The Diamondbacks have
finally agreed to terms with 2005 1st Round Amateur Draft selection
Justin Upton. Upton, the younger brother of Devil Rays infielder B.J. Upton,
was recognized as the 2005 Gatorade High School Player of the Year.
The 6-month stalemate
was rumored to persist because the Chesapeake, VA high school Shortstop’s
representatives continually angled for a major league contract on par with 2004
Diamondbacks draftee Stephen Drew. In the end, the 18 year-old Upton agreed to
a traditional minor league deal in which he is expected to receive $6.1 million
of signing bonus paid over the course of the next 5 years. Upton will
reportedly receive approximately $900k up front, $1 million in 2007 and 2008,
$1.3 million in 2009, and $2 million in 2010.
Comparatively, the
major league contract of Stephen Drew (a drafted collegiate player) provided the
following:
- $5.5 million in
salary from 2005-2009
- Up to $4 million
in signing bonus paid incrementally from 2006-2009, beginning when Drew
makes the 25-man roster for good.
- $2 million in
attainable performance bonuses once Drew is active on the big league roster
- A spot on the
Diamondbacks’ 40-man roster, thereby giving Drew the ability to be called up
to the Diamondbacks
Since Upton’s deal
was not a “major league contract”, Upton will receive a non-roster Spring
Training invite with the Diamondbacks. Typically, the minor leaguers at camp
will hold intra-squad games against one another at the home fields when the
major league camp has road Spring Training games. While it hasn’t been
announced, expect Upton to ultimately be assigned to the Single-A Lancaster
JetHawks. If all goes well, Upton could be with the Double-A Tennessee Smokies
before the end of the season. In 2007, he’s likely to begin with the Smokies
with potential for some time with the Triple-A Tucson Sidewinders. At the
earliest, we could have some Upton sightings in Phoenix during the 2008 season.
Futurebacks.com
has been asked what the perceived “ripple effect” in the organization may be
with the Upton signing, specifically because of the fact that Stephen Drew and
Justin Upton primarily play the same position. Since Drew, 24, is much closer
to the majors, such speculation is extremely premature. For the sake of
discussion, let’s look at the options.
At SS, the
Diamondbacks are likely to see Craig Counsell hold down the fort in 2006 until
Stephen Drew is ready. Come 2008, if Upton has remained at SS in the minors, a
position switch may be in the cards for Drew (who is thought to be defensively
inferior to Upton).
At 3B, the Glaus
trade allowed the D-Backs to find a permanent home for Chad Tracy. Like it or
not, the logjam at SS and 3B created progression problems for former top
prospect Sergio Santos. Chad Tracy has proven himself in the majors and is
growing into a fan favorite, while the organization had too much invested in
Drew to have Santos blocking his progress. Add this to the fact that someone
from the 40-man roster had to be included in the Glaus deal, since the D-Backs
were receiving two major league players from Toronto. Former 1st
Round pick Corey Myers is no longer viewed as a significant challenger for the
big league job. An intriguing player in the minors is Jaime D’Antona because of
the power numbers he has posted. There is speculation that D’Antona may
eventually move to 1st Base full time (he made a handful of starts
there last season) but the presence of Conor Jackson at the big league level
certainly hinders D’Antona’s chances of sticking with this organization at that
position.
At 2B, the
Diamondbacks are finally set with Gold Glover Orlando Hudson. A wave of
talented prospects such as Justin Upton and the speedy Emilio Bonifacio have the
potential to eventually force a Hudson trade, but such consideration is several
seasons away from fruition.
In CF, the
Diamondbacks have signed Eric Byrnes as a stopgap until newly-acquired Chris Young is ready. Young, who hit .277 with 26 HR and 77 RBI for Double-A
Birmingham in the Chicago White Sox organization last season, has the power /
speed / defense combination that the team has lacked since the departure of
Steve Finley. Prospect Marland Williams took a significant step backward in
2005 and has been surpassed by Young in the minds of management. Likewise, Luis Terrero has been given every opportunity to grab the position and run with it at
the major league level. But, his efforts have continually come up short of
expectation. If Drew refuses to relent the SS position, Justin Upton may
someday find himself in a dogfight with Chris Young for CF. Prospects such as
Jarred Ball and Steve Garrabrants may eventually fill backup roles with the big
club.
In LF, Luis Gonzalez
is preparing for the “fairwell tour”. Gonzalez has meant so much to the
organization that he deserves to go out on his terms. However, the Diamondbacks
simply cannot wait until Shawn Green is no longer with the team in 2008 to give
Carlos Quentin an opportunity. Expect that 2006 will mark the end of Gonzo’s
D-Backs career and hope that he is ready to hang up the cleats and join the
front office. Gonzo has a mutual option for 2007, but it is unlikely that the
organization will commit to $10 million plus bonuses for that final year.
Quentin could emerge during 2006 in a platoon role with Gonzo and Green, then
formally take over in LF for 2007 and switch to his natural RF position for 2008
(if Green is not dealt sooner). Prospects such as Jon Zeringue and Carlos Gonzalez will eventually push for major league time in Left Field. The best
case scenario would be a Green trade during 2006, so that Quentin can play RF
sooner and Gonzo can go out on his terms. Scott Hairston is also a dark horse
candidate for time in LF. On the Upton front, LF remains a possible position
switch for Stephen Drew if the D-Backs decide that Upton is the eventual
Shortstop.
As you can see by the
information above, the Diamondbacks are presently in an enviable position where
young talent already exists at the major league level and/or high-ceiling
prospects will soon challenge for the everyday position in the majors. It is
increasingly clear, however, that the Diamondbacks MUST focus on pitching during
the next two amateur drafts in order to prepare this team for greatness in 2007
and beyond. Current management clearly has the ship steered in the right
direction and the team is expected to be major players in the starter and
reliever free agent markets after the 2006 season.
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