Rodger Beckman

Rodger "Rod" Beckman (born September 18, 1948 in Muskegon, Michigan) is a former Minor League Baseball shortstop for the Detroit Tigers. He is a graduate of Shelby High School in Shelby, Michigan, as an excellent shortstop and infielder. He was also an all-state basketball player at Shelby High School. He attended the Muskegon Community College and was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 9th round of the 1968 Major League Baseball Draft (126th overall).

Minor League Career

He played three seasons in the Detroit Tigers minor league organization. He hit .236 in his 279 minor league games over the course of his 3-year minor league career. He finished his career with 208 hits, 19 home runs, 29 doubles and 6 triples. In 1969 while playing with Batavia in the New York-Penn League, Beckman was called upon to pitch in a game. He threw three innings, giving up three runs (two earned) on six hits while striking out none and walking none. In three minor league seasons, Beckman had a career fielding percentage of .949 committing 14 errors in 273 chances.

Retirement

After being granted free agency in 1970, Beckman retired from baseball and focused on his other passion, the broadcasting industry. He worked nearly 40 years as morning show host and Sports Director for WKLA Radio in Ludington, Michigan. On June 1, 2012, Lake Michigan Broadcasting was sold to Synergy Broadcast Group, who subsequently laid off a majority of the on-air staff including Beckman. Beckman was almost immediately hired by WMOM Radio in Ludington, MI. He currently does daily morning sports broadcasts at WMOM and is the official voice of the Ludington Orioles boys and girls basketball teams on WMOM. Rodger "Rod" Beckman currently lives in Ludington, Michigan.

References

• Rod Beckman Baseballcube.com stats
• Rod Beckman baseball-reference.com info