BALTIMORE _ Don't tell Tim Beckham he can't do something, because odds are he will do everything he can to prove you wrong.
That's how he learned to be growing up in Griffin, Ga., a city of about 23,000 an hour south of Atlanta. It's how he became the top overall pick in the draft a decade ago, and it's now how he's approaching the biggest challenge of the second chapter of his big league career with the Orioles.
How Beckham, 28, would handle his transition to third base from shortstop _ where Manny Machado will play in his final season before free agency _ was an unknown entering spring training. But now as the season approaches, Beckham's move has been seamless. And for an Orioles club that entered the 2018 season with many questions, Orioles manager Buck Showalter sees it as one less thing to worry about.
"He's been solid over there," Showalter said. "It's been a real highlight for me."
As for Beckham, he's never doubted he could handle the switch. It's why he wears the No. 1 on his back. It's not because of the top overall pick title that he's shouldered his whole career. That's in the past. Beckham looks to the future, and his goal is to be the best at everything he does.
"If I'm on the field, you want me at third? Hey, let's go," Beckham said. "You want me at third, I'll play third and I'm going to work my (butt) off to be the best third baseman in the American League and in baseball. If I'm not, then I'm not, but that's what I'm shooting for.
"And if someone else isn't shooting for that, they might as well go sit in the truck. You're here to play for seconds or are you here to be the best? That's how I see it."
