Melvin Upton Jr.'s Turnaround Has Been Truly Remarkable

Melvin Upton Jr. was buried alive two years ago. He and his contract were nothing more than punchlines. On Tuesday a contender traded for Upton to upgrade its lineup. Yeah, that’s a thing that happened in 2016.

Shortly after signing a five-year, $75.25 million contract with the Atlanta Braves before the 2013 season, Upton’s career went into the tank. In 2013 Upton hit .184 with just nine home runs and 26 RBIs in 126 games. His fWAR of -0.6 was astonishingly bad. In 2014 he hit just .208 with 12 home runs and 35 RBIs in 141 games. His fWAR was, again, dismal at 0.4.

Upton and his horrendous contract were shipped to the San Diego Padres just before the 2015 season as part of the Craig Kimbrel deal, and he slowly began making a comeback. Last year he managed to raise his average to .259 and improve his fWAR to 1.6. It was a nice step in the right direction, but the real turnaround has come this season.

So far in 2016 Upton has been fantastic. The 31-year-old has rediscovered something and is playing like his old self. He is currently hitting .256, with 16 home runs, 45 RBIs and 20 stolen bases. His fWAR of 1.5 is on pace to surpass last year’s total, and he has played stellar defense in left field, ranking third in baseball with nine defensive runs saved. Had Upton been named to the National League All-Star team a few weeks ago, it wouldn’t have been a stretch.

On Tuesday, the Toronto Blue Jays acquired Upton from the Padres in exchange for 19-year-old right-hander Hansel Rodriguez. The Padres will assume a large chunk of the cash remaining on Upton’s contract. Still, the fact that the Blue Jays wanted him after where he was two years ago is really amazing.

Prior to last season, the Braves had to attach Upton to one of baseball’s best closers just to get him off their books. Now, less than a year and a half later, he is headed to help a team in a pennant race. It truly has been a crazy turnaround for Upton and he deserves all the credit for making it happen.