Beckham bounce might lift O’s into playoffs
Shortstop has helped team turn around season that seemed like a lost cause
BALTIMORE— It was just over a month ago when Dan Duquette had to make a decision that would steer the course of the Baltimore Orioles for this season and years to follow.
The underachieving Orioles entered the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline with a 50-54 record and trailed five teams for the second American League wild card. To many, the obvious move was to write off the season and nourish the team’s thin minor league system by swapping veteran talent for prospects.
Instead, Duquette, Baltimore’s executive vice-president of baseball operations, traded for Tampa Bay shortstop Tim Beckham, declined offers to deal away standout closer Zach Britton and readied the Orioles for playoff push.
“You gotta try,” Duquette declared, defending a manoeuvre that seemingly defied logic.
Well, here we are at the beginning of September, and surging Baltimore is making a serious bid to reach the post-season for the third time in four years. Although their seven-game winning streak ended Thursday with an 11-8 loss against the Toronto Blue Jays, the Orioles (68-66) began play Friday sitting just 31⁄ games behind
2 the Yankees for the top AL wild card.
“We’re in the fight,” Duquette said. “We’re in a pennant race.”
On July 31, the mood in the clubhouse was tense.
“It was definitely a weird day,” recalled reliever Brad Brach, one of several players rumoured to be heading elsewhere. “Everybody knew stuff was going on behind the scenes, but nobody knew exactly what was going to happen.”
Duquette received offers for Britton, but none that warranted shipping out a left-hander who at the time owned the AL record for consecutive converted saves.
“We had a particular idea how we could help our ball club, and that didn’t materialize,” Duquette said.
So Duquette kept Britton. And, days after acquiring starting pitcher Jeremy Hellickson from Philadelphia, Duquette snagged Beckham — the top pick in the 2008 draft — for a minor league pitcher.
Beckham has become a key figure in Baltimore’s resurgence. He has a .417 on-base percentage with the Orioles and is under team control for three more years. It’s a deal that serves both the present and future.
“The addition of Beckham helped us address a key area,” Duquette said. “He caught fire with the bat and added an important element to the line- up as a leadoff hitter with speed.”
Hellickson is 2-2 with the Orioles, but he’s enabled manager Buck Showalter to use a six-man rotation that’s given developing starters Dylan Bundy and Kevin Gausman additional rest. Not only did the pitching improve, but Baltimore’s power hitters found their stroke in August, hitting a major league record 57 home runs in the month.
On July 31, Tampa Bay had a threegame lead over Baltimore in the wild-card race. Now the Rays are under .500, and Beckham is playing for a team on a roll.
“It’s been fun. I think it was a blessing to be a part of this club,” he said. “It’s a club I want to be a part of. The end goal here is getting to the playoffs and the World Series.”