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Minnesota Twins sign former No. 1 pick to minor league deal

By Kevin Henry

Jul 20, 2019; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Mariners left fielder Tim Beckham (1) hits a single against the Los Angeles Angels during the second inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 20, 2019; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Mariners left fielder Tim Beckham (1) hits a single against the Los Angeles Angels during the second inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Minnesota Twins have signed former top overall MLB draft pick Tim Beckham to a minor league deal, bringing a bit of intrigue to the team heading into spring training (whenever it may actually start).

According to a tweet from Darren Wolfson, a television sports reporter in the Twin Cities, the Minnesota Twins saw enough from Beckham in a workout to ink him to a minor league deal. He’ll have the chance to make the Minnesota roster in spring training. If he makes it, he’ll earn approximately $1 million, so the chance the Twins are taking with Beckham is minimal.

What could Tim Beckham bring to the Minnesota Twins?

Beckham was the top overall pick by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2008 MLB draft and finally made his MLB debut with the Rays on September 19, 2013. He would play in just five games that season and would be a part of 238 games with the Rays before being traded to the Baltimore Orioles on July 31, 2017.

During his time with Tampa Bay, Beckham posted a combined 96 OPS+ while playing all four infield positions.

In Baltimore during the 2017 and 2018 seasons, Beckham would post some of his best overall statistics, slashing a combined .258/.309/.429 in 632 plate appearances.

He was granted free agency after the 2018 campaign and signed on with the Seattle Mariners in the offseason. In Seattle, he would post a career-best 15 home runs in 328 plate appearances over 88 games while slashing .237/.293/.461.

His last game of the season, however, would come on August 4 as he was suspended for 80 games for testing positive for the banned performance-enhancing drug Stanozolol. In a statement, Beckham said the substance he was assured was safe by a “trusted source” was “tainted.”

Beckham missed the final 48 games with Seattle in 2019, did not play in MLB in the pandemic-shortened season of 2020, and played in just 45 Triple-A games as part of the Chicago White Sox organization in 2021 while he dealt with a knee injury.

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During his time with the Mariners, Beckham added left field to his arsenal and saw action in 91.0 innings there, along with time at first, second, and third bases, plus shortstop (where he played the most innings of any position, 344.1). He could provide depth for the Twins at a number of positions should he make the roster and show, at age 32, that he can make an impact at the MLB level.

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