Reading articles like this only gets Rays fans more frustrated. The Rays could have had Buster Posey, and not only that, they were strongly considering him before eventually deciding on Beckham. He was right at their fingertips and they let him get away. Instead of the catcher position being a major weakness for the Rays right now, it could have been among their greatest strengths. What has Beckham given the Rays? Nothing. What has Posey given the Giants? Two World Series rings.

Why did the Rays pass on Posey? They had a 24 year old catcher in Dioner Navarro who was an All-Star in 2008. They wanted to show their fans that even as they transitioned from one of the worst teams in baseball into a perennial contender, their focus remained on the future and on long-term success. And they believed in Beckham’s potential and thought he had a chance to be a superstar in his own right. But drafting a player who had a chance to be a superstar instead of one who could be a star in the big leagues within a couple of years?

It wasn’t that simple. Posey had questions defensively with his receiving ability and at the plate regarding his ability his power. The scouts thought Beckham had a chance to legitimately do it all. If he panned out, he would be hitting for a high average with 30 homers, 30 stolen bases, and great defense at shortstop. That certainly didn’t happen, and Posey has turned out to be better than anyone could have dreamed, with the home plate collision that knocked him out for most of 2011 the only splotch on his near-perfect career thus far. The Rays took a calculated gamble- but it did not work out in the slightest.

The Rays’ selection of Beckham over Posey is an unequivocal failure. At this point, though, what’s done is done, and the Rays are happy with what they can get. Beckham has spent the last 2+ years at Triple-A and is almost ready for the major leagues. He’s been converted to second base, but he has shown flashes of power and pure hitting ability to go along with solid speed, and he has the ability to be an above-average all-around second baseman. The comparison between Beckham and Posey will never go in Beckham’s favor. But he has the ability to contribute to the Rays as soon as next season and they’re happy for everything they get. The Rays can’t be happy with the way their first overall selection for the 2008 Draft has played out. But at the same time things could certainly be worse and they’re looking forward to see what Beckham can do for them in coming years.

But was Beckham the right choice at the time? Baseball America remarks in its Draft Almanac that “After considering Florida State catcher Buster Posey (the 2008 college player of the year) and Vanderbilt third baseman Pedro Alvarez, as well as San Diege lefthander Brian Matusz and Florida prep first baseman Eric Hosmer, the Rays were more than satisfied taking the top-rated high school talent on the board, shortstop Tim Beckham.” How would things have worked out if the Rays had selected one of the other players they considered? There are so many possible scenarios, but let’s try of them, that the Rays select Buster Posey first overall in the 2008 draft, and see how that would affect the current baseball landscape.
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