Superstition Gets Best of Atlanta Braves’ B.J. Upton?
It will be the Bossman Junior moniker no more. For the first time in his professional career, the Braves’ B.J. Upton will be reverting to his given name at birth, Melvin Upton Jr.
A nickname anywhere along the lines of touting one as an authoritative, domineering figure loses a lot of its luster in sports when said person does not perform. Upton has not performed for quite some time now.
The second overall pick by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2002 MLB amateur draft, Upton was considered to be a special prospect. The bloodlines supported this notion as well. Melvin’s brother Justin Upton was drafted first overall by the Arizona Diamondbacks only two years later in 2005. In the case of the elder, the pedigree and talent certainly has not outlived expectations.
For the Rays from 2004-12, Upton was a serviceable if not valuable player because of his athleticism alone. He rarely hit for a high average, but his blend of moderate power and above average speed gave him some pretty solid results while with the Rays. He managed three 20-20 seasons and scored over 80 runs four times. Overall as a Ray, he hit .255/.336/.422, averaging 15 home runs, 56 RBI and 29 stolen bases through eight seasons and 966 games in Tampa Bay while contributing above average defense.
Upton entered free agency after the 2012 season and signed a five-year pact with the Braves for $75.25 million. You want to talk about buyers remorse? Look no further than this contract. At 28, Upton should have been approaching his prime with the Braves, but $12.45 million in 2013 bought Atlanta a .184/.268/.289 slash line from their starting center fielder. Along with nine home runs and 12 stolen bases, Upton’s value equated to a WAR of -1.3. Over 391 at-bats, that number suggests Upton should not have been playing MLB.
2014 was not much better. $13.45 million bought the club a .208-12-35 line, this time through 519 at-bats. Upton was an everyday player, except for, he wasn’t. Or shouldn’t have been. He opines the following for his desired name change:
“This has nothing to do with starting a new chapter. I just wanted to. My father thought enough to give me his name, so why not? It was the name that was given to me as a kid. So I felt I wanted to go by my real name. Most of my friends call me Mel or Melvin. Nobody really calls me B.J., except at the stadium.”
At the stadium, Bossman held little water when opposing pitchers knew Upton was on deck.
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Baseball is game full of cold patches and hot ones, slumps and streaks. Superstitious players often change the way they wear their socks. They might wear eyeblack or not, or change their pre-game meal to get out of slumps. They can change their plate approach, their stance, the kind of tobacco they chew on the pitching mound. The list goes on. A name change is a unique way of slaying past demons for an athlete.
Whether Melvin Upton Jr. is superstitious or not, I can’t be sure. But a man professionally going by the nickname “Bossman Junior” can’t be taken seriously with the lack of respect opposing pitchers have towards him.
Upton is due an average of $15.45 million per season over the final three years of his contract. Dropping this nickname is a shot to his ego. It has to be. But it’s the right move. If Melvin hopes to earn the respect of some Braves fans in 2015, maybe a little superstition will do the former Bossman some good. Upton will turn 31 in August.