RaysBaseball.com:Upton turns slump into defensive genius

Great piece by Zach Schonbrun of MLB.com about our center fielder.

ST. PETERSBURG — In the early months of this season, B.J. Upton couldn’t help but take his hitting struggles into the outfield with him.

He’d lament over strikeouts and poor plate appearances. He’d relive at-bats over and over in his mind. He’d harass himself about ugly swings and plunging numbers. And in those moments when a fly ball would come at him in center field, lifting toward that obscuring white dome overhead in Tropicana Field and beginning that familiar, parabolic descent, he’d run faster.

Often it’s the offensive woes that reek havoc on a fielder’s psyche, weighing him down and distracting him from the duties with his glove. For Upton this year, it’s been the opposite.

As the Rays’ 24-year-old center fielder dealt with the worst slump of his career, he found himself getting better defensively, not worse. And others have noticed.

Tampa bay pitcher James Shields considers Upton the best outfielder he’s ever played with. Right fielder Gabe Gross has said he’s constantly amazed by the ground Upton covers. Manager Joe Maddon believes he’s one of the top two or three center fielders in the game.

Meanwhile, Upton admits he’s still adjusting to the position he took up just a couple of years ago, after being brought up as an infielder and bouncing around all parts of the diamond as a utility man without a given domain. He once carried five different gloves in his locker. Now there’s only one, underlining a dramatic turnaround as he has ascended from position-less to peerless in center field.

“You’re never finished improving in this game,” Upton said.

It’s a scary thought for some that Upton can actually improve his arm, range or judgment, considering how quickly he’s established himself as one of the best at all three.

With five outfield assists — including a dazzling throw to nail Toronto’s Aaron Hill at home plate last week — he’s tied for seventh in the American League. With only one error — and eight total in his career as an outfielder — he’s come a long way from the 53 he made as a Minor League shortstop in 2005. And with 221 total putouts this season — fourth-most in baseball — he’s proven a knack for getting to balls.

It’s that facet that may separate Upton from the rest, yet it remains of one of the least understood aspects of his athleticism. With long, effortless strides, Upton often seems to float after deep flies. Yet he continually leaves his fellow outfielders in awe.

“I don’t have to run as far,” left fielder Carl Crawford joked.

Crawford and Upton, with 75 stolen bases and only three errors between them, form one of baseball’s most daunting outfield duos. But while Crawford’s short, choppy steps make it appear as if he’s working twice as hard to track down balls, Upton’s usually the one who gets there first.

“Everybody thinks he’s lackadaisical when he’s actually moving real fast,” Crawford said. “I’m standing right next to him so I get to see it. He’s just fluid. It looks effortless.”

As a result, the gap shots are nullified, the warning track drives are flagged down, and the balls that would normally drop in other ballparks are wheeled in by a center fielder who at times makes it look too easy.

“He never seems to have to dive or slide to get there,” Gross said. “And when he does, he really has to. A lot of guys will do that for the show or whatever. With Upton, he always seems to have time to get under it and make it look easy.”

And just a few seasons ago, Upton didn’t have a set place anywhere on the diamond. He was brought up as Tampa Bay’s shortstop of the future, having been picked out of Greenbrier Christian Academy in Chesapeake, Va., with the second overall selection in the 2002 First-Year Player Draft. As an 18-year-old in his first professional season, he committed 56 errors. The next year, he made nine in 45 games in his first stint with the Rays.

During his next callup, in 2006, he started 48 games at third base, and in 2007 he was the team’s Opening Day second baseman. As the defensive struggles continued, though, it became obvious Upton would be better suited to a new spot. Center field opened up. With his speed and athletic ability, the switch came naturally.

“I picked it up pretty quickly,” Upton said. “I didn’t even think about it. It was second nature. Just go after the ball.”

He started 74 games in center in 2007 and has been there ever since.

“He picked it up really quick,” Crawford said. “He’s an athlete, so he could adjust. He can play anywhere on the field.”

This season, despite a hitting slump that saw Upton batting just .192 as late as May 28, his defense has never wavered. Instead, it has steadily improved.

“I think in baseball circles, it’s pretty widely known how good he is,” Gross said.

“I’d have to think he’s going to take his place as the top in the league very soon,” Maddon said.

With the second half approaching and Upton’s slump seemingly behind him — his average has rebounded to .239 after being named the American League’s Player of the Month for June — the package that makes him one of the game’s all-around stars is blooming again. The defense becomes a throw-in to his versatility as a leadoff hitter. Suddenly he may not have as much to mull over in the outfield anymore.

The motivation is still there, though. Upton relishes the position change, the newfound respect and his place as one of the game’s best center fielders. He said he takes tremendous pride in how far he has come — and how many gloves he has gone through — in his first few years in the league.

The only glove that is left wanting is a Gold Glove. But even that may not be too far away.

“I don’t think it’s a secret anymore,” Crawford said. “He’s definitely on his way there, if he’s not there already.”

Zach Schonbrun is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.