6 Things Justin Upton Does Better Than His Brother B.J.

For baseball brothers Justin and B.J. Upton, it truly is all in the family.

Throughout the years, the national pastime has seen its share of famous siblings: from Hank and Tommie Aaron, the DiMaggios, Molinas, Saxes and Weavers and over 350 other duos, the figurative baseball family tree is rich in history, achievements and sheer talent.

Some say siblings are incredibly alike—it's all in the genes.

For the brothers Upton, it sure must be, for both Justin and B.J. hit respective career homer No. 100 on the same night, Aug. 3, 2012, becoming the first brothers to hit their 100th home runs on the same date in MLB history.

Though while such an accomplishment may indicate an eerie similarity between the two, the Uptons are not one and the same.

Here are six things Diamondbacks' outfielder Justin does better than his brother, Rays' outfielder B.J.

Hit for Power

Justin's Career OPS: .832

B.J.'s Career OPS: .752

Though both Uptons hit their 100th—and 99th—HRs on the same date, the brothers have taken different offensive approaches to get there, as evidenced by Justin's career OPS of .832, 80 points higher than B.J.'s OPS.

In terms of pure slugging percentages, Justin outscores B.J., .475 to .413.

OK, that's swell... though isn't Arizona's Chase Field a more hitter-friendly ballpark than Tampa Bay's Trop?

When it comes down to that neutralizing OPS+ statistic, B.J. clocks in at 104 while Justin scores 116.

No matter the stadium or league, Justin Upton is a better power hitter than his brother.

Score Runs

Justin's Runs Scored per 162 Games: 96

B.J.'s Runs Scored per 162 Games: 90

Naturally, greater power should translate to more runs scored, right?

Not necessarily.

Though B.J. has been a big-leaguer since 2004 while Justin debuted in 2007, B.J.'s Rays enjoyed a fair amount of success in scoring runs through the 2010 season, when Rays players crossed home plate 802 times, third to just the New York Yankees (859) and Boston Red Sox (818).

Meanwhile, Justin's D-Backs only topped Tampa Bay in runs scored in 2011 while Arizona looks to repeat its runs scored victory again in 2012.

Therefore, in comparing the Upton brothers' full seasons with their clubs in respect to total runs scored, it is Justin (96 per an average of 721 team runs scored, 2008-2011, or 13.3 percent) who has scored a greater proportion of his team's runs when compared to B.J. (90 per an average of 758 team runs scored, 2005-2011, or 11.9 percent), making Justin the more valuable run scorer.

Save Runs Via Range Fielding

It might come as a surprise at times, but Justin Upton is a run-saver in the outfield, putting together a better set of range- and run-prevent statistics than brother B.J.

Though a cursory scan of fielding percentages tends to indicate B.J. is the better fielder (.977 fielding percentage vs. Justin's .966 percentage), the stat is a misnomer for when it comes to simply saving his team from giving up runs, Justin is the better outfielder.

While Justin has saved an average of 46 runs above average during the course of his defensive career, brother B.J. has actually cost his team to the tune of 85 defensive runs saved below average.

Win Awards

When Justin Upton won the Silver Slugger Award following the 2011 season, it was the first regular season award for either Upton brother. Accordingly, Justin's fourth-place finish in MVP voting was the first time either brother had been listed in the top five for that specific award.

Indeed, when Justin finished 25th in the MVP race in 2009, it was the first time either brother had been remotely considered for that award.

Also in the category of awards, Justin has appeared on two NL All-Star Teams, whereas B.J. has never appeared in the Mid-Summer Classic.

Star power? Advantage Justin.

Control His Temper and Avoid Ejections

In his six-plus years of action, Justin Upton has been ejected just twice, while B.J. has been shown the door five times—Justin therefore averages one ejection every three seasons while B.J. gets the heave-ho every 1.5 seasons.

When Justin was ejected on August 8, the argument concerned a call made against ejected teammate Chris Young, confirming Justin's status as a true team player.

When B.J. was ejected on Sept. 23, 2011, the argument resulted from umpire Ed Hickox correctly calling B.J. out on a stolen base attempt.

Though the sample size remains small, it appears Justin keeps his cool—and himself in the ball game—and instead picks up the argument when a teammate is in trouble, while B.J.'s five ejections have all concerned calls made against none other than B.J. himself.

Negotiate a Contract

Perhaps this has everything to do with D-Backs' GM Kevin Towers and Rays' Andrew Friedman, yet in his shorter time playing Major League Baseball, Justin Upton has managed to negotiate himself a much nicer contract (six years/$50 million) than brother B.J., who remains third-year arbitration eligible on a one-year, $7 million contract.

For those making the argument about agents, both Upton brothers share the one and only Larry Reynolds, counselor to the likes of Torii Hunter, Alexi Ogando and a name familiar to many D-Backs fans, Jarrod Parker.

Though the duo have differing batting and fielding abilities, when it comes to the real difference between Justin and B.J. Upton, nothing speaks quite like the money their respective teams are willing to pay to keep the outfielders on their rosters.