UGA's Beckham thriving in his big league moment

"Ever since then I've had a lot of confidence," said Beckham, a 22-year-old Atlanta native. "To get the winning hit against your rival in the same city is a huge thing."

And while conducting one of many postgame interviews, Beckham received a welcome-to-the-big-leagues shaving cream pie in the face from Sox veterans Jim Thome and Jermaine Dye.

"I saw them behind me and I knew it was coming, but I just didn't know when," he said with a big smile. "Fortunately, they did it slowly so I had time to close my eyes, but quite a bit landed in my mouth."

Suddenly, an 0-for-13 start to his rookie campaign since his call-up from Charlotte seemed like a distant memory. The Cubs series ignited a 12-for-21 tear as he improved his average more than 100 points to .278. Through Saturday he was batting .263 with three home runs and 16 RBIs.

"I knew it would take time for that first hit to come, but 0-for-13 and 2-for-28 was ridiculous," he says. "It was very stressful. I got called up and wanted to do well, but I wasn't helping the team and we were losing. That was the worst-case scenario.

"I made some adjustments, loosening up my hands so I wouldn't put as much stress on my shoulders. It was all a mind thing. If you don't have a strong mind or will, this game will bury you pretty quick."

White Sox hitting coach Greg Walker said those adjustments were not "technical" in nature, but related to how he was expending himself.

"He was playing college ball at this time last year, and he came up here in the middle of some of the most intense games we'll probably play all year," Walker said.

"We just told him to relax more because he was too tight, and the effort level was too high. Nobody was panicking, and we weren't about to change anything because we had plenty of confidence in him.

"We just want him to be himself and have fun," Walker added. "He's a confident, but very respectful, kid. He knows his place in the clubhouse, and he knows he's just another piece to the puzzle. There are still going to be some speed bumps on the road in front of him, but we are going to let him find them."

In addition to proving he can hit major-league pitching, Beckham has had to make the adjustment to learning to play third base. With Alexei Ramirez entrenched at shortstop, Beckham was one of the final cuts in spring training and sent to Class AA Birmingham to learn to play second. But Josh Fields was not producing at the plate or on the field, so Beckham got the call up from Charlotte for a quick training session at third base.

"It was a big adjustment, but one I wanted to make, especially if it got me to where I am now," says Beckham. "I'm actually starting to like it. The reaction time is a lot less and the angle off the bat is a lot different."

"We didn't expect him to make this quick of a rise," said general manager Kenny Williams. "When we drafted him, we told him we thought he was a lot closer than he thought he was. GMs like players who produce, and this young man is advanced in his maturity level, which is a tribute to his mother and father. What we have now is two shortstops on the left side of the infield, and one just happens to play a little closer to third base."

What first baseman Paul Konerko sees is a future All-Star and team leader.

"The fact he has had limited time in the minors and is up here doing so well means he is a special player," Konerko said. "These types of players don't come around every year. A lot of players would start out 2-for-28 and you'd never hear from them again, but for him to do this under this kind of scrutiny is remarkable."

As part of his rookie indoctrination, Beckham had to wear a University of Florida baseball uniform — it was a gift from Gators fan and Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski — on the first road trip.

"That was a little embarrassing," Beckham said with a smile. "But it was all in good fun, and I have to take my lumps like any other rookie. At some point that stuff will end."

"He looked good and probably should keep wearing it," Pierzynski says. "He looked a lot better in it than those ugly [Georgia] colors he used to wear."

Beckham knows it is just another way he is fitting in.

"The best-case scenario is I thought I might be up here late in the summer or be a September call-up," he says. "Coming up here this soon shows they are confident in me. I know it's a work in progress and probably will be for a little longer."