Full name MELVIN EMANUEL UPTON, JR...Married, Stephanie...Kids, Riley Emanuel and Myla...Along with brother Justin, Michael Cuddyer, David Wright and Ryan Zimmerman have all been first round picks from the Chesapeake, VA area...His father, Manny, starred in baseball and football at Norfolk State University...NCAA basketball referee for over 20 years and has worked the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16...His mother, Yvonee, was a softball player and is retired from teaching physical education at Hickory High School in the Chesapeake, VA region...Upton is a graduate of Greenbrier Christian Academy, in Chesapeake, Virginia... Member of the 2001 Team USA Junior National team...Named a first-team All-American by Baseball America, batting .641 (50/78) with 11 2B, 11 HR and 32 RBIs during his senior year at Greenbrier...Drafted second overall as a shortstop in the 2002 draft by Tampa Bay...Ranked as the # 21 prospect in MLB prior to 2003 and #2 in 2004...On Twitter @MelvinUptonJr.
2017
Appeared in only 12 games on the season after being released by Toronto out of spring training and signing a Minor League deal with the SF Giants organization on April 11...Was in extended spring training until July 1, making his season debut in Sacramento before missing five weeks on the D.L.; was activated on August 8...Slowed during the season due to right thumb and right shoulder issues...Requested and granted his released on August 20. Is sixth among active players in steals (300) and is one of 33 players in MLB history with at least 150 home runs and 300 steals and is one of just 7 who played at least 75% of their games in center field (Willie Mays, Steve Finley, Marquis Grissom, Devon White, Amos Otis, Willie Davis)...Has finished in the top 10 in the A.L. in steals five times in his career...His 64 total zone runs saved in center field is first among active Major League players...He is one of six active players (Hanley Ramirez 5; Mike Trout 4, Carlos Gonzalez, Ryan Braun, Ian Desmond) with at least four seasons of 20 homers and 20 stolen bases.
2016
Recorded his 4th career season with 20-HR/20-SB, his first since 2012…His 20 home runs were the most he has hit since 2012 (28)…16 of those 20 home runs were hit prior to the All-Star break...Struck out in 28.8% of his plate appearances in 2016 (155/539) ...Was acquired by TOR July 26 for cash considerations…In 57 games with the Blue Jays hit just .196 with a .578 OPS...Hit his 8th career postseason HR in game one of the ALDS, which snapped an 0-for-11 hitless streak…Each of his previous seven HR in the playoffs were hit in 2008…Had gone 19 postseason games without one until the ALDS...Recorded his first career pinch-hit in the postseason in game three of the ALDS…Is 1-for-7 as a pinch hitter in the playoffs in his career...Ranks fourth in stolen bases since 2008 with 263 (Rajai Davis leads with 342) ...Made his fifth playoff appearance and first since 2013 while with ATL...Appeared in each of Toronto's nine games in the postseason, making only two starts.
2015
Played in 87 games for the Padres after being acquired just before the start of the season on April 5 in a six-player trade with the Braves...His .259 (53-205) in 87 games total for San Diego, his highest season average since hitting .273 (145-531) over 145 games in 2008 for Tampa Bay....Began the season on the 15-day disabled list with a left foot injury…placed on the 15-day DL on 4/4 by the Braves....Played in 13 games on a rehab assignment with Triple-A El Paso from 5/18-6/6, hitting .280 (14-50) on the assignment before being reinstated from the DL on 6/8…missed the club's first 58 games....Made his Padres debut on 6/8 in Atlanta in the ninth inning by pinch-running at second base....Had the seventh multi-home run game of his career on 8/18 vs. ATL, his former team…his first multi-home run game since 6/15/13 vs. SF....The multi-home run game on 8/18 was also the third game of his career to collect five RBI and first since 9/3/11 vs. BAL....Started 47 games total for San Diego, all in center field....Began his year by hitting .147 (5-34) over 18 games in June before hitting .260 (13-50) over 19 games in July, .262 (17-65) over 23 games in August and .325 (13-40) over 23 games in September....Overall in the second half he hit .278/.342/.458 (40-144) over 60 games....Over his final 62 games of the season from 7/10 through the end of the year he hit .289/.349/.480 (44-152) with 18 extra-base hits, 14 RBI and 17 runs scored, including .306/.379/.529 (26-85) over his final 37 games of the season from 8/18 through the end of the year. • In the pinch for the Padres he hit .308 (8-26).
2014
Tied for the team lead with 20 stolen bases (with Jason Heyward)....Had a career-best 11-game hitting streak from 6/24-7/5 (.283, 13-for-46)....Teamed with his brother, Justin, on 9/27 at PHI, homering in the same game for the third time in 2014 and the sixth time in their careers…they own the Major League record for the most times brother teammates have homered in a game....On 9/27 at PHI, he and brother Justin each homered and had an outfield assist in the same game…according to the Elias Sports Bureau, it marked the first time in Major League history that a pair of brother teammates both homered and had an outfield assist in the same game....His 173 strikeouts established the Braves single-season franchise mark, passing Dan Uggla's 171 in 2013.
2013
His 207 stolen bases over the past six seasons (2008-13) rank fifth in the majors behind Michael Bourn (280), Rajai Davis (245), Jacoby Ellsbury (232) and Juan Pierre (225). Has 55 outfield assists since 2007, second most among center fielders (Adam Jones, 59). Teamed with brother Justin Upton homering in back-to-back at-bats on 4/23 [2] at COL. Marked the 27th time in MLB history brother teammates have done so, and just the second time in MLB history brothers have gone back-to-back in the same game. Teamed with brother Justin to homer in 4/6's 9th inning (B.J. tied the game at 5-5 and Justin's was the game-winner) marking the first time in their career the brothers homered in the same game and inning. The duo became the fourth pair of brothers in MLB history to homer as teammates in the same inning. Notched a season high four hits twice (8/7 at WSH and 8/31 vs. MIA). His fourth hit on 8/31 drove in the winning run with a two-out RBI-single in 11th inning, he also snapped a 46-game homerless streak with a two-run homer in the sixth inning. Hit .396 (21-for-53) on the first pitch of an at-bat with seven doubles. Hit safely in five consecutive games, 8/3-7, batting .476 (10-for-21) in that span. Activated from the disabled list on 8/3 after leaving on 7/12 game with a right adductor muscle strain. His DL stint included a rehab assignment with Triple-A Gwinnett (.333, 4-for-12, 2 RBI). Appeared in three games of the NLDS vs. LAD and went hitless in three at-bats.
2012
Played in 146 games and started 144 (141-CF, 3-DH) after missing the first 13 games of the season with lower back soreness...Led the team with 28 home runs (a career high), 78 RBI and 31 SB (tied Desmond Jennings). He became the first player to lead the Rays in homers and steals in the same season and has the only three 20-HR, 20-SB seasons in Rays history (2007, 2011, 2012)...After the All-Star break, ranked tied for third in the majors in both home runs (21) and extra-base hits (40)...From 8/11 through season's end, he led the majors with 18 HR in 50 games played. He also led the majors with 12 HR in September, tied for second most of any month in club history (Carlos Peña, 13 HR in September 2007 and 12 HR in August 2009)...Only two other players in baseball matched Upton's combination of home runs and stolen bases: LAA's Mike Trout (30-HR, 49-SB) and MIL's Ryan Braun (41-HR, 30-SB)...Hit his 100th career home run on 8/3 vs. BAL, becoming the eighth player in major league history to reach 100 HR and 200 SB before age 28. He joined Rickey Henderson, Cesar Cedeño, Barry Bonds, Bobby Bonds, Eric Davis, Lloyd Moseby and Hanley Ramirez. B.J. turned 28 on 8/21...His 100th career homer came less than an hour after his brother, then 24-year-old ARI Justin Upton,hit his 100th at PHI. The Uptons became the youngest set of brothers in major league history to reach 100 HR, and only the sixth set of brothers all-time. They were the first to reach the milestone in the same season, let alone the same day...His 195 SB over the past five seasons (2008-12) rank fourth in the majors to Michael Bourn (257), Juan Pierre (202) and Rajai Davis (200)...Ranked among AL leaders in SB (tied for sixth), sacrifice flies (eight, tied for fifth) and strikeouts (169, tied for fourth)...Led all major league center fielders with 10 assists, his most since he had 16 in 2008. Has 52 outfield assists since 2007, most among center fielders (Adam Jones is second with 48)...Hit three home runs on 9/9 vs. TEX, tying the club record. He became the seventh AL player since 1918 to hit three HR in a game out of the leadoff spot and the first in 16 years...Upton and James Shields were named AL Co-Players of the Week for the period of 9/3-9. It was the first time the Rays had co-winners, and the ninth time since 2000 that two teammates shared the AL award...The Rays went 81-65 with Upton in the lineup. In the 81 wins, he hit .313/.353/.608 with 24 HR, 66 RBIand 25 2B. In the 65 losses, he hit .156/.226/.246 with four HR, 12 RBI and four 2B...Tied his career high with a 10-game hitting streak from 5/17-27 (fourth time), hit .405 (17-for-42)...Activated from the 15-day DL on 4/20 after missing the first 13 games with lower back soreness. The soreness began with a spring training outfield collision with Desmond Jennings on 3/14 vs. MIA. Made seven rehab appearances with Charlotte and Montgomery.
2011
Played in 153 games and started 151, all in center field...with 5 years, 126 days is the longest tenured member of the Rays roster, with one more day of service time than James Shields...With 23 HR with 36 SB was one of 5 major leaguers with 20 HR and 30 SB joining BOS Jacoby Ellsbury, LAD Matt Kemp, TEX Ian Kinsler and MIL Ryan Braun...is the only major leaguer with 50-plus homers and 100-plus steals over the past 3 seasons...has the only two 20-HR, 20-SB seasons in Rays history (also 2007)...Enters 2012 needing 10 HR before his birthday (Aug 24) to become just the 8th player in major league history to reach 100 HR and 200 SB before turning 28...would join Rickey Henderson, Cesar Cedeño, Barry Bonds, Bobby Bonds, Eric Davis, Lloyd Moseby and Hanley Ramirez...Was installed in the 2-hole in the lineup on Sep 5 when the Rays were 9.5 games back of Boston in the AL Wild Card race and started there in every game through season's end...in those 23 games, the Rays went 15-8 and he hit a club-high .356 (31-for-87) with 5 HR, 14 RBI, 8 2B, 10 BB, 8 SB, .462 OBP and .644 SLG...Fell 1 HR shy of his career high (24 in 2007) and 2 RBI shy of his career high (82 in 2007)...His 35 SB ranked 6th in the AL...was caught stealing 12 times, tied for 4th most in the AL...his 164 steals over the last 4 seasons are 4th most in the majors...Has made 579 starts in center field over the past 4 seasons, 2nd only to ARI Chris Young (582)...leads all center fielders with 1,582 total chances during that span...Batted 66 points higher on the road than at home, the 4th-highest disparity in the majors...Struck out 161 times (5th most in the AL), the 4th time in the last 5 years he has fanned 150-plus times...five others have also struck out 150 or more times in at least 4 of the last 5 seasons: Ryan Howard (5), Adam Dunn (4), Mark Reynolds (4), Carlos Peña (4) and Dan Uggla (4)...His .333 (33-for-99) avg. in September led the team and was his highest in a single month since he hit .362 in July 2007...had 16 extrabase hits for the month, tied for 3rd in the majors...B.J. and his brother, ARI Justin Upton, became the first brothers in major league history to have 20 HR and 20 SB in the same season...Justin totaled 31 HR and 21 SB...they reached the milestone when B.J. hit his 20th homer on Sep 11 vs. BOS, also his first career grand slam...B.J. and Justin combined for 54 HR, tied for 5th most by any brothers in one season in major league history...On May 3 vs. TOR hit a 2-run walk-off HR in the 9th off Jon Rauch...that same night, his brother Justin hit a game-winning homer in the 8th inning to give the D-backs a 4-3 victory over the Rockies...the last time two brothers hit game-winning home runs on the same day was Sep 28, 1996 (CLE Sandy Alomar Jr. and BAL Roberto Alomar)...the Upton brothers have homered on the same day 10 times in their careers, the highest total by any pair of brothers since Bret Boone retired in 2005...Aaron and Bret homered on the same day 19 times, a major league record...Hit .276 (79-for-286) with 14 HR and 51 RBI in 77 road games, compared to .209 (57-for-273; 3rd lowest in majors) with 9 HR and 30 RBI in 76 home games...On Aug 4 vs. TOR had a double and triple in extra innings and scored the game-winning run...was the first AL player to collect 2 extra-base hits in extra innings since TEX Josh Hamilton, April 16, 2008 at TOR (2 doubles)...Reached base safely in 9 consecutive plate apps, Sep 11 vs. BOS and Sep 12 at BAL, setting a club record...Became the Rays all-time leader in walks on Sep 12 at BAL, passing Carlos Peña (373)...Stole the 200th base of his career on Sep 27 vs. NYY...Was picked off 3 times in 2011 and has been picked off 17 times in his career, most in club history...has been picked off 13 times in the past 4 seasons, most in the majors...POSTSEASON: He and Evan Longoria are the only players to play in all 25 of the Rays postseason games...had 3 doubles in the 2011 ALDS vs. TEX including 2 in Game 2 off Derek Holland...is the Rays all-time postseason leader in doubles (6), hits (27) and tied with Longoria for the Rays lead in RBI (18)...also swiped his 9th postseason base in Game 3, passing Carl Crawford as the Rays all-time postseason leader.
2010
Became just the fifth center fielder in AL historyto reach 60 extra-base hits and 40 stealsin one season ... joined DET Ty Cobb (1911-12,1917), BOS Tris Speaker (1913-14), NYY RickeyHenderson (1986) and KC Johnny Damon(2000) ... he and Carl Crawford were the onlymajor leaguers to do it in 2010 and the first setof teammates to ever do it ... B.J. was the 19thto do it in AL history. ... Is the only major leaguer to total at least 100stolen bases and 100 doubles over the pastthree years (2008-10) ... only seven other activeplayers have reached those totals overa three-year span: Johnny Damon, HanleyRamirez, Jimmy Rollins, Brian Roberts, BobbyAbreu, Jose Reyes and Alfonso Soriano. ... His 154 games played led all AL center fieldersand tied with Crawford for the team lead ... made 147 starts and has started 518 of 581games since first playing CF on July 13, 2007. ... Stole 42 bases, tied for 5th in the AL and tiedfor 6th in the majors ... Upton and HOU MichaelBourn are the only two players with 40 or moresteals in each of the last three seasons (2008-10) ... ranks 4th in the majors with 128 stolenbases over that span, trailing Bourn (154), JuanPierre (138) and Crawford (132). ... Was successful in 82.4 percent of his stolenbase attempts (42-for-51), the best rate of hiscareer after entering the season with a 74.5career mark ... stole third base a club-record12 times, 3rd most in the majors behind CWSJuan Pierre (16) and OAK Rajai Davis (12) ... stole third base 23 times in 2009-10 combined,2nd most in the majors behind Davis (24). ... Set career highs with 38 doubles and 60 extrabasehits ... his 18 home runs were the secondhighest of his career, but his .237 average wasa career low. ... Enters 2011 with the most hits (633) by a righthandedhitter in club history ... is 3rd overall behindlefties Carl Crawford (1,480) and AubreyHuff (870). ... Hit 60 points better vs. lefthanders (.278) thanrighthanders (.218) ... 7 of his 18 HR came offsouthpaws after hitting just 1 vs. lefties in 2009when his .190 avg. vs. lefthanders ranked185th out of 188 major league hitters (min.150 PA). ... His 164 strikeouts were 2nd most in the ALbehind DET Austin Jackson (170) ... markedthe third time in the last years years he fanned150-plus times in a season ... fell two shy ofCarlos Pena's 2008 club record (166) ... thiswas the 4th-most strikeouts ever by a playerwith 40 steals in a season, behind SF BobbyBonds (1969, 1970) and PHI Juan Samuel(1984). ... Led the majors with 6 bases-loaded walks,most of any player since Carlos Pena's majorleague-record 9 in 2008 ... however, went 1-for-14 with the bases full and was hitless in his first12 AB until a ground-rule double Sep 23 atNYY off Joba Chamberlain. ... Was picked off 4 times, 2nd most in the majors ... his 9 pickoffs combined in 2009-10 weremost in the majors. ... Twice hit 4 HR in a span of 5 days (April 14-19and Sep 5-10). ... In the interleague series June 25-27 vs. ARI,played on the same field with his youngerbrother, Justin Upton, for the first time at anylevel ... batted .136 (9-for-66) during interleagueplay, lowest by an AL player in 2010 ... batted .364 in 2009, 5th best among AL playersand had a .316 career average vs. the NLprior to 2010. ... Tripled in his only pinch-hitting appearance,June 29 at BOS off Hideki Okajima. ... Has 36 outfield assists since 2007, 8 morethan any other center fielder in the majors ... HOU Michael Bourn is 2nd with 28.
2009
Became the first player since HOU Jeff Bagwellin 2001 to hit for a cycle and steal home inthe same season...On Oct 2 vs. NYY he became the first Ray tohit for the cycle as he went 5-for-6 with 6 RBIin the Rays 13-4 win that prevented CC Sabathiafrom winning his 20th game...doubledand tripled off Sabathia...reached the cyclein the 5th inning...it was the quickest cyclesince COL Mike Lansing did it in 4 innings onJune 18, 2000 vs. ARI...since 1954, no ALplayer has done it as quickly...it came in theRays 1,939th game...was one of a record 8 inthe majors in 2009...In the Rays 10-9 win July 8 vs. TOR he stolehome when Jays lefty Brian Tallet attemptedto pick Carl Crawford off first base...was his3rd career steal of home, tied with Torii Hunter,Alex Rodriguez, Gary Sheffield and OmarVizquel for most among active players...Made 141 starts, all in CF...his 385 total chanceswere 3rd among AL center fielders and histeam-high 6 assists were tied for 4th...Has 33 assists over the past 3 seasons, 9 morethan any other major league center fielder...Stole 42 bases, tied for 4th in the majors and3rd in the AL...was his 2nd 40-steal season...his career 123 steals are 2nd most in clubhistory behind Carl Crawford's 362...he and-Crawford are the only Rays to steal 40 basesin a season...the duo also became the firstset of teammates to steal 40 or more basessince 1993, when the Angels (Luis Polonia andChad Curtis) and Expos (Marquis Grissomand Delino DeShields) both did it...becamethe first AL teammates to combine for 100steals since the 1997 Tigers (Brian Hunter andDamian Easley)...Stole 3rd base 11 times, tied for 3rd in the ALand one shy of the club record (12 by JulioLugo in 2005)...Was AL Player of the Month for June when hebatted .324 with 10 doubles, 5 home runs, 14stolen bases and 22 RBI in 26 games...butbatted .222 (101-455) with 6 home runs and 33RBI in all other games...Batted a major league-low .160 with no homersand 3 RBI in his first 26 games thru May12...batted .260 (118-454) with 11 home runsand 52 RBI in 118 games the rest of the season...batted .364 (16-44) with 6 walks the last13 games of the season to raise his averagefrom .231 to .241.His batting average never .. reached .250 afterthe home opener...Had 6 game-winning RBI in the 7th inning orlater, tied with 4 others for the AL lead...His .190 average vs. lefthanders was 185th outof 188 major league hitters (min. 150 PA)...Struck out 152 times, 10th in the majors and2nd on the team behind Carlos Peña (163)...Upton, Peña and Ben Grieve are the only playersin Rays history to fan 150+ times...Went 120 at-bats without a home run to startthe season before hitting a walk-off on May 15vs. CLE (Luis Vizcaino) to give the Rays an 8-7win after they trailed 7-0...also doubled andstole two bases that game...Had another dry spell July 1-Aug 16 when hewent 37 games (151 AB) without a homer...ended that with a homer, triple and single onAug 18 vs. BAL...In addition to his cycle against the Yankees, hehad a 4-hit, 4-RBI game at Citi Field on June21 at NYM...His 28 interleague hits were tied for 2nd in themajors...his .364 average in interleague playwas 5th among American Leaguers...has a.316 (49-155) career average vs. the NL...Including 2008 postseason, he has 8 homeruns and 23 RBI in 24 October games and hasbatted .301 (28-93)...Was picked off 5 times, tops in the majors...Spent the first six games of the season on theDL while recovering from offseason surgery...was activated on April 13
2008
Twenty-four-year-old spent his first full seasonin center field...established career highsin hits, games, at-bats, doubles and stolenbases...fell one run short of a new career-highin runs scored.Finished 2nd in the American League with44 stolen bases (behind Boston's JacobyEllsbury, 50)...joins Carl Crawford (5 times)as the only Ray to steal 40 or more bases ina season...6th highest single season total inRays history...his 16 times caught stealing ledthe majors...his 81 career steals are 3rd-mostin club history.Led the Rays with a .383 on-base percentageon the year...ranked 7th in the AL and was the4th-highest mark in Rays history.Drew a team-high 97 walks on the season,4th in the AL and 2nd-most in franchise history(Carlos Peña's 103 in 2007)...became theyoungest AL player since Frank Thomas (138BB in 1991) to draw that many walks...the onlyother ML player to do this as a center fielderwas Mickey Mantle (2x, 1954-55)...struck out134 times, 6th in the AL.Tied for 2nd in the majors with 16 outfield assists...tied with HOU Hunter Pence and LADMatt Kemp behind BAL Nick Markakis (17)...tied for 4th in the majors and T-2nd in the AL (with MIN Delmon Young) with 27 outfield assistsover the past two seasons.Hit 4 home runs in his final 84 games and finishedwith 9 total on the season...came on theheels of a 24-HR season in 2007.Finished tops among AL center fielders in onbasepct. and walks...3rd in games playedand runs...T-2nd in doubles, 4th in RBI and5th in hits.Hit .300 (74-247) with 6-HR, .414-OBP, .449-SLG with men on base...bases empty: .250(71-284), 3-HR, .355-OBP, .359-SLG.Stole home April 8 vs. SEA as part of a doublesteal with Gomes stealing 2nd base...was his2nd career steal of home, and B.J. was alsothe last Ray to do so on Sep 17, 2007 at LAA...was the 7th steal of home in TB history.Had his 3rd career 4-hit game May 24 vs.BAL...went 4-for-4 with 2-2B, 3 runs, 2 RBIand a walk...reached base in all 5 plate appearancesin the game...tied a club record byreaching base in 8 straight PA that weekend.On June 6 at TEX, homered for the first timein 34 games (since April 29)...swiped his 19thand 20th bases, reaching 20 SB for the year.Batted leadoff June 30 vs. BOS for the 3rdstraight day, filling in for the suspended AkinoriIwamura...hit his first career leadoff homerun on the first pitch he saw from Justin Masterson...prior to that, had 2 HR in his last 53games, both coming at Texas (June 6, 8).On Aug 14 at OAK, hit an RBI double in the 9thoff reliever Brad Ziegler, ending his 39.0-inningscoreless streak to begin his career, a majorleague record...forced extra innings, as Rayswent on to win 7-6 in 12.Missed 10 games with a left quad strain hesuffered Sep 8 at Boston...returned Sep 20 vs.Minnesota...in his 11 games leading up to theinjury: .372 (16-43), 3-2B, 5-RBI, 6-BB, 4-SB.Underwent successful surgery to repair thelabrum in his left (non-throwing) shoulder onNov 11...the surgery was performed in Birmingham,Ala., by Dr. James Andrews.
POSTSEASON EXPERIENCESlugged 7 home runs in 2008 to tie an AmericanLeague record for a single postseason,matching ANA Troy Glaus (2002)...fell oneshy of the overall mark of 8 (SF Barry Bonds in2002, HOU Carlos Beltran in 2004).Overall in the postseason, hit .288 (19-66) witha team-high 16-RBI, 16-R and .652-SLG...stole 6 bases...played every inning of all 16games in center field...batted 2nd in everygame except the final World Series game,when he hit 3rd.Four of his 7 homers came in the ALCS, tyingthe LCS record...tied PIT Bob Robertson(1971), LAD Steve Garvey (1978), SF JeffreyLeonard (1987), CLE Jim Thome (1998), HOUCarlos Beltran (2004), STL Albert Pujols (2004)and teammate Evan Longoria (2008).Six of his 7 home runs were hit with the gameeither tied or within one run at the time.Seven homers came in 66 at-bats (9.4 AB/HR)after hitting 9 in 531 AB in the regular season(59 AB/HR)...became the first player to hit 5or more homers in a postseason after hittingfewer than 10 during the regular season.Tallied 16 RBI in the 2008 postseason, 3 shy ofthe major league record 19 held by BOS DavidOrtiz (2004), CLE Sandy Alomar (1997), ANAScott Spiezio (2002)...his 11 RBI in the ALCStied an LCS record (Ortiz in 2004).At 24 years, 2 months, became the youngestplayer to hit 7 or more homers in a postseason...only Longoria (23 years) hit 6 or more ata younger age.Combined with Longoria (6 homers) to hit 13home runs in the postseason, 2nd-most of anypair of teammates in major league history (SFBarry Bonds and Rich Aurilia hit 14 in 2002)...8of the 13 came in the ALCS, most by any duo ina single series in postseason play.Was a perfect 6-for-6 in stolen base attempts,4 of them coming in the World Series...stole 3bases in Game 3 at Philadelphia, tying a WorldSeries record (5th time)...was the first ALplayer ever to swipe 3 bases in a World Seriesgame, and first overall since STL Lou Brockdid it on Oct 5, 1968.In Game 2 of the ALCS vs. Boston, hit a gamewinning,bases-loaded, 11th-inning sacrificefly to score pinch-runner Fernando Perez...it ended a 5-hours, 27-minute contest thatranked as the 2nd-longest game in ALCS history.In Game 5 of the ALCS at Fenway, went 3-for-4 with 4-RBI, HR, 2B, BB, 2-R...in Game 6,tagged Josh Beckett for a solo shot off the Cringcatwalk in the 1st inning, grabbing a 1-0lead.Hit 2 solo homers off Gavin Floyd in the seriesclinchingGame 4 of the ALDS at Chicago...they came in the 1st and 3rd innings and gavehim 3 homers over a span of 4 at-bats betweenGames 3 and 4...he and Longoria became thefirst teammates under 25 to have multi-homergames in one postseason.
2007
Became the 4th player in Rays history to hit .300 joining Carl Crawford (3 times, 2005-07), Fred McGriff (1999) and Aubrey Huff (2003) ... his final mark of .300 was its low point of the season ... Was 9th in the AL in slugging (.509) and ABs per HRs (19.8) ... his slugging mark was the 5th highest in club history ... his 154 strikeouts were 3rd highest in the AL and 5 shy of the club record ... Became the first Ray to reach 20 homers and 20 steals, one of only 12 players all-time to do it at his age or younger ... joins Alex Rodriguez, Andruw Jones, Orlando Cepeda, Darryl Strawberry, Barry Bonds, Cesar Cedeno, Grady Sizemore, Carlos Beltran, Willie Davis, Ellis Burks and Vada Pinson ... Is one of only 5 players all-time to hit .300 with 20 homers and 20 steals in one season at his age or younger ... Is one of 12 players since 1969 to record a .300 batting average and .500 slugging mark in one season at his age or younger ... Batted .339 (42-124) with men in scoring position, 4th highest mark in club history behind Delmon Young (.349 in 2007), Carl Crawford (.348 in 2006) and Marlon Anderson (.341 in 2003) ... Batted .335 (77-230) on the road, 6th best in the AL, including .432 (16-37) at Yankee Stadium ... had two career-high 4-hit games, both on the road: May 27 at Chicago and June 7 at Toronto ... his 16 hits at Yankee Stadium have been bettered by only 7 visiting players there in the last 50 years including Carl Crawford who had 19 in 2005 ... Started 48 games at 2B and 74 in CF ... had played just one game in the outfield during his pro career and none at 2B prior to 2007 ... started one game in LF for the Rays in 2004 ... saw action at 2B, 3B, SS, CF and RF in spring training ... Despite limited time there, his 11 assists were tied with Philadelphia's Aaron Rowand for 2nd most among Major League center fielders ... trailed New York's Melky Cabrera (14) ... he and Delmon Young combined for 27 assists, most by outfield teammates in 2007 ... Was the Rays Opening Day second baseman and started 48 of the first 59 games at 2B before suffering a strained left quadriceps muscle ... sidelined June 9 to July 13 ... at the time he was injured was leading all major league second basemen in hitting and was leading the Rays in average (.320), runs (32) and doubles (16) ... Returned July 13 ... with Rocco Baldelli on the DL and Elijah Dukes on the temporary inactive list, played center field exclusively the rest of the season starting 68 of TB's final 74 games ... Batted .431 (22-51) in his first 13 games back from the DL ... From May 3-9, was leading the AL in hitting, the deepest into the season any Ray has led the league in hitting ... Named AL Co-Player of the Week, July 16-22 ... had four 3-hit games in a 6-game span and had his first multi-homer game when he homered twice at Yankee Stadium in the Rays 14-4 win on July 20 ... His 2-run homer off Boston's Daisuke Matsuzaka in the 6th inning gave the Rays a 2-1 win on Aug 22 at Tropicana Field ... it was their 3rd win over the much heralded Red Sox rookie ... His 2-run, 2-out pinch-hit home run on Sep 8 off Toronto's Jeremy Accardo in the 9th inning gave the Rays a 5-4 win ... was originally in the starting lineup but was scratched due to a sore left ankle injured the previous night when he fouled a ball off his foot ... On Sep 17 he stole home on a straight steal at Los Angeles ... was the 3rd Ray to do it joining Carl Crawford, July 5, 2006 vs. Boston and Aubrey Huff, Sep 6, 2003 vs. Cleveland ... His .424 average against the NYY was 5th best in the AL, and tops by a player from the AL East.
2006
The 22-year-old was recalled Aug. 1 from AAA Durham and started 48 of TB's remaining 56 games, all at 3rd base...Hit safely in 33 of his 48 starts...Went 2-for-4 with a double his first game, Aug. 1 vs. Detroit...then went 9-for-56 (.161) over his next 14 games through Aug. 17...hit .267 (32-120) over the remainder of the season (34 games) to raise his avg. from a season-low .196 and finish at .246...Owns 199 miscues in 574 career professional games...Did make one of the majors' top defensive plays of the year, throwing out Oakland's Nick Swisher from his back Aug. 11 at McAfee Coliseum...Suffered a strained left shoulder Aug 17 vs. Toronto following a swing at the plate...missed the 3-game Cleveland series Aug 18-20...Lone home run was Sep 23 off Randy Johnson...was his first Major League HR since Sept 17, 2004 at TOR...Collected a season-high 3 hits Sep 19 vs. Baltimore...Was successful on 11 of 14 stolen base attempts...swiped 57 bases between the Rays and AAA Durham...Turned 22 years old on Aug. 21 and went 2-for-5 vs. Texas...he is 8-17 with three doubles and 5RBI in his pro career on his birthday. ..Hit leadoff 5 games...had his most success from the two hole in the lineup (.308, 8-26)...In his brief major league career has batted .361 (39-108) vs. left-handed pitching and .199 against righties (45-226)...Had one RBI in 23 road games (Aug. 29 at CWS)...Was his first major league action since 2004 when he started 41 games for the Rays...Batted .269 (107-398) with 18 doubles, 4 triples, 8 home runs, 65 walks and 41 RBI in 106 games with the Bulls...his .374 OBP ranked 2nd on the club...also collected a team-high 46 stolen bases, tops in the International League and tied for 6th most in the minors at the time he was promoted...Made the move from shortstop to 3rd base on July 13 committing 5 errors in 18 games at AAA...Connected for a walk-off grand slam in the 9th inning April 14 against Toledo (DET), Upton's first career grand slam and first career walk-off home run...came off Mark Woodyard.
2005
Returned to Triple-A Durham in 2005 where he was named the Bulls' Player of the Year after leading the team in nearly every offensive category...Topped all Rays minor leaguers with 98 runs scored, a career-high 36 doubles and a career-most 60 extra-base hits...runs scored were the most in the International League as were his career high 165 hits...Also stole a career-high 44 bases, second most in the IL and just two off the league leader...Led the Bulls in average (.303), games played (139), runs, hits, doubles, triples (6), walks (78), stolen bases, OBP (.392) and TB (267)...Was one of just 4 minor leaguers to hit 15+ HR and steal 40+ bases...Recorded his first career multi-home run game July 29 at Louisville (Reds) with a pair of solo home runs off Bats starter Ben Kozlowski...repeated the feat Aug 10 at Richmond (Braves) with a pair of solo shots...Celebrated his 21st birthday on Aug 21 by delivering the "walk-off" RBI single in the bottom of the 9th off Charlotte (White Sox) reliever Jeff Bajenaru...capped off a 3-for-4 (2B, 3 RBI) day...Led all minor leaguers with 53 errors...Was tabbed as the league's starting shortstop for the midseason and postseason All-Star teams in addition to being the starting shortstop for Team USA at the All-Star Future's Game (0-for-2) for the second straight year...Named the IL's Most Exciting Player by
Baseball America.
2004
Recalled by the Devil Rays from AAA Durham onAugust 1 and at 19 years, 11 months, 10 daysbecame the youngest player in the majors in 2004and the youngest Ray ever...Started 41 games: 16at SS, 11 at 3B, 1 in LF, and 13 at DH...Never went more than 2 straight games without a hit...Batted .410 (25-61) off left-handed pitching...First ML HR was Aug. 17 vs.ANA (Escobar) - came in his 39th ML at-bat...became the first teenager to homer in a major league game since LA's Adrian Beltre April 6, 1999 off Arizona'a Todd Stottlemyre...Homered off the Yankees' Brad Halsey at NY Sep 9 becoming the youngest player to hit a home run at Yankee Stadium since Ken Griffey Jr. did it as a 19-year-old on May 30, 1989...Became the youngest DH since Claudell Washington for Oakland in 1974...After starting the season 1-for-10, he had a 9-game streak (.417, 15-36) from Aug. 5-18, the 4th longest by an AL rookie this season...Hit 3rd in the lineup 3 times, first was Aug. 14 at Texas, the first teenager to hit in the 3 hole since Andruw Jones with Atlanta on Sept. 24,1996...Made his ML debut Aug 2 vs. Boston starting as the DH...went 1-for-3, walk with his hit, a 7th-inning single off Tim Wakefield...On Sept. 8 at Yankee Stadium, he robbed Alex Rodriguez of a hit from shortstop backhandingthe ball in short left field and throwing to first base without leaping, the bottom half of his body still facing the left field corner...Said Yankees SS Derek Jeter afterward:"That was nice. It was a really good play. He can play. You can tell he has a really good idea, offensively. Defensively he showedtoday he's got the tools. He's young so the more he works, the better he'll be."...Was the starting shortstop for the U.S.team in the 2004 Futures Game in Houston's Minute Maid Park on July 11...Was 0-for-2...His combined numbers at AA Montgomery and AAA Durham: 98 G, .315 (116-368), 24-2B, 2-3B, 14-HR, 51-RBI, 56-BB, 20-SB, 35-errors and an organization-leading 86 runs scored...At AAA hit .312 (81-260), 7th in the IL...had 17-2B, 1-3B, 12-HR, and 36-RBI...reached base in 62 of 69 games and was 2nd in OBP...For the Bulls batted .332 vs. RH (71-214) and .220 vs. lefties (11-50)...Began the season at AA Montgomery - In 29 games hit a team best .327 (34-104), 7-2B, 1-3B, 2-HR, 15-RBI...Reached base in 26 of his 29 games and lead the team with 21 runs, 49 total bases, and 14 walks...Promoted to AAA Durham May 12...Named #1 overall prospect in minor league baseball by Baseball America (Delmon Young was #2) this year...Baseball America also named him the best 19-year-old in their November 7, 2004 edition...For his career he has made 91 errors in 228 minor league games at shortstop...For comparison's sake: Derek Jeter had 90 errors in his first 255 minor league games.
2003
Named the No 2 prospect in all of minor league baseball by SportsTicker...Also selected thetop shortstop prospect among all the minor leagues. Named as the top prospect in the Arizona Fall League by Baseball America...At 19, was the 2ndyoungest player in the AFL behind his Mesa Solar Sox teammate Delmon Young (18). Was the youngest member of the 2003 Topps Class A All-Star team selected last November. Was also selected by league managers as the South Atlantic League's most outstandingprospect, best base runner and as having the best infield arm. At 18, began the season as the 2nd youngest everyday player in the Class A South Atlantic Leaguefor Charleston...Was promoted to AA Orlando on Aug. 1 skipping High Class A Bakersfield. Batted a combined .297 (145-489) for both clubs...His 73 walks led the Rays organization andhis .302 average at Charleston was 8th best in the Sally League. Committed 56 errors, most in the minor leagues and the same number made by Derek Jeter inthe same league when he was 19. B.J.wore number two as a high school player in adulation of Jeter. Struggled early at Charleston...Was hitting .219 on May 10 after 31 games with 38 strikeouts...However from that point forward, he batted .352 (95-270) with only 38 strikeouts in hislast 70 games for the RiverDogs...Hit safely in 57 of those 70 games at Charleston and didn'tgo back-to-back games without a hit. Hit safely in his last 11 games at Charleston and his first two at Orlando giving him a seasonhigh13-game hitting streak...Was batting .323 in his first 18 games at Orlando, then went 7-for-37 (.189) in his final 11 games to close out the season.
2002
2002 Signed with the Rays on September 11 and reported to the team's instructional league camp inSt. Petersburg on September 16. On the 2nd day of workouts, first open to the media, he wasrushed to the emergency room at St.Anthony's Hospital where he was treated for cramps anddehydration.Was released several hours later. Was considered the number one overall prospect in the 2002 draft by Baseball America. Is the fourth Chesapeake,Virginia area high school product to be taken in the first round of thedraft since 1997 joining 3B Michael Cuddyer (Twins, 9th player selected in 1997), P John Curtice(Red Sox, 17th player selected in 1997) and 3B David Wright (Mets, 38th player selected in 2001). B.J. was selected as the top 17-year-old prospect in the nation in 2002 by Baseball America...Hisyounger brother, Justin, was named the best 14-year-old prospect.
