http://tinyurl.com/5ztjja By Alex Eisenberg Watching video of Tim Beckham, the 5-tool shortstop from Georgia that is expected to be selected with one of the draft's first three picks in June, I was reminded of an article from 2006 by Jeff Albert for the Baseball Analysts that analyzed what was wrong with Justin Upton, the top pick of the 2005 draft who struggled with the transition to pro ball. What he noticed is that Upton was eliminating a part of the "rotational forces produced by the body to be completely transferred to the bat". This was because his hands were too quick, too fast in meeting the ball. Upton showed signs of "taking the swing over with his arms/hands". Let's take a look at what Upton's swing looked like in high school: Now let's turn to Beckham. Here is a full clip of his swing: A couple things to point out: 1. Upton had the better swing out of high school because he used his lower body much more efficiently than Beckham. 2. Beckham's problem is a little different than Upton's; while Upton cut off a key segment in his swing, he still turned his hips aggressively and swung through the ball. Beckham, on the other hand, seems to be looking to achieve "extension", meaning he is throwing his hands at the ball and letting his hands get out in front to meet the ball and cutting short the swing’s follow through . Hitting for power is very difficult when one tries to achieve extension with their swing. Here are the key components of each player’s swing where they lose power potential; Beckham is on the left and Upton is on the right: Adjustments to be made Upton clearly made the adjustments needed from his first professional baseball season in 2006 to 2007. Here is a clip from last year's Future's Game, which came on a 93 mph fastball down and in: In this clip, we can see how Upton shortened up his swing a bit (see the bend in his front arm compared to his swing in high school). He also managed to delay the opening of his hips by adjusting, slightly, his stride into foot plant. We then see Upton simply being less anxious; waiting, waiting, and then finally initiating his swing. This also displays the incredible strength of Upton's wrists not to mention how fast his hands truly are. See the difference in what Upton did in high school compared to what he did in 2007: Now, how can we apply this to Beckham? While his swing is not as advanced as Upton's, we can see the tools that almost every scout raves about. The bat speed is there as well as the consistent, hard contact, but instead of the home runs that Upton hit, we see more shots to the gap resulting in doubles and triples. The first thing he must do is get his lower body more involved in his swing. Get into a more athletic position. You look at Upton and you see a player that is an athletic position and well balanced. Beckham looks a little stiff. Put some bend in his legs, achieve better balance and forcefully stride into foot plant. At foot plant, turn the hips with force and don't let the hands get out in front of your body. Let the ball travel deep into your hitting zone and wait before committing to swing. The hips and hands should be turning together. Adjustments can be difficult as you never want to leave a player overwhelmed, but given Beckham's athleticism and fast hands, he will have an easier time making these adjustments than most others. Other Notes Beckham will have no problems staying at shortstop as he displays great range with a plus arm. This puts less pressure on his bat to vault him to the major leagues. He also isn't a free swinger at the plate as he possesses good plate discipline and he isn't afraid to walk. Given his excellent speed, Beckham can turn every walk into a double and triple. Final Thoughts Any team that makes an investment on Beckham will be making an investment on quickness rather than bat speed, as Albert states. Players that possess quickness will have an easier time making the adjustments to their swing because quickness is more of a natural gift. A player can improve power by applying the adjustments mentioned above, or by making their swing longer, but improving the quickness of one's swing is very difficult to do. Albert's concludes: “If power truly does come last for the likes of Upton and Weeks, will it be a product of their current swings, or courtesy of some Soriano-esque improvements ? Again, time will tell.” Upton has shown "Soriano-esque" improvements. While Beckham is different from Upton in that his swing is less refined and will play at a much more premium defensive position, the same question asked about Upton and Weeks is to be asked about Beckham. Grade 9 Upside, Low Probability 7 Mid-Level, Low-Average Probability 5.5 Downside, Low Probability --

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