LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla.--Braves boss John Hart met with media types today at Victory Field said all of the things he should have said about Melvin Upton Jr, the Braves center fielder formerly known as B.J.
Hart said Upton has a “clean slate” with him and he’s optimistic he can turn it around after meeting with Upton and new hitting coach Kevin Seitzer. That’s fine because spring baseball is a time for hopefulness.
Hart said Upton “knows what’s at stake” this season. That should be obvious to Upton because he's been perhaps the worst everyday player in the majors for two years running.
But the most interesting thing Hart said about Upton came in response to a question about whether Upton’s contract no longer matters when it comes to his spot in the lineup.
“Well, 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, he’s just another player coming in.”
Well, then. Translation: The $45 million-plus owed to Upton means he’ll be on the roster but it doesn’t mean he’ll be in the lineup every day.
That certainly sounds like a shift in the organizational tone when it comes to Upton. One of the great mysteries of the 2014 season was why manager Fredi Gonzalez continued to run out Upton as he scuffled and when there were (maybe) better options on the bench. It didn't make sense, leading to speculation that pressure from former GM Frank Wren kept Upton in the lineup.
Now Hart is the (de facto) GM and he has no ego tied up in Upton’s status. He said he will tell Gonzalez to fashion the lineup however he pleases.
“As a general manager I’m not that kind of guy . . . coming in and telling Fredi what his lineup is or what it isn’t,” Hart said. “We’ll talk a lot about what we see as we go during the spring. We’ll look at all the options that we have out there this spring. But obviously this is a player that should have the ability to be an everyday guy, and I think a lot of what Fredi wants to do with him in the lineup is going to be determined by what he sees. So I think that’s the way we’re going to approach it.”
That sounds like a sound plan because spring may be the time for optimism with Upton but eventually reality should take precedence.
