Musical Chairs with Gordon Beckham

I watched Gordon Beckham tear up the 2008 College World Series. He would hit missile after missile after missile 20 rows up into the left field bleachers. He made play after play at his natural shortstop position. It was an impressive show put on by an impressive kid with impressive athletic ability. I could not have been more excited when the White Sox selected him with the 8th overall pick that year. Spending not even a year in the minors, Beckham was called upon to play 3B after an unproductive Josh Fields was ditched. Not without growing pains, Beckham made the transition.

Now one year later, another transition, this time to 2B, must be asked of the young Georgian. How many games will it take for him to get truly acclimated? How many errors, bases, runs, and games will be given to opposing teams before this occurs? Sure he's had a whole offseason to prepare but only nothing is as valuable as game reps. Wasn't he an All-American shortstop? I'm just playing devil's advocate here but I think Ozzie's got to find one spot for him and let him cultivate, most naturally that position ought to be shortstop.

To top it off, Alexei is statistically a better 2B anyways. In 2008, in 121 games, Ramirez committed only 11 errors and dawned a .981 fielding percentage. While in 2009, in 148 games, Ramirez committed 20 errors and merely dawned a .969 fielding percentage. To compare that to other MLB shortstops, Florida's Hanley Ramirez had a .983 fielding percentage (10 errors), Milwaukee's J.J. Hardy had a .983 (8 errors), and the Cubs' Ryan Theriot had a .976 fielding percentage (15 errors).

It makes the most sense to have Alexei Ramirez play 2B and Beckham to play SS, both statistically and psychologically. Give the kids a break and stick them in positions where they don't have to think and they can just play ball. In an age of virtual reality and instant entertainment, nobody, and I mean nobody, likes musical chairs Ozzie.