From: Greg Freedman <greg@...>
Subject: [YCPIOTB] GORDON BECKHAM NAMED ROOKIE OF THE YEAR BY THE SPORTING NEWS
To: YouCanPutItOnTheBoard@yahoogroups.com
Date: Tuesday, October 20, 2009, 5:42 PM

 

 GORDON BECKHAM NAMED ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

BY THE SPORTING NEWS

 

 

CHICAGO – Third baseman Gordon Beckham of the Chicago White Sox and left-hander pitcher J.A. Happ of the Philadelphia Phillies have been named The Sporting News Rookies of the Year, as voted on by a panel of 338 major-league players.

 

Beckham, 22, batted .270 (102-378) with 28 doubles, 14 home runs and 63 RBI in 103 games with the White Sox in 2009.  He is the ninth rookie in White Sox history to be honored by The Sporting News and the first since current manager Ozzie Guillen in 1985.

 

Beckham led AL rookies in doubles, extra-base hits (43) and RBI, tied for the lead in multihit games (28) and ranked second in on-base (.347) and slugging percentage (.460), home runs, runs scored (58), hits and total bases (174) despite not making his major-league debut until June 4. 

 

His 28 doubles were the most by a Sox rookie since Carlos Lee (32) and Chris Singleton (31) in 1999 and the most ever by a White Sox player to appear in 103 games or fewer.  Beckham, who was named AL Rookie of the Month for July, ranked second on the White Sox in doubles, third in slugging percentage and fifth in RBI.

 

Beckham was the White Sox first-round selection (No. 8 overall) in the 2008 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Georgia.  He was the first position player from his draft class to reach the majors and fourth overall.