BJ Upton Looks to Bounce Back for Tampa Bay Rays in 2010

I don’t think there is anyone who will argue against the assertion that Tampa Bay Rays’ BJ Upton is one of the most athletic and talented players in the major leagues. His ability to track down a ball in center field is second to none. Upton is so good in center, many people forget he was actually a shortstop when he came up to the majors in 2004.

While Upton continues to amaze fans with his glove, it’s his offense that has fallen under question the last couple of years.

Upton was brought up as a 20-year-old in 2004 and hit .258 with four home runs and a .733 OPS in 45 games for the then Devil Rays. It took Upton a couple of years to get acclimated to major league pitching, but had his breakout year in 2007.

In just 129 games, Upton hit .300 with 24 home runs, 25 doubles, 22 stolen bases, and had an .894 OPS. It looked like the former No. 2 pick in the 2002 draft was destined to become a superstar.

Two years later, Upton’s career has resembled the movie Avatar—sure, it has been visually appealing, but is lacking some serious substance.

Upton’s batting average and OPS have decreased two years in a row. Last year, Upton hit rock bottom. He hit .241 with 11 home runs and a .686 OPS. His .686 OPS was second lowest in the major leagues amongst qualifying outfielders.

Only Randy Winn had a lower OPS (.671) than Upton did in 2009.

I watched Upton and the Rays a lot last year, thanks to the MLB Package, and at times, he looked completely lost at the plate. I would scratch my head in amazement about how a guy with so much talent could miss a pitch by five inches.

Things got so bad with Upton last year that manager Joe Maddon dropped him down to ninth in the order. That didn’t help the situation either, as Upton hit .211 in 82 ABs hitting ninth.

His poor season, coupled with a nagging ankle injury, made life miserable for Upton. So the question is this: Can Upton bounce back in 2010?

As silly as this sounds, I think it all depends on what is going on between the ears with Upton. If he is healthy and if he is focused in 2010, then the sky's the limit for this 25-year-old.

I will say that he has a better season than he did in 2009, because it can’t get much worse. If Upton has another season in which he hits .240 or worse, I would really get concerned. But I think he hits around .275 with 15 home runs, an OPS in the .780 range, and has around 40 stolen bases.

Hopefully in 2010, Upton will perform more like the Terminator and less like Avatar.

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