Jim Beauchamp

Infobox MLB retired
bgcolor1=darkblue
bgcolor2=maroon
textcolor1=white
textcolor2=white
name=Jim Beauchamp
position=Outfielder/first baseman/pinch hitter
bats=Right
throws=Right
birthdate=birth date|1939|8|21
deathdate=death date and age|2007|12|25|1939|8|21
debutdate=September 22
debutyear=1963
debutteam=St. Louis Cardinals
finaldate=September 20
finalyear=1973
finalteam=New York Mets
stat1label=Batting average
stat1value=.231
stat2label=Home runs
stat2value=14
stat3label=RBI
stat3value=90
teams=
*St. Louis Cardinals (by|1963, by|1970-by|1971)
*Houston Colt .45s/Astros (by|1964-by|1965, by|1970)
*Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves (by|1965, by|1967)
*Cincinnati Reds (by|1968-by|1969)
*New York Mets (by|1972-by|1973)
highlights=
*1963 Texas League MVP

James Edward Beauchamp (August 21, 1939 – December 25, 2007) was a right-handed-batting and -throwing Major League Baseball first baseman and outfielder who played from by|1963 to by|1973 for the St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Colt .45s/Astros, Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds and New York Mets. He attended Oklahoma State University before being signed by the Cardinals in by|1957. He was the father of former minor league baseball player Kash Beauchamp. He was 6'2" tall and weighed 205 pounds.

Professional career

A power hitting minor leaguer, Beauchamp had perhaps the best year of his professional career in by|1963 for the Double-A Tulsa Oilers, batting .337 with 31 home runs and 105 RBI. He also collected 35 doubles and 10 triples while scoring 95 runs. He did so well in fact that he won the 1963 Texas League MVP Award. He earned a short call to the Majors in 1963, making his Major League debut on September 22 at the age of 24. Overall, he went hitless in three Major League at-bats that year.

Although he was a promising prospect in the Cardinals organization, he was traded to the Colt .45s in February of by|1964 with Chuck Taylor for outfielder Carl Warwick. Beauchamp again dominated in the minors in 1964, belting 34 home runs and collecting 83 RBI with a .285 batting average. In 23 Major League games that year, he collected only nine hits in 55 at-bats for a .164 batting average.

He started the by|1965 season with the Astros, playing in 24 games before being traded to the Milwaukee Braves with Ken Johnson for Lee Maye. He played in only four games with the Braves that year. Overall, he hit .179 in 56 at-bats.

Beauchamp hit .319 with 25 home runs and 77 RBI in 115 games for the Richmond Braves in by|1966. He did not appear in the Majors that season. He spent most of the by|1967 season in the minors as well, belting 25 home runs and driving in 63 runs for Richmond. He averaged dropped, as he hit .233. He appeared in four games in the Majors for the Braves that year, collecting no hits in three at-bats.

In October 1967, Beauchamp was traded with Mack Jones and Jay Ritchie to the Reds for Deron Johnson.

He started the by|1968 season in the minors, hitting 13 home runs and driving in 47 RBI for the Indianapolis Indians. He spent 31 games in the Majors that year, hitting .263 in 57 at-bats.

Beauchamp hit .250 in 60 at-bats for the Reds in by|1969, driving in eight RBI. After the season, he was traded back to Houston for Pat House and Dooley Womack. He hit .192 in 31 games for the Astros that year, prompting a midseason trade to the Cardinals - another one of his former teams. He was sent with Leon McFadden to the Cardinals for George Culver. He hit .259 in 44 games for the Cardinals, and overall he hit .238 on the season.

He spent all of by|1971 with the Cardinals, hitting .235 in 77 games. After the season, he was traded by the Cardinals with Chip Coulter, Harry Parker, and Chuck Taylor to the Mets for Art Shamsky, Jim Bibby, Rich Folkers, and Charlie Hudson.

He played his final two seasons with the Mets, hitting .242 in 58 games for them in by|1972 and .279 in 50 games in by|1973. He played his final game on September 20, 1973, almost exactly 10 years after his big league debut. He was released from the Mets in March of by|1974.

Overall, Beauchamp played in 393 Major League games, collecting 153 hits in 661 at-bats for a .231 batting average. He hit 18 doubles, four triples and 14 home runs while driving in 90 RBI. He walked 54 times and struck out 150 times. He had a .979 fielding percentage.

He appeared in four games in the 1973 World Series for the Mets, collecting zero hits in four at-bats.

Coaching

After his playing days ended, Beauchamp managed in the minors from by|1975 to by|1990. He managed the Columbus Astros in 1975, the Memphis Blues in by|1976, the Charleston Charlies from by|1977 to by|1979, the Syracuse Chiefs from by|1982 to by|1984, the Greenville Braves from by|1985 to by|1987 and the Richmond Braves from by|1988 to by|1990. From by|1991 to by|2001, he was the Atlanta Braves' bench coach, and after by|2002 he was the team's minor league outfield coordinator.

Death

On Christmas Day, 2007, Beauchamp died following a long battle with leukemia at the age of 68. In his honor, the Atlanta Braves wore a memorial patch emblazoned with his nickname, "Beach", during the 2008 season.

External links

* [http://retrosheet.org/boxesetc/B/Pbeauj101.htm Retrosheet]