Houston takes down the big spenders, plus a look at shortstop

In winning the World Series, the Houston Astros did so with the No. 17 payroll in the majors and they took down the teams with the three top payrolls in the sport. It was an impressive run of winning.

Houston beat Boston 3-1 in the American League Division Series and then won the last two games of the American League Championship Series to beat New York 4-3. They won a seven-game World Series over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Dodgers payroll, per Spotrac, was $229 million and tops in the majors. The Yankees were second at $210 million and Boston third at $195 million. The Astros payroll was $137 million.

The conclusion I reach here is a similar one from recent Octobers. The ability to spend big remains a key factor in Major League Baseball success, but not a prerequisite for a World Series title. We've seen Kansas City and Houston win the World Series in the last three years and Cleveland lost Game 7 last year. Had the Indians won, we would be looking at three straight World Series won by teams with mid-range payrolls. Kansas City ranked 14th in payroll at $128 million in 2015 and Cleveland was 18th last year at $106 million.

What about shortstop?: Barring a surprising move, it appears that Tim Beckham is the Orioles shortstop for the 2018 season. Beckham was acquired in a deal on July 31 from Tampa Bay for minor league pitcher Tobias Myers. With J.J. Hardy unlikely to return and the club officially declined his 2018 contract option Friday, it appears the torch has been passed to the player taken with the first overall pick in the 2008 draft.

It would be hard for a player to get off to a better start for his new team. It began with five straight multi-hit games where Beckham went 13-for-20. He was batting .531 after his first 12 Orioles games. It was a stunning start to his O's career.

Between the Rays and Orioles, Beckham got a career-high 575 plate appearances and had easily his best year. He hit .278/.328/.454 with 18 doubles, five triples, 22 homers, 62 RBIs and a .782 OPS. He walked 36 times and fanned 167. His OPS+ of 111 was above average.

He sure had two very different months for Baltimore. In August, when he had 30 hits his first 15 games, he hit .394/.417/.646. In September, he hit .180/.255/.348. The team mirrored Beckham. The Orioles were second in the American League in runs in August and ranked last in September.

Beckham certainly has some solid defensive skills at short but he also made some errors on very makeable plays, as well. In fairness, he made some outstanding plays, too.

Beckham turns 28 in January and that is an age where some players truly come into their own and begin their peak seasons.

Will the O's get that from Beckham over the next few seasons? Is he their shortstop of both the present and future?