Josh Beckett
Joshua Patrick Beckett (born May 15, 1980) is an American former professional baseball pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB). A three-time MLB All-Star, he played for the Florida Marlins, the Boston Red Sox, and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Josh Beckett
138–106
3.88
1,901
After a stellar high school career in which he was regarded as one of the top baseball prospects in the U.S., Beckett was drafted by the Marlins with the second overall pick in the 1999 MLB draft. He won the 2003 World Series with the Marlins and the 2007 World Series with the Red Sox, receiving the 2003 World Series MVP award and the 2007 American League Championship Series MVP award. Beckett was traded from the Marlins to the Red Sox in 2006 and from the Red Sox to the Dodgers in 2012, both as part of multi-player transactions.
Beckett recovered from a serious injury that caused him to miss most of the 2013 season. He pitched a no-hitter for the Dodgers against the Philadelphia Phillies on May 25, 2014, becoming the 19th man in Dodgers history to pitch a no-hitter. However, his season was again cut short due to an injury, and he announced his retirement on October 7, 2014.
Early life[edit]
Beckett grew up idolizing fellow Texans Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens.[1] As a youth, he starred on Little League All-Star teams.[2] He later attended Spring High School in Spring, Texas. He had trouble with grades and with paying attention to his coach during his freshman year, so his coach in frustration threw Beckett off the team.[3] He experienced a growth spurt before his sophomore year and added speed to his fastball.[1] He also raised his GPA and was able to get back on the team, where he had a 9–3 record with a 1.18 earned run average (ERA) as a sophomore, tossing three no-hitters.[3]
As a high school junior, Beckett was ranked by Baseball America as the top high school prospect in the nation, and his team as the top high school baseball team. He compiled a 13–2 record and struck out 2.1 batters per inning while walking only 20 batters all season.[3] His high school coach said "I’ve never seen a pitcher with his ability—ever."[3]
In his senior season, Beckett, by this point nicknamed "Kid Heat,"[1] was named the High School player of the year by USA Today.[4] Beckett signed a letter of intent to pitch for Texas A&M University,[5] but he and Josh Hamilton were seen as the top two players available in the 1999 Major League Baseball draft.[6] Concerned about Beckett's perceived arrogance, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays chose Hamilton with the first pick.[7] Beckett, meanwhile, was chosen with the second pick by the Florida Marlins. Marlins scouting director Al Avila said at the time, "Beckett has good size and has an overpowering fastball. He's a bulldog on the mound."[8] Showing his confidence, Beckett predicted that he would make it to the major leagues within two years and play in an All-Star game by 2001.[8]
Pitching style[edit]
Beckett threw five pitches regularly: a four-seam fastball (91–95 miles per hour (146–153 km/h)), a two-seam fastball (91–94 miles per hour (146–151 km/h)), a cutter (89–91 miles per hour (143–146 km/h)), a curveball (73–79 miles per hour (117–127 km/h)), and a changeup (86–88 miles per hour (138–142 km/h)). Beckett used all five of his pitches against left-handed hitters but dropped the changeup against righties. He preferred to use his curveball when ahead in the count, bolstered by its 34% whiff rate. Beckett also began to experiment with a slider and splitter in 2012.[85]