 62 games after signing on draft day. And Josh Hamilton (1999) hit .347 with 10 homers in 56 games at Princeton before slumping to a .194 average in 16 homerless games after being moved up to Hudson Valley. On the down side, Rocco Baldelli (2000) played 60 games at Princeton, hitting .216 and striking out 56 times in 232 at-bats. And Wade Townsend (2005) went 0-4 with a 5.49 ERA in 12 outings for Hudson Valley and made one Arizona Fall League appearance before being shut down with an elbow injury that sidelined him for 2006.

From a development perspective, the Rays say none of the above really matters.

"We don't focus on the numbers at all," executive vice president Andrew Friedman said. "It's really the process, it's getting acclimated, it's putting in the necessary work to put him in a better position to go out next year and start having some success."

Not very glamorous stuff, that. But it is, in many ways, the beauty of the way baseball does its business.
Beckham will begin his career riding the same bus through the back roads of the Appalachian League as his Venezuelan and Dominican teammates who came from nothing or close to it.

The hype can't help but fade away there. "Oh, yeah," Upton said. "Let's not talk about the bus rides."

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