Upton Quieting His Critics

imply glides out there, which enables him to roam the gaps with grace. His smoothness is sometimes mistaken for a lack of hustle, but there are not too many players who can man the position as effectively as him. The Rays made the jump from worst-to-first in team defensive efficiency—the rate at which batted balls hit into play are converted into outs—and his defensive contributions played a major role. Along with left fielder Carl Crawford and right fielder Gabe Gross, he anchored one of the majors’ strongest defensive outfield corps.

To some, though, none of this seemed to matter—until the Rays took down the Chicago White Sox in the Division Series, that is.

Upton, after an 0-for-5 showing in the opener, finally regained his power stroke, hitting three bombs (one-third of his season total) in the series. Sitting out on several BP sessions down the stretch, it turns out, helped him to regain some strength in his shoulder, and he finally felt comfortable enough at the plate to turn on the ball.

The Rays’ most valuable position player in the postseason, he continued to pull the inside pitch, make pitchers pay for making mistakes and produce for the Tampa Bay offense in a stellar performance in the American League Championship Series against the Boston Red Sox. Using his bat and legs, he was the key offensive contributor for a lineup that combined to slug .508 and hit 16 homers in the ALCS. While it is too small of a sample size to get too worked up about, he posted an impressive line of .321/.394/.786 and 1.180 OPS while blasting four homers in seven games against Boston to help lead the Rays to the World Series.

Upton has simply been in the thick of things for the Rays in nearly every postseason game. The youngest player to hit seven jacks in the playoffs, he is currently slugging .662, with a 1.000 OPS, 16 RBIs and six stolen bases in 16 games overall.

The player who was unfairly targeted has shown what he can do on the national stage. He has provided several key hits, made a number of sensational catches and gunned down several runners at the plate. His performance has been tremendous, in all facets of the game, as he has shown off all of the weapons in his toolbox. In fact, he is only two home runs away from passing Barry Bonds and Troy Glaus for the most long balls in a single postseason.

Upton is not going to lead the league in homers next year, as it is important not to get carried away with the sudden power surge. Failing to reach double digits in the category, however, was an aberration, and he should improve his power totals with a healthy shoulder—he is expected to have offseason surgery—in 2009. Combined with his excellent approach, discipline, on-base skills and speed, he is going to be a dynamic offensive force in a Rays uniform in ’09 and for years to come. Beating his younger brother, Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Justin, to the 30-30 club is not out of the question, either. Not only that, it seems he is destined to add a few Gold Glove and Bill James Fielding Bible awards in the near future.

To put it bluntly, B.J. Upton has a chance to turn into one of the best all-around players in all of baseball. While he may be tough for the organization to lock up to a long-term deal like they did with Evan Longoria, he is perhaps the most important position player on the Rays.

So lay off of him already.

To reach Tyler Hissey, send an email to TylerHissey@gmail.com.

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