by Sports Xchange

The top rookie was already informed that he will be the starting second baseman following the acquisition of Mark Teahen and the departure of Chris Getz, and he plans to enroll in "Camp Cora" come January. Beckham will join shortstop Alexei Ramirez and third base prospect Dayan Viciedo in an offseason defensive workout session with bench coach Joey Cora.

It's not only to get Beckham acclimated to his new spot, but to work on the language barrier between he and Ramirez.

"I talked to Joey and he said he would come to Atlanta and work with me, but knowing Alexei (will be there), it will give us a chance to get some things ironed out," Beckham said. "We want to make sure we enter camp on the same page."

That wasn't the only reason Beckham was in the news last week, as the AL Rookie of the Year Award was announced, and Beckham finished fifth.

While he wasn't expecting to win, he admittedly was surprised that he finished fifth in the voting by the baseball writers -- especially since the 23-year-old's mantel already had AL Rookie of the Year honors by both The Sporting News and the Major League Baseball Players Association sitting on it. He received each last month -- as voted on by the players.

"I'm feeling a little bit of everything," Beckham said. "I thought I might be a little higher than fifth, but I knew it was an uphill battle for me, getting up (to the major leagues) a little later. I thought I had a great season, but so did those other guys."

Beckham was the first selection (eighth overall) of the White Sox in the 2008 draft after putting on a show at the University of Georgia.

He wasted little time making an impact in his first spring training, and by June 4 was on the big-league roster.

Playing third base on a regular basis for the first time in his life, the former shortstop ended up hitting .270 with 14 home runs, 28 doubles and 63 RBIs.

What might have hurt him, however, was an inconsistent August in which he hit just .223, followed by a .266 last month of the season.

"It was the first full season for me, not even in the big leagues, but ever, and it probably didn't help I struggled the last month," Beckham said. "I won two awards that were voted on by the players. At the end of the day, I would want the players to respect me more than the writers."