Upton battles focus, fatigue

It's the same thing B.J. Upton has been doing since he was a kid. React to the sound of the bat, move to the ball, scoop it and throw to first for the out.

The only problem this season, his first in professional baseball, is the scooping part. And the throwing part.

Upton, the second overall pick by the Devil Rays in the 2002 amateur draft, was expected to be a little raw when he joined Charleston this season. Errors tend to come with 18-year-old players straight out of high school.

The rate at which they're occuring with Upton, however, is a little bothersome.

"It's just lack of concentration," Upton said. "Some of them are tough plays but a lot are routine. It's just concentration. I'm really working on that in the second half of the season and I'm starting to feel better about myself."

Through 72 games, the RiverDogs shortstop has committed 32 errors, putting him on pace for about 60. Compare that to other shortstops in the Rays organization and it's obvious Upton has work to do to make good on his spring training projection of being in the majors within two years.

Luis DePaula has 23 errors in 75 games with Bakersfield, Jace Brewer has 18 in 68 games with Orlando and Jorge Cantu (four) has combined with Jason Smith to commit 21 in 96 games with Durham. DePaula and Cantu led the organization last season with 41 errors each playing for Charleston and Orlando, respectively.

Upton blames the wildness on the fact baseball has turned into a job rather than a pastime since he received a $4.6-million signing bonus.

"It's the first time in my life that I'm playing every day," Upton said. "Sometimes my body's tired but you have to go out and play it out. I had a couple of buddies who have been playing, and they said the first couple months are okay but the hardest part is the second half of season. That's when everything gets tired."

For his part, the player who earned the nickname "Easy" during spring training for his laid-back attitude is hoping the second half is just that. Upton said his concentration is up and the main goal is to break out of his hitting slump (his average has dropped to .257) and be more consistent in the field.

Upton has committed three errors in 10 games since the second half of the season began.

RENEGADE STAFF: Hudson Valley is near the top of the New York-Penn League standings thanks in large part to pitching.

The Renegades are 8-4 overall with a team ERA of 2.06, second in the league behind Oneonta's 1.56. Five pitchers (Rob Ellis, Carlos Fernandez, Michael Navaroli, Chad Orvella and Andrew Weimer) with at least four appearances have 0.00 ERAs and three others are under 3.00.

The steady pitching mostly is coming from the bullpen. The starters have a combined ERA of 3.36, helped tremendously by Tony Peguero's 0.00 in 11 innings.

BACK IN ACTION: It may be unrealistic, but just imagine what Pete LaForest could have done had he been able to play the entire season.

LaForest missed spring training and the first month of the season when visa issues kept him in Canada. He started in Orlando, where he hit three home runs in 21 games, then was moved to Durham, where he has lit up the International League with seven home runs in 15 games.

The catcher is batting .352 with two doubles and even has legged out a triple.

OTHER BULLS STUFF: Delvin James was named International League Pitcher of the Week after picking up two of the resurgent Bulls' six wins last week. He is the fourth Durham player to be chosen for that honor this season. ... Three Durham players, infielder Jason Smith and pitchers Lee Gardner and Carlos Reyes, were chosen to play in the Triple-A All-Star Game July 16 in Memphis. The International League will play the Pacific Coast League.