Tim Beckham, the #1 player on the Takkle Top 100 and #3 in baseball america was the #1 overall pick in the 2008 MLB first year player draft. Beckham hit .500 with 31 runs batted in and 16 stolen bases this year. There are many pundits, including famed GM Billy Beane of Moneyball fame, that claim drafting a player out of high school has much more risk associated along with it, and if you are going to use a number one pick you should choose a player who can provide value and become a MLB ready asset in 3-5 years. Not to mention you are going to have to pay a pretty penny in a signing bonus in order to sign this player. Note: Beckham should receive a $4-6 million signing bonus as #1 overall draft pick from the 2007 draft, David Price received 5.6 million. Teams have until Aug 15th to sign the players they have drafted.
The ceiling for Beckham is quite high as I have heard comparisons thrown around to the Upton brothers (B.J. and Justin) who have made quite a splash in the MLB and both were drafted out of high school. Justin was drafted with the first pick in the 2005 draft and played a large role in the 2007 post-season for the Diamondbacks. This is Justin's first full season in the major's and some say he may be better than his brother. B.J was the second overall pick in 2002 and is a major asset to the Tampa Bay Rays where he sits in the heart of the lineup. B.J., like Beckham was a shortstop out of high school but was converted to center field last year where he has overcome the position change shortcomings with his athletic ability covering a great deal of ground with his speed and holding runners with 11 OF assists last season.
If Beckham is anything like the Upton brothers it seems as though it will be a great pick for the Rays. If Beckham can contribute at SS or 2b the Rays will be a good team for a very long time. The Rays have been spoiled in past years with their draft choices and the culmination of their draft choices have finally paid off with a stellar young pitching staff and the second best defense in baseball to go with a powerful speedy offense. Baseball prospectus has the Rays winning 90 games this year, that prediction does not sound far fetched. With B.J Upton, Evan Longoria, David Price, Scott Kazmir, Scott Shields, Carl Crawford and Matt Garza and Tim Beckham the Rays have a young and talented team with plenty of upside for years to come.
With younger players having a larger impact on major league teams and veteran's performance declining it seems as though there is a shift in power and there could be a growing trend to draft high school players. 9 of the 30 players drafted this year in the first round were high school athletes.
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