Braves' Gordon Beckham: Wants to be starting third baseman
Beckham is aiming to be the Braves' starting third baseman, MLB.com reports. "My goal is to play third every day, and that's what I want to do," Beckham said. "They said I would have an opportunity to do that. I'm just going to take them at their word and go out there with my head down for about a month. Hopefully, at the end of it, that will be where I am at."
A short-end platoon role at second base alongside Jace Peterson seems like a worst-case scenario for Beckham to start the season, but he's aiming much higher. Manager Fredi Gonzalez is said to be keeping an open mind, and the competition ahead of Beckham at third (Adonis Garcia and Kelly Johnson) isn't exactly stellar, but Beckham will need to show significant improvement at the dish in order to win an everyday job. He posted just a .607 OPS in 100 games for the White Sox last year and has largely struggled at the major league level since his rookie season in 2009.
