A Rawlings official Major League Baseball signed by starting pitcher Josh Beckett of the Boston Red Sox.
       A native of Spring, Texas, Beckett has grown to become one of the premier young pitchers in the major leagues. He is a hard-thrower, wielding a 97-mph fastball, a consistent 80 mph changeup, and a 12-to-6 curveball, which he throws in the mid-to-high 70 mph range. Beckett achieved fame in the 2003 postseason by winning the World Series MVP Award with two great performances on only three days' rest. Teamed up with star catcher Iván Rodríguez, he helped the Marlins win the World Series over the favored Yankees, 4 games to 2.  In a deal that was made official on Thanksgiving Day, 2005, Beckett was traded to the Red Sox and became the first Red Sox pitcher to hit a home run in 35 years - since the advent of the designated hitter rule - when he took Phillies' pitcher Brett Myers deep during an interleague game on May 20, 2006