Thinking About BJ Upton and the Rays
So, BJ Upton and his time with the Rays. Yeah, I remember watching that unfold. Got into following the team around then, partly ’cause of the buzz around guys like him.
Spent a good amount of time watching those games back then. You’d see him out there in center field, usually. Fast? Absolutely. Kid could fly around the bases, steal some bags when he got on. That part was exciting, definitely something I paid attention to.
Then there was the power potential. He had that raw pop, you know? Could connect and send one way out there. Everyone saw it, talked about it. When he was locked in, he looked like he could be a real game-changer. Had some big moments, hit some memorable homers for them.
But man, it wasn’t always smooth sailing. Not by a long shot. Watched him swing through a lot of pitches. A whole lot. The strikeouts piled up, felt like it sometimes just killed momentum. It was like this weird mix, you know?
- Crazy speed on the basepaths.
- Legit home run power when he squared one up.
- But also, man, so many strikeouts.
- Fielding was generally okay, athletic out there, but maybe not always perfectly smooth either, thinking back.
It was kind of frustrating to watch sometimes, if I’m being honest. You’d see the raw talent, the “five tools” everyone kept mentioning. But getting it all to show up consistently, day in and day out? That seemed to be the real challenge during those Rays years. One game he’d look like an all-star, maybe the next few games you’re pulling your hair out.
Looking back now, it was just one of those classic baseball things, I guess. A young player with all the physical gifts in the world, and you just watch the games and hope it all clicks together perfectly and stays clicked. With Upton on the Rays, it felt like we got glimpses, sometimes really bright flashes of that potential, but maybe not the steady, consistent production everyone was hoping for. That’s just how I remember seeing it play out on the field from my couch.
