A sidebar to Frank Wren's signing of B.J. Upton, which will be the major stain on his Braves resume as he heads out the door, is how Upton has managed to stay in the lineup for two seasons even when better options may be available on the bench.
I don't know if Jordan Schafer would have been a better option than Upton. I do know the Braves never really bothered to find out this season.
The case to give Schafer more playing time with the Braves was never because he was a sure-fire upgrade over Upton. To the contrary, Schafer had already tumbled from top Braves prospect to Astros flame-out and wasn't much better in his second go-round with the Braves as a part-time player.
Rather, the argument to put Schafer in the lineup regularly was about Upton's status as one of the worst players among MLB regulars for the past two seasons. With Upton as a major hole in the lineup (and no magician in center) and no true lead-off hitter among the regulars, why not give Schafer more than 16 starts from Opening Day to July 31?
That's what Schafer wondered just before the Braves designated him for assignment at the trade deadline. In came Emilio Bonifacio, and off Schafer went to the Twins on a waiver claim. Upton has for the most part maintained his spot in the lineup with little production.
Meanwhile Schafer is playing every day with the Twins and producing.
Schafer’s numbers in 40 games (37 starts) with the Twins: .288 batting average (36-for-125), .350 on-base percentage, seven extra-base hits, 26 strikeouts and 15 stolen bases in 20 attempts. Upton’s numbers in 35 games (32 starts) during that time: .168 BA (18-for-107), .276 OBP, six extra-base hits, 33 strikeouts and one stolen base in one attempt.
It's not an apples-for-apples comparison, of course. Schafer is on a different team in a different league. Schafer's sample size this year is small and his career numbers still say he's a marginal major leaguer.
But Upton has shown no signs of being anything close to the player he was with Tampa Bay, which was rarely great but sometimes pretty good. Can’t blame the Braves for picking up Bonifacio, a solid utility man, but it was head-scratching why they sent away Schafer without giving him a stretch of regular playing time as Upton continued to struggle.
Perhaps manager Fredi Gonzalez worried that sitting Upton wouldn’t go over well in the clubhouse, especially with brother Justin. But if B.J. Upton were to complain privately to teammates or publicly in the media, what would be his case exactly? He can’t say Gonzalez hasn’t given him enough opportunities to get it together.
If Upton’s seemingly-guaranteed spot in the lineup was because Wren spent so much money to sign him, then that would be even worse. I covered the Packers when Ron Wolf was GM and he used to always say he had to learn to overcome his ego and admit his mistakes. Once mistakes becomes apparent, better to take the public hit when and move on because mistakes only get compounded the longer they go unaddressed.
Meanwhile, here's a good story from the St. Paul Pioneer Press about Schafer's rejuvenation in Minnesota. Schafer talks about his personal transformation and his close relationship with Braves assistant hitting coach Scott Fletcher, who offered up this interesting quote:
"The guys in this clubhouse are real happy for him. A lot of them felt he just needed the opportunity. He's a kid with a tremendous amount of ability. As you guys can see up there in Minnesota, he's got great talent."
It takes more than talent to make it in the majors and Schafer still has a lot to prove. But the Twins are giving him the chance the Braves never did this year even as B.J. Upton scuffled.
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