Rays/MLB

Rays: Upton has act together

By TIMES WIRES
Published August 1, 2006

ST. PETERSBURG - The Devil Rays won't know until B.J. Upton gets on the field and gets settled in how he will play as a major-league third baseman.

But top team officials, starting with principal owner Stuart Sternberg, said they are confident - despite some recent controversy - Upton will act like a major-leaguer.

"I believe B.J. will ab- solutely rise to the occasion," Sternberg said. "We have spoken to him, he has talked to us, he understands the situation. He's still a very young man and like a lot of young men he has a lot to learn, and not necessarily from the incidents that have happened to this point.

"We have nothing but absolutely - just short of certainty - that he's going to be handling himself in the right fashion."

Upton was called up Monday afternoon and will join the Rays tonight, as will shortstop Ben Zobrist, the prospect acquired in mid July in the Aubrey Huff trade, giving the Rays a new left side of the infield.

Upton, 21, was arrested on a charge of DWI and last week was one of three top Rays prospects who made comments in a USA Today article that were considered disrespectful toward the organization, drawing a strong rebuke from manager Joe Maddon.

But Maddon said he talked extensively with Upton on Monday morning and is confident he learned from his mistake and will act appropriately in the bigs.

"I felt comfortable, I felt much better after I had the chance to speak with him and, believe me, it was straightforward, honest and nothing held back. And his response, I really appreciate the fact that he stood up to it and did not make excuses. I liked it," Maddon said.

"Based on everything I know about this man from spring training, from meeting his parents, from all the people involved in this organization who had him on different levels, I believe B.J. Upton will never be a major-league problem.

"I think B.J. is going to play well here. I think he'll be a great member of this organization and he'll set the right example for people who come up after him."

Upton hit .258 in 45 games for the Rays at the end of the 2004 season and has not been in the majors since. He hit .269 at Triple-A Durham this season with eight homers, 41 RBIs and a league-high 46 steals while making 33 errors (mostly at shortstop).

Upton is likely to inherit Julio Lugo's leadoff spot in the order, but not his shortstop position as the Rays plan to keep him, at least for now, at third base, where he was moved after Huff was traded during the All-Star break.

"As of right now we're looking at him primarily as a third baseman, and I really don't want to confuse the issue," Maddon said. "I want him to concentrate on one spot and see where that takes us."

Z MARKS THE SPOT: Zobrist, 25, was playing Double-A ball for the Astros 2 weeks ago. Since then he was traded to the Rays, promoted to Triple A, where he hit .304 in 18 games, and now is coming to the major leagues.

"I've heard nothing but wonderful things about this fellow's makeup and his character," Maddon said. "He definitely sounds like the kind of guy we want here."

FOR STARTERS: Left-hander J.P. Howell, acquired in a June deal for Joey Gathright, makes his Rays debut tonight saying his is a smarter, more relaxed and better pitcher than when he went 3-5 with a 6.19 ERA in 15 games last season for the Royals.

"I'm just more comfortable in terms of knowing who I am," said Howell, 23. "I wasn't sure what kind of pitcher I was. Now I know I'm a guy who has to keep the ball down and hit my spots and really mix it up."

Howell starts in place of injured ace Scott Kazmir, who said his sore shoulder felt "a lot better" and good enough that he could have pitched. Instead, Kazmir will play catch today in hopes of returning Aug. 8.

MISCELLANY: Ty Wigginton, who sustained a broken left hand Saturday, saw team orthopedist Koco Eaton Monday and is likely to miss 4-6 weeks, though he can resume baseball activities in three. ... The Rays have scored 59 runs in their five post-All-Star break wins. ... Dodgers farm director Terry Collins said the other minor-league the Rays got, Class A outfielder Sergio Pedroza, "has as much power as anyone sitting on the Tampa Bay bench right now." ... Detroit's Kenny Rogers has one win in his past seven starts and a 9.29 ERA over that stretch.

[Last modified August 1, 2006, 02:30:22]