Some good background on B.J. Upton, and a guess at his value
With eight games left in the regular season, Phillies fans do not have much to look forward to except the offseason, when Ruben Amaro Jr. and the rest of the front office will attempt to retool for 2013. One of the big needs they will address is center field, where Shane Victorino had started from 2008 until the trade that sent him to the Dodgers in July.
Some good background on B.J. Upton, and a guess at his value
David Murphy, Daily News Staff Writer
With eight games left in the regular season, Phillies fans do not have much to look forward to except the offseason, when Ruben Amaro Jr. and the rest of the front office will attempt to retool for 2013. One of the big needs they will address is center field, where Shane Victorino had started from 2008 until the trade that sent him to the Dodgers in July.
One guy we have highlighted as a potential replacement is B.J. Upton, but as Marc Topkin notes in today's St. Petersburg Times, Upton has some issues.
The important paragraph. . .
But he also has been maddening to watch over the years: Getting picked off, throwing to the wrong base, striking out often and snarling at the umpire, and taking an at-times casual approach that at least makes it look like he is not hustling. (And led to him twice getting benched during the 2008 season.)
Topkin ballparks Upton's value at four-to-seven years at $12-to-$14 million per year. That's a hefty sum for a guy whose tools have far exceeded his offensive production over the last few seasons. I still think a guy like Nick Swisher is the ideal offensive fit for this lineup. Of course, Swisher doesn't play center field, and he is five years older than Upton.
Anyway, thought I'd pass along the story, which provides a tidy retrospective on Upton's career in Tampa Bay.
I like Upton but I think he will get overvalued in the free agent market.— Spider Rico- Lenny Dykstra?— StewieLavin27
- Please no. Why do we need another .250 hitter with a head case. And, say no to Bourn too.— dirttracker
- The good news here is the Phis may have found a new leftfielder in Ruf and a solid rightfield platoon in Mayberry and Brown. The missing piece is a top shelf centerfielder. I agree with the analysis of Upton. He has a mediocre batting average, strikes out way too much, and is trending toward declining power numbers and stolen bases. To my way of thinking, he is not worth $12-14 million a year for more years than the Phils may be willing to commit. He is a defensive upgrade over Mayberry, but not much else. I like Bourn better than Upton, eventhough he is older, also striking out way too much and starting to show less impressive numbers offensively and in the stolen bases category. He is much better defensively than Upton and his head is in the game much more than Upton's is. The two sticking points with Bourn are his salary expectations and his ability to hit farther down in the lineup if the Phils decide to stick with Rollins as their leadoff man. Like Upton, Bourn is not worth the money or years he is expected to be asking. He is certainly not worth the rumored $16 - 20 million a year. Also, if the Phils lead off with Bourn, what will that do to Rollins' performance? Victorino is the third option - provided that he is willing to give the Phils a significant hometown discount. He is a hybrid of Upton and Bourn, will probably be more affordable, and is ultrapopular with fans, teammates and the media. His vacation in Hollywood may make him a better player if and when he returns to Philly. If the Phils can't get any of these three centerfielders at their price, an outfield of Mayberry, Brown and Ruf would not be the weakest link in the Phils' chain. I don't see Schierholtz or Nix sticking with the Phils, but I do see Pierre reurning next season and continuing to help the Phils.— onthebucks
- I agree...I like Ruf in LF and he can't be any worse than Pete Incaviglia. Victorino on a 1-year deal to play CF, go with the Mayberry/Brown platoon in RF and bring back Pierre for another year. That leaves Nix/Schierholtz to battle it out for the LH bat off the bench. The only thing that would change this is if you have to offer Mayberry in a trade for D.Span or end up signing A.Pagan instead of Vic. As for 3B, I like Frandsen but need more production than just average. Do not move Utley to 3B and please do not start Freddy Galvis...he needs a year of AAA to get his bat going. — CMack
- I don't want any of the available outfielders.. Try to swing a trade for wherever Utley doesn't play... And sign Anibel Sanchez as your #5 starter.. And Ryan Madson as your setup man..— FetchDixon
- The ideal fit is a 2 year deal with Angel Pagan. He bridges the gap between now and when/if Gillies or another minor leaguer could be ready. His stats would trend up in our ballpark over SF, he could hit in the #2 spot, plays solid D, steals bags, will cost a fraction of what Upton would cost.— cdedrick05
- If he bats after Jimmy, we could have a nickname for the top of the order: the ShoeCrew (a pair of loafers),— NewMick314
- Why not Victorino? The Dodgers aren't going to resign him, and, after the year he's had, he's not going to get a huge contract from anyone else. Why not a one-year $8-$10 million deal for Vic? The Phillies avoid having to sign someone to a long-term contract, and Vic comes to a place he loves, with the hope of having a good year, and signing a multi-year deal after the 2013 season. Why not?— Chris Garrity
- Why not Victorino? The Dodgers aren't going to resign him, and, after the year he's had, he's not going to get a huge contract from anyone else. Why not a one-year $8-$10 million deal for Vic? The Phillies avoid having to sign someone to a long-term contract, and Vic comes to a place he loves, with the hope of having a good year, and signing a multi-year deal after the 2013 season. Why not?— Chris Garrity
- If we could know if Victorino would hit around .285 than a one year deal in the 8 million ranage would be fair. but because we do not know if he will ever hit at that clip it is risk if it was for say 5-6 million one year deal then I would look into it. but we know Rube will over pay for a center fielder and lock into a long term contract...... I hope they get a center fielder who can hit and play ave center field.— srcdaddy1216
- @chrisgarrity: I'd sign Victorino before I signed Upton, that's for sure. That said, they should probably go with neither.— drbob1
- If Rube wants throwing to the wrong base and getting picked off, just sign Victo back. Be sure to throw in the customary no-trade of course.— hunglikeaton
- I agree about Swisher. Perfect for them. Also, and don't dismiss this idea too quickly, it might make sense to offer Ibanez a similar deal to what the Yanks gave him.— maximusud
- Upton has been a longtime underachiever, albeit a tempting one in the upcoming season. In a recent ESPN article, on the perception that he shows lapses in effort, he had this gem of a response: "My 100 percent doesn't look like other guys' 100 percent. I was told that as a teenager. They always brought up the 'lazy' label because I didn't make things look hard. If you've got a problem with that, talk to the man upstairs. He's the one that gave it to me. I'm putting forth my best effort. It just doesn't look like it. I can't control that."'nuff said! (HTML deleted)— frankenslade
