Is anyone worried about Justin Upton?

[hsandhu]

Sick, and you're right 2004 was 100% worth it.

 

[Black Jesus]

hes just hitting over .400 and tied with the major league lead in homeruns... im real concerned still

 

[devilalum]

We have to keep bumping this thread. He will have his ups and downs but I don't think there is any question now about him being ready anymore.

 

[Kel Varnsen]

We have to keep bumping this thread. He will have his ups and downs but I don't think there is any question now about him being ready anymore.

 

[Delmon Young]

I am speechless about this kid. Is he eligible for the ROY this season or did he have too many AB's last year? He is going to make Tulowitzki look like a brown stain on the mattress before all is said and done

Nah, Tulo's a heck of a talent who is a top notch defender at the most important position on the diamond. His hitting will come around (it's extremely early) and at season's end he'll be around .300 with 25 dingers and close to 100 RBIs.

Now, Upton's the more talented player and will have an incredible career, but I can't rip on Tulowitzki, he's great.

 

[devilalum]

Does Upton qualify for Rookie of the Year?

Or did he play too many games last year?

 

[ArizonaSportsFan]

Does Upton qualify for Rookie of the Year?

Or did he play too many games last year?

See post #47 in this thread.

[He does not qualify.]

 

[Treesquid PhD]

http://www2.nysun.com/article/74609


I just don't like this Upton guy at all, Jerry Colangelo had shown us thew right way to do it, you trade or sign your stars, never grow them!

 

[PDXChris]

http://www2.nysun.com/article/74609


I just don't like this Upton guy at all, Jerry Colangelo had shown us thew right way to do it, you trade or sign your stars, never grow them!

That is a unfair statement to Jerry. The only thing he did wrong is spend money he did not have, but he won a World Series becuase of it and had 3 down year. And who did he trade away that are stars now? None, because first, it was a expansion team, there farm system was in place for at most 2 years before the D-Backs ever played a game. Second, Joe Jr. made all the moves. Any one remember Albi Lopez and Russ Ortiz? If not for Jerry, this team would not exist.

Also, let's not forget that Webb was a product of Jerry's boys. And they traded Karim Garcia for Gonzo.

 

[PDXChris]

And anthor thing, if not for Jerry's spending of money, we would not have lost 111 games in 04 and Upton would be in KC right now and I am sure that Josh Byrnes would not be the GM since JOe Jr would not get all the credit he did not would not have taken that job with MLB.

 

[Treesquid PhD]

That is a unfair statement to Jerry. The only thing he did wrong is spend money he did not have, but he won a World Series becuase of it and had 3 down year. And who did he trade away that are stars now? None, because first, it was a expansion team, there farm system was in place for at most 2 years before the D-Backs ever played a game. Second, Joe Jr. made all the moves. Any one remember Albi Lopez and Russ Ortiz? If not for Jerry, this team would not exist.

Also, let's not forget that Webb was a product of Jerry's boys. And they traded Karim Garcia for Gonzo.

more of a jab at fans impatience with young players. Arizona fans IMO are so used to instant free agents and old stars that they give young players very little leeway to develop. There were some ready to give up on Upton pretty much after his 1st month last season.

 

[Diamondback Jay]

This thread is like pe-mature ejaculation... A case of the gun being jumped far too soon. No offense Karl.

 

[Diamondback Jay]

That is a unfair statement to Jerry. The only thing he did wrong is spend money he did not have......

Also, let's not forget that Webb was a product of Jerry's boys.

Which in turn gave the Diamondback fanbase the wrongful impression that they were going to be able to financially compete with the Yankees, Red Sox and Mets for prime free agents yearly and made some have lofty expectations for what they felt the team should be.

Don't get me wrong, I respect what Jerry meant to the Diamondback organization, but the best thing that could have possibly happened to this franchise did in 2004 and in subsequent seasons when new ownership took over.

 

[ArizonaSportsFan]

Hopefully resurrecting this thread will help him get some confidence back. He has looked pretty bad at the plate lately. 2 for his last 21 or 22, I think.

 

[BC867]

Hopefully resurrecting this thread will help him get some confidence back. He has looked pretty bad at the plate lately. 2 for his last 21 or 22, I think.

Sorta like what Mark Reynolds went through. Then he finished strong.

And this year, RBI's, clutch hits, spectacular fielding and even stolen bases. Even his potential 200 strikeouts will be the way he makes out.

Back to Justin. The league is adjusting to him and he'll have alot of adjusting to do. But he is an intelligent ballplayer. And Melvin is sticking with him in a more standard lineup.

 

[Black Jesus]

hes only hitting 347... and he got caught stealing again today. I thought he was a 5tool player...

 

[hsandhu]

Why the hell did it take so long to bump this?

 

[Skkorpion]

Bah. Upton's 0 for 20 road trip is Melvin's fault. Joe Torre would never have let it get this bad before doing something. Clearly, the kid has been mishandled from day 1. Just like Reynolds.

I'm sick of this.

 

[WildBB]

Rainman Voice:

Yeah, Real Worried, Yeah. Where's CQ? Yeah.

 

[AzKarl]

Think I was premature?

This thread is like pe-mature ejaculation... A case of the gun being jumped far too soon. No offense Karl.

Look at Upton's last 20 at bats. Doesn't he have something like 17 or 18 strike outs? He's struggling and it is affecting his fielding too.

 

[AZZenny]

He really is looking confused. My section of regulars tonight was applauding when he got the concepts Ball = lay off, Strike-zone = swing working together at the same time. And his ability to read RF is not really progressing quite as fast as I'd expect, although he never wanted to be an outfielder, much less a right fielder.

 

[Rab]

With any other of our prospects, I'd probably be worried by a slump like Justin's, but I'm really not with him. The league is catching up to him a little, and it'll be up to him to make the correct adjustments to stay ahead of pitchers. Until recently, he's shown a great eye for the strike zone, and he's able to catch up to a lot of pitches with his great bat speed, and the kid is only 20. I think he'll be fine.

 

[UncleChris]

The kid needs to "get injured" for 15 days or so to figure it out... While he's striking out about 3/4 of the time and getting no hits, the team keeps losing. Right now, I'd pick someone out of the stands to play for him... He couldn't do any worse.

Now that's not to say he won't recover... he may well... but I believe this is more than "a slump..." He's doing something fundamentally wrong, and 15 days "recovering" in Triple A would be the best treatment for what ails him (and he wouldn't keep killing the team).

 

[JS22]

The kid needs to "get injured" for 15 days or so to figure it out... While he's striking out about 3/4 of the time and getting no hits, the team keeps losing. Right now, I'd pick someone out of the stands to play for him... He couldn't do any worse.

Now that's not to say he won't recover... he may well... but I believe this is more than "a slump..." He's doing something fundamentally wrong, and 15 days "recovering" in Triple A would be the best treatment for what ails him (and he wouldn't keep killing the team).

Like I said in another post, some of these guys probably needed 1 more year in AAA before coming up. You can tell they're still developing. So slumps like this will probably become the norm throughout the year.

 

[BC867]

So slumps like this will probably become the norm throughout the year.

I can't see calling the high strikeout totals of Reynolds, Upton and Young in particular a slump, as Melvin tells the Press. That makes it sound like something that will work its way out. That's passive leadership.

Is is a coincidence? Or is it something that requires pro-active guidance by the Manager and Coaches when dealing with young players?

As long as they're not being discouraged from trying to pull outside pitches and trying to hit everything out of the park, it's going to continue.

It's not a slump. It's the natural progression of young players. And it requires skilled leadership to help them overcome it.

So far, I don't see that.