The Sports Beat

BJ Upton screwed up again last night.  This time it wasn’t on the bases, but in center field, where he’s generally pretty good.  With a man on first in extra innings our main man Willy Mays Hays’d it after a ball lofted to deep center.  The runner at first was the infamous AJ Pierzynski, and, well, strange things seem to happen when AJ’s involved.  Naturally the Chicago catcher displayed his uncanny knack for stirring the pot, safely beating Upton’s panic-stricken throw to second.  On the ensuing play, madness occurred, and an umpire bailed out a mistake by AJ, and a slap shot to shallow right from Alexei “Yo No Ando” Ramirez later, the mistake turned out to be BJ’s as the Rays lost their first game of the year after leading in the 9th inning (they were an astounding 69-0 prior to yesterday).

Now I really hate to keep ragging on the guy, because according to my source(s) he’s a good person (similar to when I had a little help on the KG trade front, I do actually have a source here).  BUT, the elder Upton has shown himself to be rather foolish.

When in the minor leagues, he made headlines by griping about that fact; he felt he should have been on the major league roster.  In his first couple stints with Tampa Bay he struggled mightily (as you might expect from a 21/22-year-old), and since stepping up his production over the last two years, he’s nonethless failed to maintain the power displayed in 2007.  And then there’s been the “hustle” issue.

BJ is still a great player to have on a roster.  He’s talented, young, inexpensive, and projects as a future All Star.  But thus far he hasn’t shown the ability to quickly adjust, which has held him back from becoming the best player on the best team in baseball, a title he’s quite capable of holding. 

Here’s hoping he’s just a slow learner.

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