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« Odds & Ends: Draft, Nationals, O's | Main | Draft Update: Strasburg, Orioles, D'Backs »
Justin Upton Q&A
Diamondbacks right fielder Justin Upton is currently not among the top 15 outfielders for the NL All-Star Game voting. This needs to change. He's putting up huge numbers as a 21 year-old - .322/.396/.592 in 197 plate appearances with 9 HR and 29 RBI (plus a grand slam tonight). Click here to vote for Upton now! You can vote up to 25 times.
Once you're done with that, how about a Q&A with Upton? He was kind enough to answer questions for MLB Trade Rumors.
MLB Trade Rumors: How much trash-talking goes on between you and B.J.? Who's got more skills as an outfielder?
Justin Upton: Not a lot, we are both very supportive of each other and want each other to do well. When we hang out off the field there is a lot of trash talk and a lot of times it takes place on the golf course. We will trash talk about video games or make fun of each other's clothes, but on the field we are very supportive and only want to see each other do well. As for who is the better outfielder, that is a tough one to answer since we play different positions. But...I'll give that nod to B.J. as of today. He has made some amazing catches so far this year and has made some sick throws...but I am working hard everyday to be a better outfielder and I'm not far behind.
MLBTR: Are you starting to enjoy it out there? I read an article from '04 where you said you did not like the outfield.
Upton: It was an adjustment at first, I mean I played shortstop all my life where you are involved in every play on defense in some way. When I was asked to move to the outfield I was skeptical but the more I played out there the more comfortable I felt and the more I learned about the ins and outs of the position and to be honest I would have played whatever position would have gotten me to the big leagues the quickest. The D'Backs had Stephen Drew at shortstop, so the outfield was the fastest way for me to get to the big leagues. So I was all for it.
MLBTR: You'll be eligible for free agency as a 26 year-old, after the 2013 season. People might draw an Alex Rodriguez parallel, especially with you both being No. 1 picks as well. What are your thoughts on that comparison? Do you think the free agent process will be enjoyable?
Upton: To be honest I don't think that far down the road. I am 21 years old and I am only in my second full season, my goal is to stay healthy and be productive this season. If I do what I know I can on the field, the rest will take care of itself, no use stressing about it now. As far as the A-Rod comparisons, I don't like to compare myself to anyone on or off the field. I can only go out there and be myself, I'll leave the comparing to the media.
MLBTR: Was Larry Reynolds an easy choice to be your adviser, since he was B.J.'s agent? Did you have to fend off a lot of agents coming after you?
Upton: I think most people knew that Larry would be my adviser so I didn't get too many people approaching me. There were a few people that didn't know about my relationship with Reynolds Sports that did approach me but I had been close with them since I was 15 when they were working with B.J. so to me it was a no-brainer. To have that stressful part of the process taken out of the equation it made it easier for me to just deal with playing baseball and getting drafted.
MLBTR: Your first big league at-bat was kind of a low-pressure situation...down 11-0, in San Diego against Wil Ledezma. What was going through your head?
Upton: Low pressure for who? Haha - I was a 19 year old kid in his first Major League at-bat, for me there was a ton of pressure. That was a moment I had waited my whole life for, all the hard work and countless hours of sweat and determination all culminated with that at-bat. It was a dream come true and it was over so fast I don't even remember what I was thinking...I was probably thinking, "get a hit!"
MLBTR: Back in May of '08, Larry Reynolds told ESPN's Jayson Stark he'd worry about your contract stuff the following year. Have there been any preliminary extension talks with the D'Backs?
Upton: I let Larry handle all that stuff, my job is to play baseball. I am not going to worry about the contract stuff, not yet at least. I love playing in Arizona, the fans are great. I love my teammates, we are a close-knit bunch and I know we are going to be competitive for a long time in the NL West. I hope I play here for a long, long time but it's too early to worry about all that stuff. If they wanted to talk long-term deal, I would certainly listen but for now I am just playing the game, having fun and looking to win ballgames.
MLBTR: Your signing bonus was a record at the time, but Stephen Strasburg might quadruple it. What are your thoughts on that?
Upton: Good for him, I hope he gets every penny he deserves. I am very happy with the signing bonus I got and I am only concerned with the D'Backs' draft and getting guys that can help our team going forward.
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Awesome, Justin is one of my favorite players in baseball as well as one of the best young players in the game and I'm happy to see him playing so well.
Posted by: fitz | June 02, 2009 at 11:19 PM
Upton is just a monster of a player. I'm very happy to see him mash the ball just about every night. I wish the Dbacks would sign him to a 14yr contract tonight. If only...
Posted by: jdub | June 02, 2009 at 11:29 PM
Best interview on the site so far Tim. Very candid answers from a very stand up guy. Thank you Justin.
Posted by: mford | June 03, 2009 at 12:29 AM
Seems like a great kid. Very happy to see players like that come up and be successful.
Posted by: bjsguess | June 03, 2009 at 01:34 AM
Upton is great, got him on my fantasy squad... Definitely a keeper. Gave the proper answers, something I always respect.
Posted by: Zoop | June 03, 2009 at 02:27 AM
I'm a huge Dbacks fan, so it's great to see Justin playing so well this year. Great Interview. Keep up the amazing play.
Posted by: Jude22 | June 03, 2009 at 03:17 AM
While the interview was solid Tim, it seems highly unethical for you to use this platform to lobby for players. He's having a decent year, but not better than Ibanez, Dunn, Soriano or Matt Kemp. By your rationale do you think then that brad hawpe should go or the aforementioned Kemp since their numbers are so similar? Come on Tim keep it impartial. You're not a fan you're a reporter.
Posted by: Wiseguy400 | June 03, 2009 at 03:32 AM
wiseguy:
Upton is having a much better year than Dunn, Ibanez, and Soriano. He's better in the field, and he has been hitting better. He is also much younger than those 3, and should be praised for that, especially since most guys are still in college at age 21.
If he doesn't get voted in to the all-star game, I'll blame you... and the millions of others who didn't vote for him.
Posted by: EWJ867 | June 03, 2009 at 05:39 AM
Wiseguy:
You can debate all you want about who should be in the all-star game, however you are completely wrong with your last two statements. Tim does not have to keep it impartial. This is HIS blog site, and he does not work for a company, so he can write and give his opinion in whichever way he wants. Also, who in the hell says you cannot be a fan just because you report news. Since this is HIS site, he can be a fan all he wants, and can display that passion anytime he wants. The good thing is that he still keeps a great balance of information to satisfy any team's fans.
Wiseguy, from now on, make sure you actually have valid, strong reasons before you make a point so you do not come out looking a lot more ignorant than you truly are, such as in this case.
Thanks.
Posted by: bravesbeast | June 03, 2009 at 06:07 AM
EWJ867:
I like Upton, and yes he's having a great year, but you must be smoking something if you think he's having a better year than Ibanez...
Posted by: deanerspamoni | June 03, 2009 at 08:11 AM
You do realize that you're supposed to build up the person that is being interviewed, right? Tim did that. I'm sure that was also some sort of reward for Upton doing the interview that he didn't have to do for this site.
Posted by: oxfrat1665 | June 03, 2009 at 08:20 AM
Feel free to blame me if you will. I'm not voting for him. He's on a bad team. He'll get in cause every team needs a representative, but he doesn't deserve to be a starter anymore than Matt Kemp who I'll vote for instead
Posted by: Wiseguy400 | June 03, 2009 at 02:27 PM
I'm pretty sure that Upton is better than Kemp in almost every category offensively other than SB.
So, in your logic:
Very good player on a bad team < a slightly lesser player on a better team?
And Arizona has really put it together as of late. Especially offensively. However since Price resigned as pitching coach, the pitching has sucked. I read somewhere that the team's ERA has gone from the mid 3's to the mid 5's.
Upton won't be in because every team needs a representative, he will get in based on performance. Haren should be in the Allstar game anyways. Arizona SHOULD have two representatives.
Posted by: jdub | June 03, 2009 at 02:43 PM
I kinda jumped around with the topic, sorry. The third paragraph was to say that AZ isn't a bad team, even though I accidentally did say that in the post.
Posted by: jdub | June 03, 2009 at 02:52 PM
Wiseguy, what are you smoking? Kemp - .311/.376/.481, Upton - .322/.400/.600.
Uh, yeah, they're the same player. I'm a big Kemp fan, but Upton is better now and will be in the future as well. Furthermore, comparing Upton to Dunn/Soriano/etc is ridiculous, do you bother looking at stats before your ill-advised statements?
All-Stars are not MVPs, being on a bad team means absolutely nothing, and is in fact, the reverse. Doing what he's doing on a bad team actually makes his stats look better!
Ibanez, I'll give you, he's been ridiculous.
Posted by: kswissreject | June 05, 2009 at 03:02 PM