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Rising Star By: Paul Fraser Can't-Miss Kid D-Backs fans are getting glimpses of the amazing baseball talents - and maturity - of young superstar Justin Upton. |
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When the Arizona Diamondbacks made Justin Upton the first overall selection in the 2005 Major League draft, it would be safe to make a couple assumptions. First, with the amount of research modern-day professional franchises do on prospects, you knew Justin was a great person, because the D-Backs simply don't voluntarily add problem children to their roster. And there was absolutely no doubt about the God-given, off-the-chart baseball talent Justin had. But even the most optimistic of fans couldn't have predicted not only what Justin Upton has done with a bat in his hands through the first few weeks of the 2008 season, but the level of maturity and class he has shown off the field. You know this because when you hear his name on the news, it's for a good reason. Although he's not even old enough to legally order a beer, and has less than one full season at the Major League level under his belt, Justin is tearing through the National League at a pace rarely if ever seen by someone his age. D-Backs fans are being treated to daily glimpses of what the future holds for this budding superstar. And my guess is that in about 20 years or so, people in the Valley who come out to Chase Field are going to look back and realize they were lucky enough to watch one of the greats grow up right before their eyes. And as for that part about being a good kid with a pretty mature perspective, here's what he had to say when I asked him what his expectations were for the upcoming season as he sat outside the locker room prior to a game. "I just want to be able to contribute to the team, and work on the things I need to work on to get better." Now, certainly Justin is smart enough to know the right thing to say, but it didn't come off that way. It came off like a pretty grateful young man who as much as he realizes how good he can be, also realizes that opportunities like this don't come around often, and he plans on making the most of it. So far, so good. Yeah, there's plenty to marvel at when it comes to Justin Upton on and off the baseball field. But when you think about it, it's off the field where things are really crazy. Think about what you were doing when you were 19, the age at which Justin first donned a major league uniform. Were you traveling from city to city on chartered flights and sleeping in five-star hotels? Or, were you were squeezed into coach section and wondering why the remote didn't work at Motel 6? Probably closer to the latter. Think about what you were doing when you were 20. Whatever it was, it probably didn't involve cruising to work in luxury cars and signing autographs for grown men wearing T-shirts with your name on the back. But it's entirely possible you were the guy wearing the T-shirt, lobbying for the autograph, sitting in the bleacher seats Justin drills fastballs into on an increasingly regular basis. It's no knock on you. After all, Justin is no normal youngster. And nothing drives that point home with more emphasis than gracing the cover of Sports Illustrated, which Justin did this past April for the magazine's baseball preview edition. By the way, so much for that jinx that's supposed to come with landing on the cover of SI. "It took me about a month to get used to everything," says Upton of the big-league lifestyle, which is a delicate thing when you consider how easy it would be to get caught up in the glamour, especially at that age, and forget that at the end of the day you're just another ballplayer who is expected to do his job. "But after a while you just get used to always being in different cities. In the minor leagues [which he played in for about four innings] you definitely don't travel as far, but you're in different cities, so you kind of get groomed for it. I'm pretty comfortable." As he's saying it, he's comfortably tossing a mini basketball in the air like a novice juggler, simulating finger rolls off the concourse wall beneath the second deck at Chase Field, close to the spot where one night earlier he blasted a mammoth home run that traveled so far it needed a layover. And life is oh-so good for anyone who can do things like that. You constantly have to remind yourself that he's 20. He certainly doesn't play like it, and as you talk to him, save for a few soft-spoken responses, he doesn't sound like he's 20 either. He sounds like any other big-leaguer, as sure of himself as a grizzled vet with twin bum knees who's been a cornerstone of the clubhouse for the better part of his adult life. But if you ask Justin how he really feels, he'll tell you he's somewhere in the middle. "I don't feel like a kid," he says, "but I don't feel like a veteran either. I feel a little more comfortable, like I fit in a little more. It's not as overwhelming anymore." Justin's adjustment period was shortened by a couple things. First, when you're having success, it makes everything easier. And second, his brother B. J. has been in the Big Leagues with Tampa Bay since 2007, and has served as sort of a tour guide for Justin. "It has helped having him to talk to," Justin said of his brother. One thing that hasn't become a problem is constant fan attention. "People recognize me here and there, die-hard fans recognize me," he says. "But not too much." At this rate, that won't last long. But for now, at least, in a weird way things have remained much like they've always been - he plays ball against much older players, as he did as a freshman in high school in Area Code games, and then goes home, where he likes to play video games. And when he's not doing that, he's playing golf, at which he says he's "pretty good" in the off season. Somehow, that's not terribly difficult to believe. Justin tells POST that he and B. J. have begun putting on a golf tournament back in their home town of Chesapeake, Virginia, where he says he loves to return to and stay close with all the people who care about him. And as it turns out, the golf tournament isn't the only thing the young man is involved in back home. Last November, along with B. J., Diamondbacks third baseman Mark Reynolds and a few other big-leaguers, Justin participated in a home run derby to raise money for charity. This is just one example of a guy who, despite being heralded as a can't-miss prospect since he was barely into his high school career, not to mention the professional success - and all the distractions and expectations that come with it - that has been thrown at him, has managed to keep his head screwed on straight and his priorities in order. It's important to remember that Justin is as young as he is, because growing pains are a part of anything, especially baseball. You can't get too high or too low, which works out well because when things are going well, he seems to have the maturity to not get ahead of himself. And when things aren't going so well, when the bleeders aren't dropping in and he's second-guessing himself at the plate, he can just look in the mirror and say to himself, "I'm 20 years old and playing in the big leagues." Things could definitely be worse. As for Diamondbacks fans, you're getting to watch him do things you might never again see a kid his age do in your lifetime. And things could definitely be worse than that. |
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