Justin Upton Signs

So how about all that grumbling and second guessing of the Upton's decision making that went on in this forum last fall. Larry Reynolds must know what he's doing after all...at least as far as getting his client the best deal he can get.

IMO, everything has worked perfectly. Set aside the fact that Reynolds got arguabley the best deal ever in the Signing Bonus; Justin was allowed the oppurtunity to be a 19 year old since graduation. Rested and re-energized, he can focus on doing what he loves to do and play baseball.

It's funny that when something positive happens to the kid not many people comment. Why did the parents of this site think he should of signed early...maybe because a lot of you speak without knowledge or support. He made an extra 600,000 in a four month hold off. That was worth a four month break huh? The credit needs to be given to the new diamondbacks gm who came in and wanted to strike a deal quickly. It's going to be fun watching this 18 year old progress.

Beachball,
You are right it has been quiet. I know the last thread which was pulled was getting very personal. I do not know the player of family but am happy for him. I figure the less said the less chance of the ugly words coming back.

The naysayers will return if Justin struggles a little. In the meantime Justin can go shop for Rolls Royces.

I think he made more than an extra $600,000 for waiting it out. Congratulations to Justin and the Upton family. Also to Larry Reynolds who is one of the good guys in that business.

PG, you're right about the naysayers, but while they might resurface, Justin will be laughing all the way to the bank.

Does anyone think he has a better upside than Stephen Drew?? Justin has said he is staying at short and I don't think Drew is moving either. Drew is a future all-star. It's gonna be interesting to see which prospect will change positions or which player will be involved in a big time trade.

quote:

Originally posted by PGStaff:
The naysayers will return if Justin struggles a little. In the meantime Justin can go shop for Rolls Royces.

I think he made more than an extra $600,000 for waiting it out. Congratulations to Justin and the Upton family. Also to Larry Reynolds who is one of the good guys in that business.

Can you say naysayer...

Quoted by Bobby Cherry "Does anyone think he has a better upside than Stephen Drew?? Justin has said he is staying at short and I don't think Drew is moving either. Drew is a future all-star. It's gonna be interesting to see which prospect will change positions or which player will be involved in a big time trade."

I'm not a GM nor do I pretend to be one on TV...but I would love to have my organization have the problem of 2 high profile prospects with the potential Stephen Drew and Justin Upton have.

PG may know this but how many top draft picks end up playing with the club that drafted them and any idea % of high school vs college draft picks make it to the show.

I might still be a naysayer. I am sorry I don't feel the need to support every athelete that comes out of the Hampton Roads area. John Gilhcrist being another. The truth is Stephen Drew is a top 3 prospect that has showed what he can do beyond high school ball and currently he shows more upside in my book.

Bobby...just having some fun...

PG, While he is shopping for those Rolls Royces, he should also buy you one-LOL!!!!!!

Rat Shapiro

Wow!!!!!

Congrats to the Upton family and Mr. Reynolds.

Sincerely,
Rat Shapiro

Anything can happen, but one could say... The Arizona Diamondbacks must feel Justin has as much upside as Drew. Otherwise, why pay him more than Drew?

Upside is the wrong word here.

No one has more "UPSIDE" than Justin Upton.

JD Drew is more polished at this time!

PG...please check your PM's

I seriously doubt the Diamondbacks intend to lose money on either player. Some pretty smart baseball people must see a profit in having both Upton and Drew in the fold.

Most GM's go with the idea "I'm going to get the best player in the draft, regardless of team needs" and that is what they did. If one of them is not willing to move positions then I am sure the D Backs will get their moneys worth in a good trade to fill a void on their roster if that is the case.

I'll go out on a limb and say neither will be major league Shortstops for the majority of their careers.

Mrmom, I would say you are probably right and say there is a good chance of that happening. With Upton just signing it might be a little early to worry about where he might play

Now I know Justin is a tremendous athlete and there have been comparisons to Ken Griffey Jr. if he decides to go the CF route, but where do you think Drew will end up? Who is his roadblock for this season when he gets to the bigs this season? Royce Clayton is good but he doesn't seem as promising as Drew. Regardless, they will be a good ball club in the near future, their farm system is crawling to the ranks of the Dodgers, Angels, and Braves.

The Drew/Upton situation won't come into play for awhile. I think everyone realizes Drew will be the first to have an impact at the MLB level.

Both are great prospects. The Yankees have two of the best shortstops of the past decade and they both play in that line up every day.

Justin would grade out the best centerfielder ever out of high school. If he doesn't play shortstop, he could still be a MLB all star.

I do think Drew will end up playing shortstop, but Upton might end up being the biggest star. And that's if they're both still with the D'Backs a few years from now.

The D'backs also have SS Mark Reynolds of Va Beach and UVA. He hit 19 homers at the A level in 2005 and could be on the way up in the Arizona organization.

Most heard statement of the week:

"The Yankees have two natural shortstops in the starting lineup, why can't the Diamondbacks have two also"

LOL,
Shep