Upton leads charge for surging Diamondbacks
By Beltway Boss
BaseballBigMouth.com baseball news
The Arizona Diamondbacks are tied with the St. Louis Cardinals for the best record in the majors at 10-4. Many players have contributed to the Diamondbacks’ success, but none more so than Justin Upton. Upton is hitting .370/.410/.704 with five homeruns and 12 RBI. His five homeruns lead the majors and his 1.143 OPS is third as is his slugging percentage. He ranks fifth in both batting average and RBI. Upton at just twenty years of age is two years younger than this writer. He was the youngest player in the majors last season and he again holds that distinction.
Last season, Upton played in 43 games for the Diamondbacks after an injury to outfielder Carlos Quentin during the Diamondback’s NL West Division Title win. Quetin, a promising young player in his own right, was traded to the Chicago White Sox this off-season to allow Upton to start. The Diamondbacks are being rewarded for their faith in Upton as it cannot have been an easy decision to give Upton the everyday job. He hit .221/.283/.364 for the Diamondbacks last season. It would have been normal for the Diamondbacks to give Upton another season to develop in the minor
leagues.
But the Diamondbacks were not content to rest on the laurels and wait for prospects to develop - even with Randy Johnson coming back from back surgery. The Diamondbacks acquired starter Dan Haren from the Oakland Athletics. Haren is off to a 2-0 start with a 2.50 ERA. He has struck out 16 batters in 18 innings with just three walks. Johnson, for his part, has pitched well too. He has made one start in which he pitched five shutout innings and struck out seven. The Diamondback’s staff has been anchored, however, by former Cy Young award winner Brandon Webb (to be fair, Johnson is a five time Cy Young award winner). Webb is 3-0 on the season with a 2.14 ERA.
The Diamondbacks are sitting pretty. In the National League, in the early going, favorites San Diego and New York have not distinguished themselves. The Mets are merely .500 and have lost Pedro Martinez to an injury. San Diego has played well, and will contend, but the Diamondbacks mix of young talent along with veteran arms makes them a tough team to beat. Up, Upton and away for the D-Backs? Stay tuned.
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