Justin Upton Proving Even Petco Park Can't Derail His Immense Power

Justin Upton had a monster game Sunday against the Los Angeles Dodgers, smacking a grand slam and driving in six runs overall as the San Diego Padres cruised to an 11-3 victory. That's not terribly surprising; Upton is having something of a monster season with the Friars. 

Upton doing his damage on the road, however, was a tad unusual. For most of 2015, the Padres left fielder has loved himself some Petco Park.

Even after Sunday's explosion in LA, Upton has 13 RBI in 21 road games compared to 22 RBI in 23 games at home. And he's hitting more than 100 points higher at Petco, where he owns a .349 average and 1.118 OPS.

Most notably, Upton is launching long balls in San Diego at a record-setting pace.

Nine of his 12 dingers have come at home, putting him on pace to shatter the current single-season Petco high of 15 set by Will Venable in 2013, per Jeff Sanders of the U-T San Diego.

Upton, acquired by San Diego this winter in a trade with the Atlanta Braves, is set to become a free agent after the season. It seemed likely he'd pay his dues with the Pads, then seek more hitter-friendly pastures elsewhere.

But now, he may be motivated to stick around.

"Everyone says [Petco is] big, but I don't think so," Upton said of his new yard, per Fox Sports. "I think it plays pretty fair. I've enjoyed quite a bit of success here. I enjoy playing here. I think the park is great."

Upton's power has been a welcome jolt for San Diego, which finished second-to-last in the National League in home runs and dead last in MLB in runs scored in 2014.

With Sunday's 11-run burst, the Padres vaulted into the top five in Senior Circuit scoring. Upton isn't solely responsible for the turnaround—fellow offseason additions Derek Norris and Matt Kemp have chipped in—but the 27-year-old slugger is leading the charge.

Gregory Bull/Associated Press

Really, that should come as no surprise. A two-time All-Star and former No. 1 overall pick, Upton has been one of baseball's most tantalizing talents since he debuted with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2007.

He broke out in 2009, hitting .300 with 26 home runs, and had perhaps his best all-around season in 2014, posting a .270/.342/.491 slash line with 29 home runs and a career-high 102 RBI.

So it was something of a coup when the Padres and their aggressive new general manager, A.J. Preller, landed Upton for a package of prospects the week before Christmas.

"We view it as attractive to get him here for a year and kind of give us a chance to get that direct access that you're always wondering about from across the field," Preller said at the time, per MLB.com's Corey Brock. "We'll take the year as we go."

Whether San Diego will be able to afford Upton is an open question. If he keeps hitting at this pace, he could command a deal in the neighborhood of Robinson Cano's 10-year, $240 million pact.

In this offense-starved era, legitimate mashers under 30 years old don't hit the market every day.

Back in December, Upton's camp indicated they'd be open to a pre-spring training extension, according to the MLB Network's Jim Duquette. 

Here's how CBS Sports' Dayn Perry broke it down at the time:

"

That's probably not the kind of timeline the Padres had in mind. Likely, they'll want to see how Upton fares in power-suppressing Petco Park before they commit to him on what's sure to be a contract deep into nine figures. Upton and his agent, quite understandably, would prefer to cash in now. Regardless of how this plays out, there's risk on both sides.

"

Hindsight being 20/20, the Pads may be kicking themselves for not acting then. So far in 2015, Upton has to put to rest all the doubts that he wouldn't flourish in pitcher-friendly Petco.

Mostly, though, the Padres are undoubtedly over the moon about having one of the NL's top hitters in the heart of their lineup. And he's enjoying some serious home cooking to boot.

All statistics current as of May 24 and courtesy of MLB.com unless otherwise noted.