Joe Beckwith, baseball player, 1979-1986

Joe Beckwith

Born: 1/28/1955 in Opelika, AL, USA

Died: 5/22/2021 in Auburn, AL, USA

MLB Debut: 1979-07-21 | Final Game: 1986-09-30

Bats: L | Throws: R | Height: 6'3" | Weight: 200 lbs

Full name: Thomas Joseph Beckwith

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Biography

Joe Beckwith was a professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1979 until his retirement in 1986. Born in 1955, Beckwith made his debut during a time when the game was transitioning into a more offensive era, yet he carved out a niche for himself as a reliable arm on the mound. Over the course of his career, he amassed a record of 18 wins and 19 losses, complemented by a respectable earned run average (ERA) of 3.54. His ability to strike out batters was evident, as he recorded a total of 319 strikeouts, showcasing his skill and competitiveness in a league filled with powerful hitters. Despite not being a household name, Beckwith's contributions to the teams he played for were significant. He also recorded 7 saves, highlighting his versatility as both a starting pitcher and a reliever. His career spanned several pivotal moments in baseball history, including the rise of the designated hitter and changes in pitching strategies. Beckwith remains a notable figure in the annals of baseball for his dependable performances on the mound during a dynamic period in the sport.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
18 19 229 5 0 0 7 422.0 432 166 39 150 319 3.54 0

Career ERA 3.54 vs. league average 3.89 across their career seasons — 9.1% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1979 LAD NL 1 2 17 0 0 0 2 37.3 42 18 15 28 4.34 4.00 (-8%) -
1980 LAD NL 3 3 38 0 0 0 0 59.7 60 13 23 40 1.96 3.84 (+49%) -
1982 LAD NL 2 1 19 1 0 0 1 40.0 38 12 14 33 2.70 3.86 (+30%) -
1983 LAD NL 3 4 42 3 0 0 1 71.0 73 28 35 50 3.55 3.87 (+8%) -
1984 KCR AL 8 4 49 1 0 0 2 100.7 92 38 25 75 3.40 3.81 (+11%) -
1985 KCR AL 1 5 49 0 0 0 1 95.0 99 43 32 80 4.07 3.89 (-5%) -
1986 LAD NL 0 0 15 0 0 0 0 18.3 28 14 6 13 6.87 3.97 (-73%) -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
229 19 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 10 0.053 0.100 0.053 0.153 0.0

Career AVG .053 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — 79.8% below league average.

Career OBP .100 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — 69.3% below league average.

Career SLG .053 vs. league average .391 across their career seasons — 86.5% below league average.

Career OPS 0.153 vs. league average 0.716 across their career seasons — 78.7% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1979 LAD NL 17 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1980 LAD NL 38 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1982 LAD NL 19 7 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1983 LAD NL 42 5 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.200 — — — — 0.0
1984 KCR AL 49 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1985 KCR AL 49 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1986 LAD NL 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1985 WS KCA 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1983 NLCS LAN 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 0 3 0 0 4.3 2 0 2 6 0.00

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1985 WS KCA 0 0 1 0 0 2.0 1 0 0 3 0.00
1983 NLCS LAN 0 0 2 0 0 2.3 1 0 2 3 0.00

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 229 5 34 51 6 3

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1979 LAN P 17 0 5 5 2 0
1980 LAN P 38 0 1 7 2 0
1982 LAN P 19 1 2 2 0 0
1983 LAN P 42 3 8 13 0 1
1984 KCA P 49 1 10 12 0 1
1985 KCA P 49 0 7 12 2 1
1986 LAN P 15 0 1 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 229

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
1986 LAN NL $200,000
1985 KCA AL $358,000
Total Career Earnings $558,000

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Auburn University Auburn AL 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977