Jim Beauchamp
Encyclopedia
James Edward Beauchamp was a Major League Baseball
first baseman
and outfielder
who played from to for the St. Louis Cardinals
, Houston Colt .45s/Astros
, Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves
, Cincinnati Reds
, and New York Mets
. He attended Grove High School
in Grove, Oklahoma
and Oklahoma State University before being signed by the Cardinals in . He was the father of former minor league baseball player Kash Beauchamp
. He was 6'2' and weighed 205 pounds and pronounced his last name "BEE-chum."
, batting
.337 with 31 home run
s and 105 RBI
. He also collected 35 doubles
and 10 triples
while scoring 95 runs
. Beauchamp won the 1963 Texas League
MVP Award, and a sign showing him in his batting stance stood outside Tulsa
's Oiler Park
until the stadium was demolished in 1980. He earned a short call up 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 Houston Colt .45s in February of 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 season with the Houston 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 . He did not appear in the Majors that season. He spent most of the season in the minors as well, belting 25 home runs and driving in 63 runs for Richmond. His averaged dropped, as he only 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 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 , 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 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 and .279 in 50 games in . 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 .
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.
from to , the Syracuse Chiefs from to , the Greenville Braves
from to and the Richmond Braves
from to . From to , he was the Atlanta Braves
' bench coach, and after he was the team's minor league outfield coordinator.
In 2002, Beauchamp was present with family and friends when he was honored in his hometown of Grove, Oklahoma, by naming the beautiful new Grove City Baseball Field after him nearly five decades after his high school graduation. "Jim Beauchamp Field" is home to the Qualate-Pritchard American Legion Baseball team, and the Ridgerunner Baseball team of Grove High School, where Beauchamp was an Oklahoma All-State Athlete. Beauchamp's boyhood home was just across the street where the new ballpark now stands. After the presentation, an emotional Beauchamp expressed to those present that it was the highest honor he had ever received. Ironically, "beau champ" in French
translates as "beautiful field."
at the age of 68. In his honor, the Atlanta Braves wore a memorial patch emblazoned with his nickname, "Beach", during the 2008 season
.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
first baseman
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
and outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
who played from to for the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
, Houston Colt .45s/Astros
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
, Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
, Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
, and New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
. He attended Grove High School
Grove High School
Grove High School is the former name of The Grove School in the city of Redlands, California, United States.Grove High School is also a high school in the town of Grove, Oklahoma, United States....
in Grove, Oklahoma
Grove, Oklahoma
Grove is a city in Delaware County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 5,131 at the 2000 census, but the 2009 estimate was 6,377.-Geography:Grove is located at ....
and Oklahoma State University before being signed by the Cardinals in . He was the father of former minor league baseball player Kash Beauchamp
Kash Beauchamp
James Kash Beauchamp is the son of Jim Beauchamp, and a former minor league baseball outfielder and manager. Beauchamp originally attended Grove High School in Oklahoma and then Bacone College...
. He was 6'2' and weighed 205 pounds and pronounced his last name "BEE-chum."
Professional career
A power hitting minor leaguer, Beauchamp had perhaps the best year of his professional career in for the Double-A Tulsa OilersTulsa Oilers (baseball)
The Tulsa Oilers, located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, were a minor league baseball team that existed on-and-off in multiple leagues from 1905 to 1976. For most of their history, they played at Oiler Park, which opened on July 11, 1934, and was located on the Tulsa County Fairgrounds at 15th Street and...
, batting
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
.337 with 31 home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s and 105 RBI
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
. He also collected 35 doubles
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
and 10 triples
Triple (baseball)
In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
while scoring 95 runs
Run (baseball)
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...
. Beauchamp won the 1963 Texas League
Texas League
The Texas League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the South Central United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The league was founded in 1888 and ran through 1892...
MVP Award, and a sign showing him in his batting stance stood outside Tulsa
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
's Oiler Park
Oiler Park
Oiler Park, also known as Texas League Park and Driller Park, was a stadium located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Located on the Tulsa County Fairgrounds, it was primarily used for baseball and was the home of the Tulsa Oilers until that team was moved to New Orleans and replaced by the Tulsa Drillers after...
until the stadium was demolished in 1980. He earned a short call up 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 Houston Colt .45s in February of with Chuck Taylor
Chuck Taylor (baseball)
Charles Gilbert "Chuck" Taylor is a former right-handed Major League Baseball relief pitcher who played from 1969 to 1976 for the St...
for outfielder Carl Warwick
Carl Warwick
Carl Wayne Warwick is a former outfielder in Major League Baseball. He played from 1961 to 1966.He appeared in the 1964 World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals, and tied a World Series record with three pinch hits...
. 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 season with the Houston Astros, playing in 24 games before being traded to the Milwaukee Braves with Ken Johnson
Ken Johnson (right-handed pitcher)
Kenneth Travis Johnson is a former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who became the first and so far only pitcher to lose a complete game nine-inning no-hitter.-No-hit game:...
for Lee Maye
Lee Maye
Arthur Lee Maye was a Major League Baseball player. He played eleven seasons in the majors as an outfielder for the Milwaukee Braves , Houston Astros , Cleveland Indians , Washington Senators , and Chicago White Sox .Maye was also well known as a Rhythm & Blues singer...
. 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
Richmond Braves
The Richmond Braves were the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves and played in the International League. Colloquially referred to as the R-Braves, they were based in Richmond, Virginia, where they played from 1966, when the Milwaukee Braves moved to Atlanta where their AAA team, the Crackers,...
in . He did not appear in the Majors that season. He spent most of the season in the minors as well, belting 25 home runs and driving in 63 runs for Richmond. His averaged dropped, as he only 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
Mack Jones
Mack F. Jones , nicknamed "Mack The Knife", was a Major League Baseball left fielder who played for the Milwaukee & Atlanta Braves , Cincinnati Reds and Montreal Expos . He batted left-handed and threw right-handed.A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Jones was signed by the Milwaukee Braves as a...
and Jay Ritchie
Jay Ritchie
Jay Seay Ritchie is a former right-handed Major League Baseball pitcher who played from 1964 to 1968 for the Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds. He was 6'4" tall and he weighed 190 pounds....
to the Reds for Deron Johnson
Deron Johnson
Deron Roger Johnson was an American professional baseball player. Born in San Diego, California, he played seventeen seasons in Major League Baseball as an infielder, outfielder, and designated hitter for the New York Yankees, Kansas City & Oakland Athletics, Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Red Sox,...
.
He started the season in the minors, hitting 13 home runs and driving in 47 RBI for the Indianapolis Indians
Indianapolis Indians
The Indianapolis Indians are a minor league baseball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The team, which plays in the International League, is the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates major-league club. The Indians play at Victory Field, located in downtown Indianapolis...
. 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 , driving in eight RBI. After the season, he was traded back to Houston for Pat House
Pat House
Patrick Lory House is a former left-handed Major League Baseball relief pitcher who played from 1967 to 1968 for the Houston Astros. He was 6'3" tall and weighed 185 pounds....
and Dooley Womack
Dooley Womack
Horace Guy "Dooley" Womack is an American former Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher who pitched from 1966 to 1970 for the New York Yankees, Houston Astros, Seattle Pilots and Oakland Athletics...
. 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
Leon McFadden
Leon McFadden is a former right-handed Major League Baseball shortstop and outfielder who played from to for the Houston Astros...
to the Cardinals for George Culver
George Culver
George Culver is a former professional baseball player who played pitcher in the major leagues from 1966-1974. Culver would play for the Cleveland Indians, Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Philadelphia Phillies...
. He hit .259 in 44 games for the Cardinals, and overall he hit .238 on the season.
He spent all of with the Cardinals, hitting .235 in 77 games. After the season, he was traded by the Cardinals with Chip Coulter
Chip Coulter
Thomas Lee "Chip" Coulter is a former switch hitting, right-handed throwing Major League Baseball second baseman who played in 1969 for the St...
, Harry Parker
Harry Parker (baseball player)
Harry William Parker was a Major League Baseball pitcher from 1970 to 1976 who appeared in 124 games. Parker was born in Highland, Illinois and pitched right-handed. He was an integral contributor to the New York Mets 1973 pennant run, going 8-4 with a 3.35 ERA in the regular season...
, and Chuck Taylor to the Mets for Art Shamsky
Art Shamsky
Arthur Louis Shamsky is a former Major League Baseball player. He played right field, left field, and first base from to for the Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets, Chicago Cubs, and Oakland Athletics. In he was the manager of the Modi'in Miracle of the Israel Baseball League.-Early life:Shamsky...
, Jim Bibby
Jim Bibby
James Blair Bibby was an American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. During a 12-year baseball career, he pitched from 1972-1984 with the St. Louis Cardinals, Texas Rangers, Cleveland Indians, and Pittsburgh Pirates, with whom he was a member of its 1979 World Series Champions...
, Rich Folkers
Rich Folkers
Richard Nevin Folkers is a former left-handed Major League Baseball pitcher who played from to for the New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals, San Diego Padres and Milwaukee Brewers....
, and Charlie Hudson
Charlie Hudson
Charles Hudson is a former left-handed Major League Baseball pitcher who played from 1972 to 1975 for the St. Louis Cardinals, Texas Rangers and California Angels. He was 6'3" tall and he weighed 185 pounds. He attended Tupelo High School in Tupelo, Oklahoma.Hudson was originally drafted by the...
.
He played his final two seasons with the Mets, hitting .242 in 58 games for them in and .279 in 50 games in . 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 .
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
Fielding percentage
In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball...
.
He appeared in four games in the 1973 World Series
1973 World Series
The 1973 World Series matched the defending champion Oakland Athletics against the New York Mets, with the A's winning in seven games to repeat as World Champions....
for the Mets, collecting zero hits in four at-bats.
Coaching
After his playing days ended, Beauchamp managed in the minors from to . He managed the Columbus Astros in 1975, the Memphis Blues in , the Charleston CharliesCharleston Charlies
The Charleston Charlies was the name of the third and most recent Class AAA minor league baseball franchise that was located in Charleston, West Virginia, United States. The Charlies played in the International League from 1971 to 1976 as the relocated Columbus Jets franchise. In 1977 the franchise...
from to , the Syracuse Chiefs from to , the Greenville Braves
Greenville Braves
The Greenville Braves were an American minor league baseball franchise, based in Greenville, South Carolina, that served as the Class AA farm team of the Atlanta Braves between 1984 and 2004...
from to and the Richmond Braves
Richmond Braves
The Richmond Braves were the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves and played in the International League. Colloquially referred to as the R-Braves, they were based in Richmond, Virginia, where they played from 1966, when the Milwaukee Braves moved to Atlanta where their AAA team, the Crackers,...
from to . From to , he was the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
' bench coach, and after he was the team's minor league outfield coordinator.
In 2002, Beauchamp was present with family and friends when he was honored in his hometown of Grove, Oklahoma, by naming the beautiful new Grove City Baseball Field after him nearly five decades after his high school graduation. "Jim Beauchamp Field" is home to the Qualate-Pritchard American Legion Baseball team, and the Ridgerunner Baseball team of Grove High School, where Beauchamp was an Oklahoma All-State Athlete. Beauchamp's boyhood home was just across the street where the new ballpark now stands. After the presentation, an emotional Beauchamp expressed to those present that it was the highest honor he had ever received. Ironically, "beau champ" in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
translates as "beautiful field."
Death
On Christmas Day, 2007, Beauchamp died following a long battle with leukemiaLeukemia
Leukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
at the age of 68. In his honor, the Atlanta Braves wore a memorial patch emblazoned with his nickname, "Beach", during the 2008 season
2008 Atlanta Braves season
The Atlanta Braves' 2008 season featured the team's attempt to reclaim a postseason berth for the first time since 2005. The Braves were once again skippered by Bobby Cox, now in his 19th season managing Atlanta...
.