B.J. Upton

Injured Tampa Bay outfielder B.J. Upton likely will miss the start of the regular season after being hit in the hand by a pitch during a minor league spring training game. The Rays already were determined to not to rush the center fielder back from offseason surgery on his left, non-throwing shoulder. Although the hand injury is not considered serious, manager Joe Maddon said it's doubtful Upton will be ready for opening day April 6. "It's not a huge issue for me," Maddon said Sunday. "I want him to be healthy and well and ready, and I want him to have the kind of ... Read Full Story

Tampa Bay's B.J. Upton was activated from the 15-day disabled list before Monday night's home opener against the New York Yankees. The Rays immediately inserted the 24-year-old center fielder into the leadoff spot of the lineup and dropped second baseman Akinori Iwamura to eighth against right-hander Chien-Ming Wang. Upton played most of last season with a left shoulder injury that affected his performance at the plate. After hitting .300 with 24 homers and 82 RBIs in 2007, he slipped to .273 with nine homers and 67 RBIs in 2008. Upton shone in the postseason, though, tying an AL record with seven homers during the ... Read Full Story

Explanation of ratings system here TAMPA BAY RAYS Ranks Overall – 74 points (18th MLB, 8th AL) Starting Rotation – 30 points (15th MLB, 8th AL) Line-Up – 31 points (21st MLB, 9th AL) Bench/Bullpen/Defense – 13 points (23rd MLB, 10th AL) Offseason Addtions – Matt Garza, Jason Bartlett, Troy Percival, Cliff Floyd Offseason Subtractions – Elijah Dukes, Delmon Young, Brendan Harris Biggest Strength - Farm System It’s not saying much for 2008 that this is there biggest stregnth, but Rays (not Devil Rays anymore) fans really, honestly, swear to god, have a lot to be excited about in the future. With 30 teams ... Read Full Story

Sportswriters are falling all over themselves today describing the “worst to World Series” story of the Tampa Bay Rays , the long-standing doormat of the American League who began the season as 200-1 longshots to win the Fall Classic but locked up an appearance in baseball’s championship series last night with a win over the Boston Red Sox . To which we at Complex say: Tell us something we don’t already know. You see, we’ve been riding with the Rays since last winter, when we went down to Chesapeake, Virginia to do a fashion story on the Rays’ center fielder, B.J. Upton , and ... Read Full Story

I take back what I posted about B.J. Upton earlier, a few posts down. Not that he has all of the talent in the world, because he does. The part about him not hustling. Well, he has been hustling lately, busting his ass, and made an INCREDIBLE catch tonight that saved at least 2 runs, most likely 3. He has been hitting the crap outta the ball also. B.J., and the rest of the Rays, keep up the hard work, lets bring a World Series title here to the St. Petersburg area!! LETS GO RAYS!! LETS GO RAYS!! LETS GO RAYS!! MORE COWBELL!! Tim ... Read Full Story