Melvin Upton Jr. | |||
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Upton Jr. with the Blue Jays in 2016
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Toronto Blue Jays – No. 7 | |||
Outfielder | |||
Born: Norfolk, Virginia |
August 21, 1984 |||
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MLB debut | |||
August 2, 2004, for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays | |||
MLB statistics (through 2016 season) |
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Batting average | .243 | ||
Hits | 1,260 | ||
Home runs | 164 | ||
Runs batted in | 586 | ||
Stolen bases | 300 | ||
Teams | |||
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Melvin Emanuel Upton Jr. (born August 21, 1984), formerly known as B. J. Upton, is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has also played in MLB for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays / Rays, Atlanta Braves, and San Diego Padres.
Upton played with his brother, Justin Upton, as members of the Atlanta Braves and San Diego Padres. Melvin and Justin are the only two brothers in MLB history to be selected in the no. 1 and 2 slots of the draft (in separate years). The Upton brothers are also the first brothers to make it into the 20–20 club (both have hit 20 home runs and have 20 stolen bases in a season).
Before high school, Upton played on the same travel baseball team as several other MLB players, including Mark Reynolds, David Wright, and Ryan Zimmerman. Upton is a graduate of Greenbrier Christian Academy.
As a member of the 2001 Team USA Junior National team, Upton batted .462 (12-for-26) in nine games. The team went 9–2 and won the Silver Medal in Cuba that year. In 2002, Upton was named a first-team All-American by Baseball America, batting .641 (50-for-78) with 11 doubles, 4 triples, 11 home runs, and 32 RBIs during his senior year at Greenbrier.
Upton was drafted second overall as a shortstop in the 2002 Major League Baseball draft by Tampa Bay out of Greenbrier Christian Academy in Chesapeake, Virginia. He was widely considered a very polished prospect able to hit for both power and average.