Toronto Blue Jays: 5 Things to Know About Melvin Upton Jr.
4) His Confidence is Back
Upton’s time with the Atlanta Braves was a colossal train wreck. He never lived up to the $75.25 million contract he signed back in November 2012, and just to provide some perspective of just how bad Upton played, consider this stat: during the 2013-14 season, no player with 1,000 plate appearances had a lower OPS than Upton’s .593.
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He was literally at the bottom of the league in hitting and his confidence was shot. Fast forward to 2016 and after moving 2,000 miles across the United States to San Diego, Upton looks rejuvenated and is enjoying baseball again.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports wrote about Upton’s comeback season and the former Padres outfielder had some interesting things to say about what helped him turn things around mentally.
"“I’ll still never forget it standing on first base,” Upton said, “and (Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman) Adrian Gonzalez told me, “They paid you to be who you are. Don’t be somebody you’re not.’ That got my attention. “I realized I got caught up in that instead of being myself. When I came back this year, I told myself, “No matter what, just be yourself. You can’t try to live up to the money, because nothing good will come out of it. “Well, I got the opportunity to do that again, and I’m happy again. I’m in a good spot, both mentally and physically.”"
His results in San Diego tell the story this year, but it is also visibly apparent that Upton is in a much better place mentally.
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