Josh Beckett

As Trent noted in The Lineup, Boston quasi-ace Josh Beckett will face his former team, the Marlins, for the first time on Monday.

The Marlins took Beckett with the second overall pick of the 1999 draft (one pick after the Rays took Josh Hamilton) out of Spring, Texas, and subsequently bought him out of a commitment to Texas A&M. Beckett made his major-league debut in 2001 at age 21, and in 2003 he claimed World Series MVP honors for the champion Marlins.

On Thanksgiving Day 2005, however, Beckett was shipped to Boston in a true blockbuster. Beckett, Mike Lowell and Guillermo Mota went to the Sox from the Marlins in exchange for Hanley Ramirez, Anibal Sanchez, Jesus Delgado, and Harvey Garcia. In Boston, Beckett struggled badly in his first campaign (a 5.01 ERA in 204.2 innings), but in 2007 he enjoyed his finest season; he finished second in the AL Cy Young voting, won an ALCS MVP award and had a 1.29 ERA in the World Series sweep of the Rockies.

While Beckett is prone to injury and mental lapses on the mound, he's occupied an important place in the history of both franchises. That will be a large part of the story on Monday night.

Will it be a successful return to Miami for Beckett, or will his old team have its way with him? Beckett has two things in his favor: He has pitched fairly well over his last five starts, and the Marlins have had difficulties with right-handed pitching this season. It's certainly a game that Beckett's current team badly needs to win.


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