Adds up to me... something just never looked right about him. That's a shame. He has some good attributes but a guy like him needs everythnig working in his favor. He could probably stick around as a capable utility guy if he had a little more speed/athleticism. Fundamentally sound player.
Paredes drove that pretty good... it'll be interesting to see if he can make enough contact at this level. He absolutely has some raw ability.
Last news I heard was he was taking batting practice, but they didn't want to rush him back until he can catch. They would rather he heal fully instead of being a pinch hitter.
He's been in Florida rehabbing but is unlikely to return this season. http://www.sportsoverdose.com/mlb-players/jason-castro
Seeing that we are facing a lefty tonight, i thought id bring up what seemed to me an odd stat. http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/standings/expanded The Stros are 16-17 vs lefties. That equals Atlanta and is better than the Brewers.
Upton is a crappy OF but he can certainly hit. I wonder if he wouldn't be better at 1st but they do have Goldschmidt already there.
That's why you shouldn't pass judgment based on microscopic sample sizes. This is what I meant a while back when we were talking about Pence's defense and I said your eyes can deceive you, esp. when you only catch glimpses of said player. Over the last 3 years, Upton is one of the top rated RFers in just about every advanced stat: http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=rf&stats=fld&lg=nl&qual=y&type=1&season=2011&month=0&season1=2009&ind=0 There may have been questions about his defense years ago, but he's more than vindicated himself. Refute the stats all you want but over that period of time, they are significant. My guess is you've probably seen him make less than 10-15 plays, good or bad, in your life. He's made some awful plays recently but he's a very good defensive player and an elite hitter in the making. Better put would've been: "Upton has played crappy defense recently despite being a great OFer."
I know your a stat guy and i've seen the defensive metrics on Upton but even his beat writer recognizes how bad he is in the OF. The guy has committed 12 errors...12!!! I'm a lost cause on those metrics, same metrics say CLee has been a plus OF, Upton a good OF and Bourn simply an above avg defensive CF. Sorry, Upton is a BAD OF regardless of what those numbers say. Edit - You can simply tell by how he has handled fly balls in this series, the guy is never going to be a plus OF. Pence, for all his bad routes and ugly jumps, more often then not...makes the easy play and more difficult ones.
