More Aggressive Beckham Finding Success At The Plate
CHICAGO (WSCR) -- Gordon Beckham's disappointing 2010 season has been attributed to him losing his confidence at the plate, but there's also reason to believe that getting away from his approach contributed as well.
Traditionally, teams want their leadoff and No. 2 hitters to take a lot of pitchers, but that's not necessarily the kind of hitter that Beckham is.
"To be completely honest, me and 'JP' have been doing well, but I am not trying to take a pitch at all," Beckham said on the Danny Mac Show. "I got away from being me, last year, a little bit early [in the season], to let Juan [Pierre] steal a base."
LISTEN: Gordon Beckham On The Danny Mac Show
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Last season, Beckham saw, on average, 3.7 pitches per plate appearances, this season that number has dropped to 3.6. While that's a pretty slight drop, Beckham's improved numbers make it clear what he wants to do at the plate.
"I just told Greg Walker and Ozzie [Guillen], I said 'guys, I swing the bat," Beckham said. "I have to swing the bat. If I get a pitch I want to hit, I'm going to swing, I'm not going to wait, try to get the pitch count up. I'm not your typical No. 2 guy. I'm going to swing the bat. It's what I know, it's how I've played my whole life. So that's what I'm going to do.'
"I'm just trying to do everything as naturally as possible, and not over think things and go out there and pick my foot up and hit. You know, that's all I have to do."
Beckham has a .333 batting average and .964 OPS through the season's first nine games.
