#20 Justin Upton
Born: August 25, 1987
At number 20 on our countdown, Diamondbacks right fielder and former number one overall pick, Justin Upton. The 21-year old Justin, brother to B.J. (24), is enjoying his first taste of success at the big league level. In just his second full season with Arizona, Upton has 20 HR’s, 66 RBI’s, and is sporting a .301 average, over 50 points higher than his anemic .250 average from last year.
During his much anticipated rise to the bigs, J-Up was on the cover of Sports Illustrated, drew comparisons to Ken Griffey Jr., and yet he still continued to struggle with major league pitching . Despite his poor performance last season, Upton displayed excellent discipline at the plate and finished the season with an OBP over 100 points higher than his average (.250/.353).
There is no doubt that this guy is the total package. In addition to the impressive power numbers, Upton has also stolen 16 bases and is a lock for a 20-20 season. From a statistics standpoint, Justin Upton’s 2009 campaign, is very similar to brother B.J.’s ’07 season. During which, B.J. jacked 24 homeruns, drove in 82 runs and stole 22 bases while batting .300 on the nose.
While that season was easily the best for B.J., I feel it is only the beginning for his little brother. Upton, who turns 22 at the end of the month, was the youngest participant in the All-Star game this year. If he can stay healthy and avoid the post-breakout slump that has plagued B.J., Justin Upton has all the potential to be one of the game’s top outfielders.
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