Interesting Upton Thoughts from AZCentral Article

[ASUCHRIS]

I rarely read the reader comments at the end of articles, but one of these was surprisingly good on Upton. Sadly, it's hard to disagree with most of it.

What is it with Justin Upton?

Why is this kid so screwed up? Come on, you know what I'm talking about. We see it almost every day. Hell, we sometimes see it a number of times throughout an average game.

Chronologically Justin UpTown (what in the hell is it with that UpTown thing) will be 23 years old in just a few days. Mentally and emotionally he is something less than that. The way he acts most of the time I would put his developmental age at about 14 (give or take a year or two).

He throws temper tantrums when he strikes out. He sometimes stops and admires a long drive to the outfield. He misses the cutoff man with wild throws as he tries to impress everyone with the strength of his arm (even though he has been told countless times not to do that). He runs about 3/4 speed down the 1st base line after hitting a ground ball (that's a new one and I see it more-and-more these days).

Here is my take. Upton has been told for about 10 years now that he has Super Star potential. That he will be the next Junior Griffey. Unfortunately Justin Upton bought into that. He never thought he MIGHT have that kind of potential. He BELIEVED with all his heart and mind that was who he was destined to be. He just had to show up on the field each game and with the passage of time Justin Upton would be the next great Super Star.

Well it didn't happen like that. Justin Upton is not that player. That is why he goes half crazy when he doesn't perform to the level he thinks he should. He just KNOWS he is great. He just KNOWS he is a Super Star in the making. "Why is it not happening on the field?", he asks himself. He cannot figure out why he is not performing at a Super Star level.

Upton needs to come to grips with reality. But he can't. He will not accept the fact that he is an average MLB outfielder. And it is driving him insane.

Justin is a .271 lifetime hitter who drives in about 80 runs a year (from the 3 hole) hits 24 homeruns a season and is an average defensive outfielder. Justin Upton by every measure is an average player. Every team has a couple of Justin Uptons in their outfield. Justin Uptons are a dime a dozen in major league baseball.

Josh Byrnes and a number of others got inside this kid's head and did considerable damage. They convinced Justin he was something he wasn't because they seriously overestimated his potential. It's not the first time this has happened and it won't be the last. They owe the kid an explanation. They need to tell Upton they were wrong.

If Justin can't come to grips with who he is, then he needs to go. Players who act this way are not good to have on your ball club. This team wants to get better and rotten apples can hold them back. Guys like this belong on the Mets or some other dysfunctional team.

The Diamondbacks' clubhouse and dugout environment has improved by leaps and bounds recently simply by sending a few players along with their sour attitudes somewhere else. Those are not my thoughts but what the people in the know who are close to the situation are saying. Sadly, things might improve even more if Justin Upton is the next to go.

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/sports/dia...s-jerry-dipoto-kirk-gibson.html#ixzz0wyg7sbRj

 

[The Commish]

I think the problem with Upton's lack of development (as is the case with many of the young guys), is that this team hasn't had any veteran leaders to take him under their wing to show what it takes to be a major leaguer. The organization as a whole had a good approach with trying to develop/grow young quality talent, unfortunately they discounted what it meant to have actual mentors in the clubhouse at the major league level.

Bull Durham anyone?

 

[DWKB]

So, Justin Upton "peaked" at age 21 when he hit .300 last year with a 900 OPS good enough to be in the top 30 of MLB?

Based off of his characterization of Upton's potential alone I'd discount this guys opinion.

As of right now, Upton is behind only Jason Heyward in OPS for players 23 years and younger. That doesn't mean he hasn't regressed this year or that he hasn't lived up to many people's expectations, but he's far, far, far from "dime a dozen". That's just idiotic.

 

[ASUCHRIS]

So, Justin Upton "peaked" at age 21 when he hit .300 last year with a 900 OPS good enough to be in the top 30 of MLB?

Based off of his characterization of Upton's potential alone I'd discount this guys opinion.

As of right now, Upton is behind only Jason Heyward in OPS for players 23 years and younger. That doesn't mean he hasn't regressed this year or that he hasn't lived up to many people's expectations, but he's far, far, far from "dime a dozen". That's just idiotic.

While I certainly wouldn't consider Justin to be a dime a dozen, I think most people would agree that he's had a really disappointing season. For someone that many considered a MVP type candidate at the beginning of the season, his lack of growth this year is troublesome. While his opinion is wrong on some aspects of Upton, I wouldn't discount the others that are spot on.

 

[azsportsfan01]

To expect someone 23 to be an MVP is ludicrus. Yes Upton has the talent to do so. And yes I expected him to have a better season than he has had this year but he is only 23. You have to learn to fail something many guys with Upton's talent have never really faced. If he isn't performing at a high level in 2 years when he should be entering his prime playing years then talk to me, but writing him off now is stupid.

All you have to do is look at Chris Young. He had a breakout year at the age of 23, then the next two years he struggled and everyone wanted to get rid of him. Now at age 26 (which is usually when players hit their prime) he is playing at an all-star level.

Everyone forgets how young Upton really is. Most players don't reach the bigs until they are 23 or 24 if they are lucky. Upton has many great years left ahead of him and he is by far one of the most talented players in the game. Hopefully he will be wearing sedona red for quite a long time.

 

[BC867]

All you have to do is look at Chris Young. He had a breakout year at the age of 23, then the next two years he struggled and everyone wanted to get rid of him. Now at age 26 (which is usually when players hit their prime) he is playing at an all-star level..

Chris Young fell into the trap (encouraged by our previous management and most of our current announcers) of trying to hit every ball into the air.

That was easy enough to cure by demotion to the Minors, where we actually had better coaches than at the Major League level.

Look at Upton jog to 1B on a ground ball, rather than run his butt off and force a hurried throw. That alone tells me that he is, at this time, a lost cause. Add that to his lack of discipline on his throws from RF, his lunging at the plate and not seeming to have any idea of how to work a pitcher.

I agree with ASUCHRIS' take on the article. Justin Upton's problems are mental. He needs a checkup-from-the-neck-up.

He just may not have the emotional strength to excel in Major League baseball, just as his older brother BJ, with a lifetime BAVG of .262 and an average of about 63 RBI's per full season. That wouldn't necessarily be a factor if Justin weren't falling into the same category.

I mentioned quite some time ago that UPTOwN was a bad idea by the D'backs front office, desperate in their attempt to replace Eric Byrnes, who failed in his attempt to replace Gonzo, as the marketing face of the organization

D'backs naive management did it again! Hopefully the front office will realize that they finally have talent in GM Jerry Dipoto and Manager Kirk Gibson, promote them at the end of the season and let them do their jobs.

 

[82CardsGrad]

Definitive comments about Upton's ability and performance are totally premature. At 23, there is still a large amount of maturing and growth than can occur.
However, the comments about his attitude and behavior are spot on. I've been saying for months now that you simply can't have both Reynolds and Upton on the same team due to their inability to put the ball in play on a consistent basis. I thought it would be a slam dunk that Reynolds would the one to go, simply because of how much promise Upton posseses... But I'm not so sure now and frankly, if it were Upton that was traded, I think I'd be ok with that...

 

[82CardsGrad]

All you have to do is look at Chris Young. He had a breakout year at the age of 23, then the next two years he struggled and everyone wanted to get rid of him. Now at age 26 (which is usually when players hit their prime) he is playing at an all-star level.

Wow... seeing the words "breakout year" and "playing at an all-star level" used to describe Young still shocks me. Just didn't think I'd ever see that.
Of course, I'm not totally sure hitting .271 with 20 dingers, 69 RBI, a .341 OBP and an .812 OPS is all-star level...
But, big improvement for Young so I gotta tip my hat...

 

[BC867]

Wow... seeing the words "breakout year" and "playing at an all-star level" used to describe Young still shocks me. Just didn't think I'd ever see that.
Of course, I'm not totally sure hitting .271 with 20 dingers, 69 RBI, a .341 OBP and an .812 OPS is all-star level...
But, big improvement for Young so I gotta tip my hat...

A D'back had to be chosen for the NL All-Star roster, and that was CY.

That was an accomplishment, but calling it All Star level is a bit of a push.

The important thing is that he is contributing. And that, of course, is a good thing.

 

[coyoteshockeyfan]

"In addition to being the youngest player to appear in a game for the D-backs this season (and last... and the year before that... and the year before that), he is also younger than anyone who played in a game this year for the D-backs Triple-A affiliate, the Reno Aces, and all but three players who have played at Double-A Mobile this year.

So with all that said, Upton is in some rare company. Among players since 1970 who have accumulated 1,500 plate appearances before turning 23, Upton has the fifth-best OPS (.822). Two of the players ahead of him -- Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez -- are surefire Hall of Famers; another, Miguel Cabrera, is one of the five or 10 best players in baseball; and the fourth, Cesar Cedeno, was a four-time All-Star. "

http://dblog.mlblogs.com/archives/2010/08/upton-is-in-rare-air.html