Justin Upton, seen hitting at AT&T Field in 2007, played just 71 games with the Mobile BayBears.
photo by Tim Evearitt
As is often the case, area baseball fans who make it a habit of attending most games at AT&T Field have the opportunity to watch numerous Major League prospects as they work their way to the big leagues. This was true of Justin Upton, who was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2005 in the first round and arrived with the Double-A Mobile BayBears at age 19.
Lookouts fans were quite fortunate to be able to watch him play in Chattanooga since he played only 71 games with the BayBears.
After playing four seasons with the Major League Diamondbacks, Upton was traded to the Atlanta Braves in 2013 in a seven-player deal that sent former All-Star infielder Martin Prado to the Diamondbacks and united Upton with his older brother, B. J. (now Melvin) Upton, Jr.
In their trade with the Padres, San Diego acquired Justin Upton and right-hander Aaron Northcraft from the Braves in exchange for left-handed pitcher Max Fried, the club's No. 3 prospect, along with infielders Jace Peterson, Dustin Peterson, outfielder Mallex Smith and the Padres' fourth international bonus pool slot.
Following the 2015 season, Upton went on the market as a free-agent.
The Detroit Tigers aggressively pursued Upton, the three-time All-Star until their 86-year old owner Mike Ilitch agreed to terms with the free-agent outfielder. Upton's six-year, $132.75 million deal, which includes an opt-out clause in 2017 and comes in at an average annual value of $22.125 million.
Upton will become the third highest-paid free-agent position player this winter behind only former Brave outfielder Jason Heyward (eight years, $184 million with the Chicago Cubs) and Chris Davis (seven years, $161 million with the Baltimore Orioles).
Upton played just two seasons with Atlanta before being traded to San Diego. He has hit a career-total of 190 home runs.
photo by Tim Evearitt