The player formerly known as B.J. Upton reported to Braves camp on Monday and said he’s not trying to symbolically wash away his two career-worst seasons.
Instead, Upton said he decided do what he’s been considering for a while and shed the nickname that’s stuck with him since he was a kid. Therefore B.J. Upton will now go by his legal name: Melvin Upton Jr.
“This has nothing to do with starting a new chapter,” Upton said. “I just wanted to. My father thought enough to give me his name, so why not?”
Upton’s father, Melvin Emmanuel “Manny” Upton, has long been known as “Bossman.” His son was named after Manny but became known as B.J., for “Bossman Junior,” and had used that moniker throughout his baseball career. Melvin Upton said he’s not even sure when the nickname began.
Upton said close friends and family members call him Melvin. The change already is reflected on his Braves uniform and soon will be made on his bats.
“It’s not a big deal,” Upton said. “It’s my real name and I wanted to go to my real name. That’s about it.”
More important for the Braves and Upton is whether he can alter the career trajectory that had him among the worst everyday players in the majors in 2013 and 2014.
Upton has hit .198 with a .279 on-base percentage and .314 slugging percentage in 1,028 plate appearances over his two seasons with the Braves. In eight seasons with Tampa Bay, Upton hit .255 with a .336 on-base percentage and .422 slugging percentage before the Braves signed him to a five-year, $75.25 million free-agent contract.
Upton said he “shut baseball out” as soon as last season was finished and hasn’t spent much time reflecting on his two bad years because they are in the past and can’t be changed. He said he’s been focused on getting ready for this season, including working with new Braves hitting coach Kevin Seitzer, and feels good about bouncing back.
“I’m in a good spot mentally,” Upton said. “I know what I need to do.”
The Braves are in a position where they may not wait long for Upton to come around.
The general manager who signed Upton, Frank Wren, is gone. Wren’s successor, John Hart, said Upton has a “clean slate” and Hart’s conversations with Upton and Seitzer have him optimistic about the player making a comeback.
But Hart said the money still owed to Upton won’t be a factor in determining whether manager Fredi Gonzalez will keep him in the lineup regularly, as Gonzalez did last season.
“The contract always matters. There’s always something that you have to look at there,” Hart said. “It’s an obligation for the club, absolutely. But as far as what Fredi does with his lineup and how he utilizes it, (Upton) is just another player coming in.”
Should Upton continue to stumble, Gonzalez has options in the outfield.
Eric Young Jr., a four-year veteran of the big leagues, is in camp as a non-roster player and veteran outfielders Eury Perez and Zoilo Almonte were acquired during the offseason.
“He knows kind of what’s at stake here for him,” Hart said of Upton. “But when it’s all said and done, he’s going to have our support and we’re going to do everything we can to help him become the very best player that he can become this year.”
Upton said he worked with Seitzer twice during the offseason, once at brother Justin Upton’s home in Arizona and more recently at Melvin Upton’s home in Tampa. He said he likes Seitzer’s enthusiasm and added that the two share the same philosophies about hitting.
Upton has a lot of work to do to get his production back to his career norms but said he’s not shocked that his numbers declined so steeply.
“It happens,” he said. “I’m not the first guy that is going to struggle and I’m not going to be the last. Unfortunately it’s gone down the last two years but it happens. I can’t say I’m good with it, but have I gotten over it? Yeah.”
