B.J. Upton is actually Melvin Emanuel Upton. Melvin’s dad was nicknamed “Bossman”, and hence he became “Bossman Junior”. Get it?
B.J. has been flirting with the show for the past three years, getting 12 RBI out of 45 games in ‘04, 10 RBI and 11 stolen bases in 50 games in ‘06, and then breaking out this year in his first (hopefully) full season with the Devil Rays’ big club. A mere 30 games this season have produced 22 RBI and a nice .349 average with .613 slugging. Of course, by really looking at these numbers, I now realize that Bossman Junior doesn’t qualify for Smells Like Pujols, because he got too many at-bats in previous seasons, but that’s OK, we’re forging ahead with this profile, relevance-be-damned.
Need a charismatic celebrity pitchman? B.J. is available:
On second thought, maybe not. The nervous hat award logo thingy bending and rapid-fire delivery might make him a perfect fit as official spokesman of The Extrapolater, however. “HiI’mBJUptonIreadExtrapolatereverydayandI’mheretotellyouthisisoneof-
thefunniestandsmartestblogsintheknownuniversebarnone”.
Seriously, though. B.J. is just one of the talented young players making the Devil Rays fun to watch. He’s not the guy who threw the bat an an umpire, and he’s not the guy from Japan, and he’s not the guy who sounds like a soft-core porn star. And he’s definitely not Elijah “Put Up Your” Dukes. He’s the nice guy from a Christian Academy in Virginia, and there’s another one just like him on the way up.
B.J. struggled with his defense in the minors, committing 53 errors at Short for the Durham Bulls in 2005. The Rays have made use of his versatility by trying him out all over the infield and in left in ‘04, and then moving him to third in ‘06, where he bobbled 13 times in limited action. This year, 2B is the thing, where his 9 E’s are no doubt ameliorated by his 22 RBIs, 18 Rs, and 5 SBs. He’s like alphabet soup out there.
Keep an eye on Bossman Junior this year. He’s a classic case of “Does his offense make up for his defense?” Given the potential for drama that is built into this lineup, that’s probably one saga the Devil Rays can live with, as long as the magic 8-ball keeps coming up with ALL SIGNS POINT TO YES.
I’ve been to a few D-Rays games this year and B.J. does not disappoint. Quick hands like Soriano. Although I cringe when the ball is hit in his direction. Has the habit of making tough plays seem easy and easy plays seem difficult. Yeah, the D-Rays are going to be good in 2 years. Another name for you: James Shields. Could be the Smoltz to Kazmir’s Pedro.
I live in Virginia and the Upton boys are local legends. I’m looking forward to seeing more of them in the bigs.
I too live in Virginia and watched both Upton boys. There dad is a college basketball ref for the CAA and MEAC and he might do some ACC games too. Since he does a lot of my alma mater’s (ODU) games we know him on a first name basis. (Manny) We still give him the business when he deserves it but all in all he is a good ref. I watched Justin as a sophomore at Hickory High and he had a major league body then. It was obvious to all that Justin was hands down the best player on the field at 15.
This is why I have B.J. in my fantasy lineup every day in one of my leagues.
Hey, Gerg – I’m taking distance ed classes through ODU – I live in Cville. I follow the Monarchs, though.
God I love that video of him, though. It looked like they could barely stop him from bolting out of the studio.
[...] anti-Michael Kay rants. [Muting Michael Kay] • All you don’t know about B.J. Upton. [Extrapolater] • French players are having trouble hitting their free throws. [Zembla] • Remembering [...]
[...] Meet B.J. Upton [image]B.J. Upton is actually Melvin Emanuel Upton. Melvin’s dad was nicknamed “Bossman”, and hence […] [...]
Congratulations on 100,000 hits, Extra P. That’s a big milestone in the blogosphere. My two combined blogs hit 30,000 hits this week. So you better watch your back, ‘cuz I’m coming after ya.
Oh yeah – I meant to say something – the day you had both blogs on the top 10 at the same time was something I had never seen before – I meant to congratulate you on that.
And to think, I have the randomly placed words “Porn” and “Naked” to thank for at least 1/4 of those hits.
Hey extra good to hear you live in cville but take classes through ODU. what about doing a piece on all the Tidewater area MLB players doing well right now? Cuddeyer, Upton, Zimmerman, Wright with a few on the way. Something is going on here with young player development. I think it may start with Gary Lavelle (former MLB RP with the Giants) and his academy in Chesapeake.
One more thing. Word on the street is that Jonathon Adams is working out like a mad man ready to step up the ante next season and become more of a scoring threat.
Hell, let’s not forget Verlander! That’s a great idea.
indeed. i was at the verlander (odu) vs. orenduff (vcu) duel. 20 somein combined K’s. at the Bud that night.