Josh Beckett

Joshua Patrick Beckett (born May 15, 1980) is an American former professional baseball pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB).

A three-time MLB All-Star, he played for the Florida Marlins, the Boston Red Sox, and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

After a stellar high school career in which he was regarded as one of the top baseball prospects in the U.S., Beckett was drafted by the Marlins with the second overall pick in the 1999 MLB draft.

Beckett signed a letter of intent to pitch for Texas A&M University, but he and Josh Hamilton were seen as the top two players available in the 1999 Major League Baseball draft.

Concerned about Beckett's perceived arrogance, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays chose Hamilton with the first pick.

Beckett, meanwhile, was chosen with the second pick by the Florida Marlins.

Marlins scouting director Al Avila said at the time, "Beckett has good size and has an overpowering fastball. He's a bulldog on the mound."

Beckett engaged in protracted negotiations with the Marlins, during which he briefly enrolled at Blinn Junior College, but he eventually signed on August 28, 1999, to a four-year $7 million contract that included a $3.625 million signing bonus.

His signing bonus was larger than what the Marlins were paying everyone on the Major League roster, except pitcher Alex Fernandez.

Beckett impressed the Marlins in his first spring training with the team in March 2000, with a fastball clocked at 94 - 96 mph and a good curveball.

He also showed his commitment to the team by donating $100,000 to the team's charitable foundation, more than any other player had donated.

He was assigned to the Kane County Cougars of the Class A Midwest League to make his professional debut.

As the Opening Day starter for the Cougars, he pitched four innings and allowed only one run, on a double by Albert Pujols.

Beckett suffered from injuries that season, including shoulder tendinitis and a frayed rotator cuff, injuries which took longer to heal because he did too much weight lifting while on the disabled list.

He would later say, "I tried to get too strong too quick and ended up making things worse."

He pitched in 13 games for the Cougars and finished with a record of 2–3 with a 2.12 ERA and 61 strikeouts.

Showing his confidence, Beckett predicted that he would make it to the major leagues within two years and play in an All-Star game by 2001.

The Marlins assigned Beckett to the Brevard County Manatees of the Florida State League at the start of the 2001 season.

He didn't allow an earned run in his first innings and went 6–0 with a 1.23 ERA and 101 strikeouts in 13 games.

Marlins General Manager Dave Dombrowski remarked on his progress, "He pitched as well in the Florida State League as any prospect I've ever been associated with", leading to a promotion to the Double A Portland Sea Dogs of the Eastern League.

Beckett struck out eight of the first nine batters he faced in his Sea Dogs debut on June 16, 2001.

On August 13, 2001, he combined with two other Sea Dogs pitchers to throw a no-hitter against the Binghamton Mets.

In 13 starts for the team, he had an 8–1 record, a 1.82 ERA and struck out 102 batters.

He won the 2003 World Series with the Marlins and the 2007 World Series with the Red Sox, receiving the 2003 World Series MVP award and the 2007 American League Championship Series MVP award.

Beckett was traded from the Marlins to the Red Sox in 2006 and from the Red Sox to the Dodgers in 2012, both as part of multi-player transactions.

Beckett recovered from a serious injury that caused him to miss most of the 2013 season.

He pitched a no-hitter for the Dodgers against the Philadelphia Phillies on May 25, 2014, becoming the 19th man in Dodgers history to pitch a no-hitter.

However, his season was again cut short due to an injury, and he announced his retirement on October 7, 2014.

Beckett grew up idolizing fellow Texans Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens.

As a youth, he starred on Little League All-Star teams.

He later attended Spring High School in Spring, Texas.

He had trouble with grades and with paying attention to his coach during his freshman year, so his coach in frustration threw Beckett off the team.

He experienced a growth spurt before his sophomore year and added speed to his fastball.

He also raised his GPA and was able to get back on the team, where he had a 9–3 record with a 1.18 earned run average (ERA) as a sophomore, tossing three no-hitters.

As a high school junior, Beckett was ranked by Baseball America as the top high school prospect in the nation, and his team as the top high school baseball team.

He compiled a 13–2 record and struck out 2.1 batters per inning while walking only 20 batters all season.

His high school coach said "I’ve never seen a pitcher with his ability—ever."

In his senior season, Beckett, by this point nicknamed "Kid Heat," was named the High School player of the year by USA Today.

He was selected by Baseball America as the Marlins best prospect and the 19th best in the entire minor leagues as well as having the best fastball in the Midwest League.

He was also selected to play in the All-Star Futures Game, a showcase for the best prospects.