Gordon Beckham: Make or break season off to a bad start

Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY SportsJust when things seemed to be looking up for Gordon Beckham, he strained his left oblique, and will not participate in baseball activities for at least 7 days. From then, he’ll be re-evaluated.

This was, after all, the year Beckham was going to put everything together. Solid defense which he’s displayed at every level of the game, and the offensive prowess at the plate he displayed during his rookie season of 2009.

This is undeniably Beckham’s make or break season with the White Sox. What once appeared to be a promising career in the making, has turned into a career of mediocrity. So far.

While many of Beckham’s detractors believe he’ll never be able to remove the “loop” in his swing he somehow developed after his rookie season in 2009, some folks believe he finally found his swing again during last year’s disappointing 99 loss season.

Though he seemed to display some of his previous discipline at the plate, Beckham missed almost a third of the season in 2013. And while things improved offensively for Beckham, his play defensively took a turn for the worse.

That brings us to Spring Training 2014. On the brink of a make or break season, 2 weeks away from Opening Day, and Beckham injures an oblique. A DL stint to start the season is certainly a possibility.

Don’t look now, but here comes Marcus Semien. And Micah Johnson. And Tim Anderson. The White Sox farm system is infused with young, talented middle infielders.