Chris Beacom made position move, then saw 2 pro seasons

Chris Beacom made the move from second base to shortstop his senior year of high school. His coach at New Trier High thought the move had gone smoothly, according to The Chicago Tribune.

"You always have that in the back of your mind that the transition will cause problems, but so far, Chris has handled it very well," coach Ron Klein told The Tribune. "In fact, I think he even likes it."

Beacom eventually made other kinds of transitions, to college and then to the pros. In the pros, he focused on other positions, first base and third. He played two seasons. He never made AA.

Beacom's pro career began in 1989, taken by the Blue Jays in the 40th round of the draft out of Northwestern University.

At Northwestern, Beacom hit .327 over his first three years and won third-team all-conference in 1988. He hit .365 that year and captained the team the next year.

He started with the Blue Jays at short-season St. Catharines. He hit .247 over 71 games. He also hit four home runs and knocked in 24.

He moved to high-A Dunedin for 1990. He got into 84 games that year, but hit just .227. That season also marked the end of his professional career.

Beacom soon found himself back at New Trier as an assistant coach. He then took over as head coach in 1995. He stayed in that post two years, until he left to try his hand at being an agent.

In 2005, he founded and created Illinois Baseball Academy in Northfield. He has since grown the business to serve more than 2,000 children age 4 to 18, according to the academy's site.

• Chicago Tribune, April 12, 1985: Regardless Of Position, New Trier Star Can Play

More: The 1990 Dunedin Blue Jays

1990 Minor League Tally
Players/Coaches Featured: 2,891
Made the Majors:1,077-37.3%
Never Made Majors:1,814-62.7%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 447
10+ Seasons in the Minors:268

More 1990 Minor Leaguers

 - Howard Battle played decade in minors, then ML pennant race, 1/25/17

 - Peter Bauer learned screwball change, saw 6 seasons, AA, 2/24/24
 - David Baumann stuck out bad back for win, saw 2 seasons, 5/29/20
 - Al Baur made pros after last pledged tryout, saw two seasons, 6/29/13
 - Danny Bautista had cannon for arm, saw 12 ML seasons, 9/18/16

 - Hector Bautista played outfield at single-A, saw 3 seasons, 2/2/16
 - Jose Bautista worked on location over 9 majors seasons, 7/29/11

 - Ramon Bautista hit consecutive-night HRs, saw 6 seasons, 8/30/22

 - Bob Baxter made Candid Camera at Jamestown, saw 8 seasons, 10/4/19

 - Chris Beacom made position move, then saw 2 pro seasons, 2/6/18