Rays tackle a shortfall

B.J. Upton, regarded as draft's top player, gives Tampa Bay first star-caliber shortstop.

By MARC TOPKIN, Times Staff Writer

© St. Petersburg Times
published June 5, 2002

ST. PETERSBURG -- Just as if he were turning on a fastball or diving for a ball in the hole, B.J. Upton didn't hesitate.

Could he, he was asked, describe himself as a player?

"You ever seen Derek Jeter play?" he replied.

The Rays, whether it takes 21/2 years as Upton suggested or a more realistic four or five, could only be so lucky.

But in making Upton, 17, the second selection in Tuesday's draft, one in which they also took troubled Hillsborough High outfielder Elijah Dukes and controversial but talented pitcher Matt Harrington, the Rays got more than just what they believe is the best player in the country.

They also added something they have never had in their organization: a shortstop with star potential.

"With his overall package of tools, his athleticism, his age on his side, the sky's the limit," general manager Chuck LaMar said. "There's no ceiling on how good he can be, depending on how bad he wants it. And we think he has the makeup to use that ability."

The Rays believe they have three potential impact players on the way in Rocco Baldelli, Carl Crawford and Josh Hamilton, but all three play the outfield.

With Upton in the system, the Rays figure they'll eventually be able to forget the Kevin Stocker era, and the errors, as well as Felix Martinez, Andy Sheets and current starter Chris Gomez.

And they won't have to depend as heavily on the significant development of 20-year-old Jorge Cantu, who is hitting .242 with 20 errors in 56 games at Double-A Orlando, or soon-to-be 23-year-old Jace Brewer, who is hitting .320 with 18 errors in 53 games at Class A Bakersfield.

"To get one at a premium position is critical to us," LaMar said. "You know the holes and the battles we've fought at shortstop throughout the years. You take somebody like this this high in the draft and sooner or later you think he's going to fill that hole at the major-league level."

Upton, who hit .645 with 24 home runs, 108 RBIs, 70 steals, 45 walks and four strikeouts in 56 games over two seasons at Greenbrier Christian Academy in Chesapeake, Va., doesn't think it will take him long to get there, even if he won't turn 18 until August.

"I think I can be there in 21/2 years if I keep working hard," Upton said.

"We'd like for him to be also," Rays scouting director Dan Jennings said. "I don't know if he's capable.

"I would not put a timetable on any player; it's not fair to the player. I think with his ability, if everything clicks, he could be. I think when he's ready, he'll let you know he's ready by how he's performing and overmatching certain leagues he's playing in."

Before the Rays can send the 6-foot-3, barely 180-pounder off to Princeton (W.Va.), they have to get him signed, convincing him to give up a scholarship to Florida State.

The going rate is likely to be $4-million to $5-million, and the Rays, given their financial situation, are probably going to have to be creative, which means the deal could take a while.

The Rays can circumvent requirements that the bonus be paid within 18 months by either signing Upton to a major-league contract or taking advantage of rules regarding multisport athletes and spread the payments over five years.

Manny Upton, B.J.'s father and a part-time scout for Kansas City, said the family wants just to be treated fairly. "I want what's best for him," Manny Upton said. "I don't see any barriers there at all."

As for the comparisons with Jeter, whose No. 2 Upton has worn for years?

Jeter was the sixth pick of the 1992 draft, moved step by step through the Yankees system and reached the majors for good in 1996, earning a rookie of the year award, four All-Star selections and four World Series rings.

"(Upton) is a player with that kind of athleticism," LaMar said. "Whether he ends up being Derek Jeter or not, who knows? That's a lot of pressure, a lot of hype for a 17-year-old young man.

"But if you had to make a comparison from the position that he plays, the way he goes about it, the ease in which he plays the game, and his overall ability level, if you want to use that comparison, so be it."