Doug Laumann on Gordon Beckham:
The right-handed hitter currently has a .397 average with a school-record 24 home runs, to go with his 65 RBIs and 17 stolen bases. He stands out as "a line-drive hitter who consistently squares up on the ball and works the count to his advantage," according to the MiLB.com scouting report. As mentioned above, Beckham also has surprising power for his 6-foot, 185-pound frame.
His arm strength rates as a tick above average for a shortstop, according to the same MiLB.com scouting report. Beckham presently has his sights set on playing shortstop, but is willing to move to wherever is needed to quickly get to the Majors.
"In my mind, I'm capable of playing shortstop in the big leagues," said Beckham of his preferred position on defense. "Whether or not it's where I end up, it's not my call. I wouldn't be disappointed if I moved. My main goal is to get up to the big leagues and play for a long time and help the team."
"We feel confident he can play shortstop," said White Sox director of amateur scouting Doug Laumann of the team's top selection. "If it's not shortstop, then he can move in either direction to second or third. With his overall ability to play the game, and his intangibles with that grinder sort of makeup, we feel like we got a quality person and player."
Although he was one of the fastest-rising prospects in the Draft's first round over the past month or so, Beckham didn't always draw this sort of constant attention. He went undrafted out of high school, basically because he was more dedicated to football.
Schools such as Air Force wanted Beckham at quarterback, where he was All-State as a senior. Ohio University liked Beckham as a free safety, where he was All-State as a junior.
"But I was not big enough to commit to football, and I love baseball," Beckham said. "It's been a lot of working as hard as I can to get to this point."
Laumann identified Beckham as one of 12-to-15 players for general manager Ken Williams and assistant general manager Rick Hahn to look at coming into this winter. Beckham also impressed the team with his strong showing during last summer's Cape Cod League, where wood bats are used.
BTW, here is the MLB.com page with all the Sox picks.