Hey Red Sox, Why Don't We Have Justin Upton Yet?

Yea, that would look good in a Sox uniform.

From ESPN insider:
We have to assume that Towers will require young pitching as a major part of any package deal, and the Red Sox have arms to spare if they deem said pitching expendable. Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester may be off limits, but prospects Casey Kelley and Stolmy Pimentel might be on the table.

The Red Sox could also offer a first base prospect such as Anthony Rizzo or Lars Anderson, outfielders Ryan Kalish and/or Jacoby Ellsbury and perhaps shortstop Jed Lowrie. Lowrie's inclusion could give Towers the flexibility to move Stephen Drew for even more pitching.

So what's the hold up here? Trade every single player you mentioned not named Lester or Buchholz (who's getting dealt for Adrian Gonzalez) to Upton. We have these players to spare so spare them and worry later if they all turn into Hanley Ramirez'. Justin Upton is a talent that's worth the risk. He's signed for a while and is only 23, and on top of that he wears long socks.

I'm done waiting and want this to be done this week. I swear to god that if the Yankees make a deal before us, Theo will be dead to me.

Top 25 under 25: #15 BJ Upton

#15 BJ Upton was born 8/21/1984, and although he is now 25 years old he made our list previous to his birthday party. BJ is brothers is #20 on the list Justin Upton who plays for the Arizona Diamondbacks. BJ, who plays for the Tampa Bay Rays, is one of the most dynamic players in the MLB. He came off a major shoulder injury from 2008 with an amazing showing in the '08 playoffs in which he helped lead the rays to there first World Series appearance. BJ is bound to be one of the best leadoff hitters in the majors with tremendous power and speed but thus far in '08 and '09 injuries have limited him and fantasy baseball owners have de-valued him. Below are his '07, '08 and current '09 stats; you will easily notice his potential followed by his dissapointment:

2007: 474AB, 86R, 142H, 24HR, 82RBI, 65BB, 22SB, .299AVG, .508SLUG

2008: 531AB, 85R, 145H, 9HR, 67RBI, 97BB, 44SB, .273AVG, .401SLUG

2009: 458AB, 69R, 108H, 9HR, 40RBI, 49BB, 36SB, .235AVG, .366SLUG

Top 25 Under 25 #20 Justin Upton

#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.

Thoughts for baseball's second half

Seeing as it’s been months since I’ve written anything, I thought this would be a good time for some post-all star break MLB thoughts.

-I am worried about Mike Lowell’s hip and what losing him for an extended period of time could mean to the Red Sox. Theo Epstein is going to need to decide quickly (within the next few weeks, obviously) if Lowell is going to be able to continue being an everyday player when he returns from the DL. Despite his 25-game hitting streak, Scott Rolen would not be the answer. He's just as brittle as Lowell...and he's generally regarded as a douche.

Allow me to go on a random tangent here: I was thinking about all Lowell has accomplished in Boston the other day and I’m not sure fans realize how good he was in 2007. He and Mike Schmidt are the only two third basemen to drive in 120 runs and win the World Series the same year. Some pretty good company there.

-If I’m the Phillies I like the Pedro signing but they’re going to need Roy Halladay to have any chance at repeating. No one has really talked about it much but Cole Hamels is suffering from Josh Beckett syndrome – i.e. going deep into the post season and carrying a staff and paying for it the next year. Look at the 2005 White Sox. How many of those guys were the same after all those playoff innings? Halladay could take a great deal of pressure off of Hamels to return to October ’08 form.

-How is it that the Rangers have been relatively healthy (with the exception of Josh Hamilton) while the Angels have been ripped with injuries all year (John Lackey, Earvin Santana, Vlad…the list goes on) yet Anaheim is 1.5 games ahead of Texas? This might be Mike Scioscia’s best year managing.

-Did anyone else see how fast Justin Upton got down the line when he nearly beat out a hard ground out to short in the All-Star game? I would love to watch him play every day.

-Those who think Joe Mauer is going anywhere are dreaming. I’m talking to you, WEEI caller who proposes Javier Lopez and Julio Lugo for the best young hitter in the game. There is no way Minnesota will let a hometown, home-grown talent get away when they’re moving into an outdoor park.

Side note: The Twins new park in March and early April will make San Francisco’s seem like a sauna. That place is going to brutal to play in early in the season.

-David Ortiz’s resurgent June (7 home runs, 18 RBI) was a good sign and certainly gives us optimism for the second half but from a historical perspective it doesn’t tell us much. The two guys he has been most compared to are Jim Rice and Boog Powell. Powell completely fell of the face of the earth and never at any point after his last good season in 1975 did he come close to Ortiz’s June.
Rice, on the other hand, was up and down his final few years. He had some very good months like a 5 home run, 15 RBI July in 1987 or 4 homer, 23 RBI June of 1988. That trend actually scares me because Ortiz’s June might not be a prelude of things to come but more of a blip on the radar like Rice’s quality stretches.