Gordon Beckham is headed back to the Peach State.
The former Georgia Bulldogs star and veteran Chicago White Sox infielder inked a one-year major league deal with the Atlanta Braves, the team announced Friday. The deal is worth $1.25 million with $500,000 in incentives, according to Mark Bowman of MLB.com.
Beckham tweeted his enthusiasm about returning to his hometown following the announcement:
Beckham, a flashy defender, will give the Braves a platoon option alongside starting second baseman Jace Peterson and third baseman Adonis Garcia.
Braves special assistant and former White Sox hitting coach Greg Walker told Bowman he sees potential for an upward trend for the veteran Beckham.
“I think it’s a good fit,” he said. “He’s still very positive about his offensive potential, and his defense is a given. He can play a variety of positions and you don’t worry about him at all with the glove. His makeup is off the charts.”
Beckham, who attended Westminster High School in suburban Atlanta, led the Bulldogs to the College World Series in 2008, and the White Sox selected him with the eighth overall pick in the MLB first-year player draft later that summer.
He spent his first five-and-a-half seasons with the South Siders before the team traded him to the Los Angeles Angels prior to the 2014 non-waiver deadline. He then re-signed with the White Sox in the offseason last year.
His offensive numbers have steadily declined since his standout rookie season in 2009, in which he belted 14 home runs and a career-best 63 RBI.
He’s coming off a career-worst season in which both he and the White Sox struggled, finishing at 76-86 despite lofty expectations after an aggressive offseason.
Beckham posted career lows in extra-base hits (eight), RBI (20), stolen bases (zero), walks (19), batting average (.209), slugging percentage (.332), OPS (.607) and games played (100) in 2015.
The Braves are in the midst of a massive rebuild that has seen staples Jason Heyward, Justin Upton, Evan Gattis, Andrelton Simmons and others depart since the end of the 2014 season.
Beckham’s one-year deal shows he’s likely coming in as a temporary fixture while the farm system continues to develop to give the Braves a chance to return to relevancy by the time their new stadium opens in 2017. But if he finds an awakening in Atlanta, he could become a part of the Braves’ long-term plans.
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