Justin Upton

[Ryanwb]

He is a sick, sick talent

OPS of 1.064
7 of his 9 hits have been for extra bases
His plate discipline is better than any player on the team

He is easily the most exciting player to play for this team since they signed Randy Johnson

 

[coyoteshockeyfan]

He is a sick, sick talent

OPS of 1.064
7 of his 9 hits have been for extra bases
His plate discipline is better than any player on the team

He is easily the most exciting player to play for this team since they signed Randy Johnson

Conor Jackson at this point has better plate discipline than Upton, but Jackson of course isn't 19. Upton's eye for the zone at his age is still flat out ridiculous.

 

[BirdMan21]

He is a sick, sick talent

OPS of 1.064
7 of his 9 hits have been for extra bases
His plate discipline is better than any player on the team

He is easily the most exciting player to play for this team since they signed Randy Johnson

Agree 100%.....the kid is amazing

 

[BC867]

Agree 100%.....the kid is amazing

Saturday . . . a 1-0 complete game shutout for Webb.

And a victory because Justin Upton, unlike most of the other D'backs, knows to go with the pitch, rather than try to pull every ball or try for the bleachers every time.

An inside-out line drive to right center to drive in the only run of the game.

As we were leaving the game, I heard a replay of Greg Schulte's play-by-play call of the hit. He called it a base-hit.

The base-hit turned out to be a triple for J-UP.

I guess The Guv'nor's been brainwashed by D'backs management. Just like all of the young players except Upton.

Either a single or homerun . . . nothing in between.

Every hot streak this season has been followed by a losing streak. Melvin seems to be settling down a little bit (his favorite phrase) with his batting orders.

Perhaps we will see more consistency.

 

[devilalum]

He is an incredible talent but before we all start..............

Mark Reynolds batted about .400 his first 3 weeks up too.

 

[coyoteshockeyfan]

As we were leaving the game, I heard a replay of Greg Schulte's play-by-play call of the hit. He called it a base-hit.

The base-hit turned out to be a triple for J-UP.

Uh... a triple is a base hit...

 

[Kel Varnsen]

I was watching the replay of Upton's triple today (another stand-up triple, by the way) and it was like he doesn't even look at the bases when he's getting near them. It's almost like he just knows exactly where they are.

He's so fun to watch. I love how he hits the ball so freaking hard, but doesn't seem to be out of control at all at the plate when he swings.

 

[Gila Monster]

He is an incredible talent but before we all start..............

Mark Reynolds batted about .400 his first 3 weeks up too.

Yeah and half the people on this board would have him starting over Conor if they were in charge. Why is beyond me, but they would.

Also, I think the hype for Upton's a little more excitable than Reynolds because of Upton's tremendous upside, whereas Reynolds was a pleasant surprise at first.

 

[Brandon_Webb]

Upton is 3000x the prospect Reynolds is.

 

[krispydude]

my girlfriend (who dislikes baseball) was watching Upton bat today and she commented on how well he held back on bad pitches.

its amazing seeing a 19 year old with this kind of discipline.

 

[NDNACE]

The kid is an absolute stud. A number one overall draft pick that lives up to the hype.

 

[Gaddabout]

The two things that impress me about Upton the most are his plate coverage and bat speed. I'm sure pitchers around the league are lighting up hot and cold zones in his swing as we speak, and they'll find anything over and around the plate is dangerous. That's uncommon for a rook. I think it means Upton might need some protection in the lineup if he's going to continue to get pitches to hit.

 

[RON_IN_OC]

my girlfriend (who dislikes baseball) was watching Upton bat today and she commented on how well he held back on bad pitches.

its amazing seeing a 19 year old with this kind of discipline.

I think it was when the DBacks were playing in LA recently that Vin Scully commented on Upton at the plate. He said Upton, and his swing, remind him of Junior Griffey. Now that's a big compliment in my book.

 

[AZBALLER]

Something I find interesting...

Barry Bonds uses a shorter/lighter bat and he generates amazing bat speed. Upton seems to use a larger bat, but he can still get around on the ball easily.

If Upton started using a smaller bat and generating more bat speed, while having an extra fraction of a second to see the ball, and judge wether it is a strike or a ball, would he get a little more distance on the balls that he hits for doubles and triples? Or is he getting that distance because of the larger lumber that he uses?

Just a random question...

I can't wait to watch this kid for the next 10-20 years!

 

[Gaddabout]

If Upton started using a smaller bat and generating more bat speed, while having an extra fraction of a second to see the ball, and judge wether it is a strike or a ball, would he get a little more distance on the balls that he hits for doubles and triples? Or is he getting that distance because of the larger lumber that he uses?

As long as he can get around on the high cheese with a bigger bat, no use going smaller. Bigger bat = bigger sweet spot.

The power will come when he hits the weights and starts gaining muscle in the butt and thighs. That's the difference between a gap hitter with 25 home runs and a Hall of Famer chasing HR records.

 

[BC867]

Gila Monster, check the stats after the two disappointing months (which followed Reynolds' sensational start).

He is fielding well (which unfortunately can't be said about Jackson). He is hitting well. More importantly, he drives in runs. And that's what wins ball games.

It's no coincidence that the D'backs are on another hot tear . . . and Mark Reynolds is back. Conor Jackson's bat is helping, too.

I would still trade Jackson and Tracy for a solid fielding LH hitting 1B. We are overloaded with right-handed batters.

 

[Rab]

I have been extremely impressed by Upton's patience and eye at the plate. For a 19 year old who never even played Triple A ball to come up and exhibit the traits he does at the plate is amazing. Even when he hits into an out, he usually gets good wood on the ball.

Pitchers are going to adjust to him though, so we'll have to see how he handles things in about 2-3 weeks, but you can really see the talent is there. He's been a delight to watch.

 

[devilalum]

Pitchers are going to adjust to him though, so we'll have to see how he handles things in about 2-3 weeks, but you can really see the talent is there. He's been a delight to watch.

I was thinking the same thing but what always puzzles me is why it takes a few weeks. Don't teams have minor league scouting reports on players? Aren't the pitches he has trouble hitting the same now as they were in the minor leagues?

Hope he's the exception to the rule and just keeps getting better and better.

 

[jjdowney]

I was thinking the same thing but what always puzzles me is why it takes a few weeks. Don't teams have minor league scouting reports on players? Aren't the pitches he has trouble hitting the same now as they were in the minor leagues?quote]

I'm sure the teams could have reports on him from the minors, but as a major league team would you really spend extra time on some 19 yr old minor leaguer who might be called up soon.

 

[JS22]

Upton next year:

.287, 34HR, 114 RBI

 

[Gaddabout]

I was thinking the same thing but what always puzzles me is why it takes a few weeks. Don't teams have minor league scouting reports on players? Aren't the pitches he has trouble hitting the same now as they were in the minor leagues?

I think it can be attributed to the amount of information a pitcher has to digest on each hitter. The amount of bend and pop in Major League pitching it light years ahead of Double A, so you never really know how accurate a scouting report is until a hitter sees Major League hitting. But in terms if overall information, the amount of research done in the bigs is probably 10 times that of the minors. That's why they need computers with top-notch video cards.

It still only takes one game for a pitcher to work a hitter over for that information to be past around the league.

 

[Ryanwb]

Upton's fielding leads a little to be desired. He let and easy one bounce off his glove yesterday and has another error tonight

 

[Black Jesus]

he needs a nickname... Just Up or Ups..

 

[CardEd]

he needs a nickname... Just Up or Ups..

J up

 

[dreamcastrocks]

Upsie daisy.