So Far, So Good?

Granted it’s spring training and the Sox are only two games into the schedule, there have been some bright spots on the team so far, and Gordon Beckham is one of them. Beckham was one of the handful of players to struggle through the 2011 season but after two games in spring he seems to be a different guy. The old Gordon Beckham.

While his defensive stats improved last year his offensive production went down the drain. His batting average dropped from .270 in 2009, to .252 in 2010, to .230 in 2011. Obviously that needs to change but I won’t regurgitate the same stats and analysis you’ve read several times so I’ll move to what Gordon has done this spring.

Not only has Beckham shined in the field but his confidence at the plate looks different. In 2011 he looked scared and uncomfortable but in his first at-bat of the spring that was gone. Could be that the pressures of the regular season aren’t weighing on him, could be that his girlfriend called before the game, who knows; he looks better. Gordon went 2-2 with a stolen base in yesterday’s game against the Angels after going 0-2 with two strikeouts in the spring opener against the Dodgers on Monday. Only time and a few more games will tell if the 2009 Gordon Beckham has returned. But as I said at the beginning, this is only spring training.

One quick note: Adam Dunn has yet to strike out and has walked three times.

Two games, I know, I know…