Former Tampa Bay Rays 1st overall pick signs with Seattle

The Tampa Bay Rays and the Seattle Mariners are connected once again as Jerry Dipoto has signed the former Rays first overall pick of the 2008 draft to a 1 year deal.

The Tampa Bay Rays selected Tim Beckham with the first overall pick off the 2008 draft. Yes, ahead of Eric Hosmer, Buster Posey, and countless others. To say that Beckham was a disappointment would be an understatement.

He was suspended in 2012 for testing positive for a “Drug of Abuse”. He made his Major League debut in 2013, playing in 5 games and registering 8 plate appearances. He would not play with the Rays in 2014 and in 2015 he returned to play in 82 games. Over the course of his first major stint in the bigs, Beckham hit .222 with an OPS+ of 93.

In 2016, he appeared in 64 games and hit .247 with an OPS+ of 100 (League Average). 2017 was his best year in a Rays uniform prior to being shipped to Baltimore at the deadline in exchange for Tobias Myers, a right-handed pitching prospect. Across 137 games with Baltimore and the Rays, he hit 22 bombs and hit .278 with an OPS+ of 110.

To say he was a disappointment after being taken with the first overall pick of the 2008 draft would be an understatement.

With a pick of that magnitude, an organization expects that the player taken will be an impact player for years and possibly even the next face of the franchise.

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Beckham never turned into that player while with the Rays. We got a brief glimpse of the type of ball player he could have been in 2017, only to trade him away. Now, according to multiple reports, he will be taking his talents to Seattle.

Per Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Mariners and Beckham have reached an agreement. The 1 year deal is worth 1.75 million with 250K in incentives.

This past season, Beckham played in 96 games and hit .230 with an OPS+ of 83. It was his worst year at the dish but with Seattle looking to take a step back and rebuild they can afford to see if Beckham can return to his 2017 form.

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