CHEESE & WHINE: Upton for the Cycle

Rays: 13

Yankees: 4

CHEESE:

• BJ Upton. Bossman was at the top of his offensive game last night; becoming the first Rays' player ever to hit for the cycle, and it took only 5 innings to do it. Upton finished the night with ridiculous numbers; 5 for 5 with 6 RBI and 3 runs scored. What better way to wash away the stains of a cruddy year then to finish the season by working your way into the franchise history books. The beauty of being the first to do something is that no one can take that away or break that record- it's there to stay, and for the rest of his family's existence BJ's family will always be able to boast that their grandpa/daddy/uncle/brother/son was the first Rays player ever to hit for the cycle.
• David Price. Even without the copious amounts of run-support Price would've won this one, pitching a phenomenal game to wrap up his rookie season. King David lasted 7 innings, allowing just 1 run on 2 hits while striking-out 5 and walking 2. Oh, and I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if that pitch toward Teixeira's head in the first wasn't courtesy of Carlos Pena's broken finger. Price finishes the year with a record of 10-7 and an ERA of 4.42, not too bad. I guarantee it'll be better next year.
• Ben Zobrist. Here's a shocker, Zobrist had a nice offensive game... again. Hard to believe, I know. Last night Benny-Boo finished up 3 for 5 with 2 RBI.

WHINE:

• Dale Thayer. I know he came-in in a fairly meaningless position, but come on man. Thayer lasted 1 inning, giving-up 2 runs on 2 hits.
• Willy Aybar. 0 for 5 with a K, and get this; 8 men left on base, 8!

CRACKERS:

• Despite scoring 13 , only 2 of the Rays' runs came by way of the homer ( the 2-run homer by Upton in the 4th).

CAVIAR (game ball):

• BJ Upton. Obviously, hitting the team's first ever cycle earns you the Rays The Stakes caviar game ball every time.

Post from last season- Randomly re-posted today (totally random, I swear)

***REPOST original post June 25, 2008***

Welcome to Lazytown, population: 1, founded in early summer 2008 in the heart of center field at Tropicana Field (but not to worry- it travels around the country from one ball park to another-- it was last seen in Miami on the evening of June 24th).


I'm talking about our own dear, beloved Bossman Junior (BJ, for you folks who love to initialize everything) Upton.

As a fan who has only missed watching 2 games this year, I feel that I am more than qualified to chime in against one of our beloved Rays if I deem it necessary, and I do.

Let me expound:

Over the last several weeks I've noticed a decided difference in the defensive play of Mr. BJ Upton, in that he suddenly feels that it is no longer necessary to run at full speed or cover anything more than a 20 foot radius in CF.

While the rest of his teammates are bustin' their tails for every win it seems that Bossman has lost his will to compete. I guess winning a couple of games entitles him to acting like he deserves to be on the roster- regardless of his obvious lack of effort.

Mr. Upton will jog over in the direction of a soft blooper to middle center and watch it drop then once he finally finishes his stroll over to the ball, that inevitably dropped 6 feet in front of him, he grabs it and proceeds to throw a blooping hailmary to the plate... everytime! Hey BJ, throw it to the cutoff man sometimes! Or here's a novel idea: hustle after the ball and maybe you could catch it and record an out- or at least catch a runner at third and not have to throw a looper to the plate because you reacted so slowly... everytime! Yeah-yeah we know, "You're sooo talented..." , blah, blah, blah... I've seen tons of below average players have amazing years (or even careers for that matter) because they put forth the effort that "superstars" are too good to bother with, and we've all seen "superstars" get sent packing because they were "too good" to be benched or told what to do....

Okay, slow down... I am not implying that I want Upton shipped out of town or DFA'd or anything silly like that, but I am lobbying for a stern talking-to from management and a few days on the pine to think about it.

In case you haven't noticed, BJ's numbers at the plate are down as well, so its not like he's countering his laze-fair defense with superb offense either (stay tuned, I may just present statistical evidence to support that).

Case and point: BJ's gotten lazy. Winning's coming easily, so there's no pressure. How fast our beloved Bossman has forgotten how life as a Devil Ray was, or how much winning meant to The Rays as recently as this May. I think the whole team has lost some intensity as of late, but the "good ones", like BJ, are supposed to learn how to keep winning not how to rest on their laurels.

Here's Upton's batting numbers at this point this year vs. last year:

YEAR AVG OBP SLG OPS HR
2007 .320 .402 .545 .947 9

2008 .284 .397 .424 .821 5

Don't get me wrong, I still love our little buddy BJ, but I'm getting tired of the nonchalant, lack-luster performances as of late. I honestly believe that he needs to be humbled a little, and I think the Pittsburgh series would be the perfect time.

Maddon could even spin it to the press that he's just giving BJ a "well-deserved rest"...

Well deserved, indeed!

BJ Down-ton

BJ Upton has had a down season.

BJ Upton is just as disappointed in himself as we are in him.

BJ Upton is still the real deal.

That being said, at what point does his liability at the plate (and on the basepaths) supersede his ability in the outfield?

Is it time for BJ to take a seat for a few games, again? would it benefit the team to plug in someone else who could be a potential sparkplug much as Zaun has been from the catcher position?

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JB & BJ: A Tale of Two Seasons

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

For Jason Bartlett times are good.
For BJ Upton, not so much.

The Best Of Times
One year ago we were all just learning to appreciate Bartlett's ability to play SS, and we were all pleased with the obvious upgrade at the position (formerly occupied by Brendan Harris), but offensively Bartlett had just begun to break out of his shell.

I, for one, was still not sold on Bartlett as a legitimate, long-term solution due to his lack of throwing power, and couldn't wait for Reid Brignac to break the line-up in 2009.
I even went so far as to coin the nickname Ol' Noodle Arm whenever I referenced JB (turns out he was having some minor shoulder issues).

At first, I wasn't impressed to say the least.

After the first half of last season Bartlett's stat line was acceptable, but nothing to write home about:
.256 BA/.299 OBP/.293 SLG/.592 OPS with 0 HR's and 20 RBI

Bartlett was essentially a role player. Filling his spot in the lineup and proving that he deserved a starting job, but he had only just begun:

Then came August. JB's line suddenly skyrocketed:
.389 BA/ .413 OBP/ .583 SLG/ .997 OPS with 1 HR and 17 RBI

Bartlett caught lightning in a bottle and he's been riding that wave ever since.
In the last year not only has JB proven to me and everyone else who watches the Rays on a daily basis that he's an All-Star caliber shortstop, but he's also shown that last fall's offensive explosion was not a fluke.

In fact, in the last 365 days Bartlett's numbers are as good as anyone else in the league:
.343 BA/ .396 OBP/ .523 SLG/ .919 OPS with 12 HR's and 72 RBI. Those numbers are all-world. Not bad for a player who was a side-note in the Delmon Young for Matt Garza trade.

Jason Bartlett has arrived. He is at the top of his game. He has become a very good, well-rounded middle infielder, who is a legitimate contender for AL MVP, and has a real shot at winning the batting title this season. At 29 years old he has finally hit his stride.

For Jason Bartlett it is the best of times.


The Worst Of Times
One year ago BJ Upton was taking heat for being a bit of a "slacker", but none of us really cared because he was "fluid" and his natural talent was spilling out all over the place. He was hitting decently, despite the fact that he was playing with a major shoulder injury, and he was playing a darn good center field.

BJ was coming off of a stellar year in 2007 during which he compiled an impressive stat line:
.300 BA/ .386 OBP/ .508 SLG/ .894 OPS with 24 HR's and 82 RBI, and most believed that the drop in power from one season to the next was directly related to the injury, so we gave him a pass for a sub-par 2008.

Then came the playoffs. Cliff Floyd supposedly pulled BJ aside and told him that he had to either man-up and ignore the pain or sit down and let someone else help the team. Upton chose the former. He was an offensive juggernaut during the post season, helping 7 balls over the wall and playing an important role in getting the Rays to the World Series.
Life was good.

Cue the rain clouds.
Upton underwent offseason surgery to repair his damaged shoulder (torn labrum), and was cleared to play shortly after the 2009 season began.

He struggled mightily in April and May, but the baseball world was patient, giving BJ the benefit of the doubt after not having the opportunity to practice in the offseason or spring training due to the shoulder surgery and subsequent rehab.
The season progressed and BJ continued to struggle. The more BJ struggled the more Joe Maddon stuck his neck out for him, "He's my lead-off guy. Period."
The days, then weeks, then months rolled by.
No improvement.

Then out of the blue, in June, the BJ we've all come to know and love, and whose return to glory we had all so patiently awaited, finally came screaming back to stardom.
In June Upton's stats were spectacular: .324 BA/ .395 OBP/ .562 SLG/ .957 OPS with 5 HR's and 22 RBI, and earned him the title of AL Player of the Month. Finally! Upton was back, and the world was right again.

But just as quickly as his talent had reappeared it slinked away into the dark corners of the Trop again. Upton's numbers suddenly dropped back to earth, and have continued to plummet as the season crawls forward.

BJ's mojo has left the building. Since June, Upton's numbers are utterly despicable, and August's embarrassingly slow start: .143 BA/ .189 OBP/ .143 SLG/ .332 OPS with 0 HR's and 1 RBI
has finally triggered Joe Maddon to remove Mr. Upton from the lead-off spot.

Everyone knows the rest of the story; BJ complains about being moved down in the lineup. The whole world turns their back on BJ. BJ complains some more. Joe Maddon is left with no choice but to sit Upton down- give him a few days off so he can clear his head, you know, just in case the Rays want to make a playoff run and need the help of their ultra-talented centerfielder.

It all boils down to this:
BJ Upton is in a slump. Its as obvious as anything we've ever seen. Its painful to watch.
Mark my words though, he will recover.
He will return to the all-star caliber player that he is. I guarantee it.
The only true question is this: will he learn from this?
The difference between a talented player and a great player is not always determined by what happens between the lines- sometimes its about what happens between the ears.

It's always darkest before the dawn.
Right now it's pitch black, and for BJ Upton it's the worst of times.


-JS

This is Important

So yesterday afternoon I finally put Melvin Upton on the "On-Notice" list for his overall lack of hitting and crappy OBP.

Of course after last night's heroics I was all set to remove him from said list, but a faithful reader who is also a fellow blogger (Rays Revolutionary) pointed out that maybe Upton performed well because he was on the list for the first time and suggested that I should leave him there for superstitious reasons.

I can't decide which course of action is the right one, and I know the outcome of tonight's and maybe many other games depends on this decision, so please help me decide- the Rays fate depends on it:

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Breaking Out (Of a Slump) Is Hard To Do

In the Family Guy episode titled “Breaking Out Is Hard To Do,” Lois Griffin goes on a shoplifting spree, leading to her imprisonment, her family breaking her out of prison, a wacky police chase that only Seth McFarlane could imagine, and eventually her freedom. If BJ Upton can follow the basics of this plot, he can break himself out of his slump and regain his proverbial “freedom” as a stud ballplayer.

We can all agree that for the majority of the season, BJ Upton has been a ghost at the plate. No, I do not think that a pencil sketched guy has grabbed him from behind the milk cartons, turned BJ into a pencil sketch, and is making him dance repeatedly to “Take on Me.” BJ has just been off his game, horribly. The fact that he can’t find his timing has been a major quagmire that is plaguing the organization. Like Lois, BJ has been stealing. However, it is not bases that BJ has been stealing, having only stolen 6 bases so far this season. BJ has been stealing wins from the team and sanity from the fans. He is striking out at an alarming rate of once every 3 at bats, which is terrible for a leadoff hitter, and has an on base percentage of .276 which is even worse. The timing of his swing has been a quagmire that has been plaguing the entire organization and its fan-base.

These numbers have put BJ Upton into the fans’ prison, also known as our doghouse. Although he is not “on notice” on this site, fans are losing their faith and writers are starting to question if he should be moved down in the lineup. Having an 0-20 skid can and does warrant this kind of unrest. Hey BJ, look out; Officer Joe Swanson and the rest of the Rays fans have placed you in the jail of their minds. While Lois was in prison, the entire Griffin family fell apart. During BJ’s slump, the Rays just can’t seem to get going. The leadoff hitter needs to set the tone for every game on offense. BJ’s hitting had left Carl Crawford with just mustard on his own shoulder to eat, Peter Griffin style.

However there is hope. Just as Peter snuck Lois out of prison in his mouth, Joe Maddon may have bailed out BJ Upton using his mouth. He spoke confidently about BJ, telling the team and fans to be patient. Maddon even said that he would not drop Upton from the leadoff spot.

With the manager’s vote of confidence, it is now time that Upton gains his own freedom and busts out of this slump. For the last few games, he has been on a wild chase to find his timing. Sometimes, he has looked so bad that his swing stunk worse than the sewer that the Griffin family ends up in. It would have taken a lot more than the Goonies to give him any sort of direction. Other times, it has looked like he was in the clear, hitting the ball hard but straight at a defender. Either way, he was 0-20.

While Lois was able to step around Joe’s oncoming wheelchair, BJ was able to step into a 7th inning, 2 out pitch and land it in left field for a go-ahead RBI double. As we all know by now, the Rays never looked back and won last nights game 6-3. All it takes is 1 break to return things to normal. Maybe this was the break that BJ needed.

Has BJ broken out of his slump? We will have to wait and see. However, if the Griffin family could return to normal after all they went through in this episode, perhaps with this one hit, I am optimistic that BJ Upton could return to normal as well. As the saying goes, “Breaking Out Is Hard To Do.” After following the storyline by stealing the fans’ sanity and wins from the team, being placed in the prison of the fans’ minds, getting a vote of confidence out of the mouth of Joe Maddon, and chasing after a hit, I believe BJ Upton has broken out of the slump and returned to the player with a career on base percentage of .362. BJ needs to continue to show everyone and make us all believers. For BJ to truly be back, the hits need to continue to show up on a consistent basis, the stolen bases need to happen more often, and the strikeouts need to drastically drop. Everyone involved with the Rays and who watches the Rays play will know when BJ Upton is back to his normal self, as knowing when BJ Upton is playing to his full potential is not rocket science.

-The Rocket Scientist

Lazy-Town

Welcome to Lazytown, population: 1, founded in early summer 2008 in the heart of center field at Tropicana Field (but not to worry- it travels around the country from one ball park to another-- it was last seen in Miami on the evening of June 24th).


I'm talking about our own dear, beloved Bossman Junior (BJ, for you folks who love to initialize everything) Upton.

As a fan who has only missed watching 2 games this year, I feel that I am more than qualified to chime in against one of our beloved Rays if I deem it necessary, and I do.

Let me expound:

Over the last several weeks I've noticed a decided difference in the defensive play of Mr. BJ Upton, in that he suddenly feels that it is no longer necessary to run at full speed or cover anything more than a 20 foot radius in CF.

While the rest of his teammates are bustin' their tails for every win it seems that Bossman has lost his will to compete. I guess winning a couple of games entitles him to acting like he deserves to be on the roster- regardless of his obvious lack of effort.

Mr. Upton will jog over in the direction of a soft blooper to middle center and watch it drop then once he finally finishes his stroll over to the ball, that inevitably dropped 6 feet in front of him, he grabs it and proceeds to throw a blooping hailmary to the plate... everytime! Hey BJ, throw it to the cutoff man sometimes! Or here's a novel idea: hustle after the ball and maybe you could catch it and record an out- or at least catch a runner at third and not have to throw a looper to the plate because you reacted so slowly... everytime! Yeah-yeah we know, "You're sooo talented..." , blah, blah, blah... I've seen tons of below average players have amazing years (or even careers for that matter) because they put forth the effort that "superstars" are too good to bother with, and we've all seen "superstars" get sent packing because they were "too good" to be benched or told what to do....

Okay, slow down... I am not implying that I want Upton shipped out of town or DFA'd or anything silly like that, but I am lobbying for a stern talking-to from management and a few days on the pine to think about it.

In case you haven't noticed, BJ's numbers at the plate are down as well, so its not like he's countering his laze-fair defense with superb offense either (stay tuned, I may just present statistical evidence to support that).

Case and point: BJ's gotten lazy. Winning's coming easily, so there's no pressure. How fast our beloved Bossman has forgotten how life as a Devil Ray was, or how much winning meant to The Rays as recently as this May. I think the whole team has lost some intensity as of late, but the "good ones", like BJ, are supposed to learn how to keep winning not how to rest on their laurels.

Here's Upton's batting numbers at this point this year vs. last year:

YEAR AVG OBP SLG OPS HR
2007 .320 .402 .545 .947 9

2008 .284 .397 .424 .821 5

Don't get me wrong, I still love our little buddy BJ, but I'm getting tired of the nonchalant, lack-luster performances as of late. I honestly believe that he needs to be humbled a little, and I think the Pittsburgh series would be the perfect time.

Maddon could even spin it to the press that he's just giving BJ a "well-deserved rest"...

Well deserved, indeed!