B. J. Upton

Melvin Emanuel "B. J." Upton Jr. (born August 21, 1984) is an American former professional baseball center fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays / Rays, Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres, and Toronto Blue Jays.

Upton has played with his brother, Justin Upton, as members of the Atlanta Braves and San Diego Padres. They are the only two brothers in MLB history to be selected in the No. 1 and 2 slots of the draft (in separate years). The Upton brothers are also the first brothers to both hit 20 home runs and steal 20 bases in a season.

Upton was born to Melvin and Yvonne (née Gordon) Upton. Yvonne worked as a teacher and Melvin worked variously as a scout for the Kansas City Royals, a mortgage broker and a college basketball referee in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference after playing both college football and basketball at Norfolk State.

Before high school, Upton played on the same travel baseball team as several other MLB players, including Mark Reynolds, David Wright, and Ryan Zimmerman. Upton is a graduate of Greenbrier Christian Academy, in Chesapeake, Virginia.

As a member of the 18U United States national baseball team, Upton batted .462 (12-for-26) in nine games. The team went 9–2 and finished in second place in the Pan American Baseball Confederation in the qualifying for the 2002 World Junior Baseball Championship. In 2002, Upton was named a first-team All-American by Baseball America, batting .641 (50-for-78) with 11 doubles, four triples, 11 home runs, and 32 RBI during his senior year at Greenbrier. For his entire high school career, he hit .633 with 13 home runs, 51 RBI, 44 runs and 43 stolen bases in 47 attempts. He signed a letter of intent to play college baseball at Florida State.

Upton was drafted second overall as a shortstop in the 2002 Major League Baseball draft by Tampa Bay out of Greenbrier Christian Academy. He was widely considered a very polished prospect able to hit for both power and average.

Upton was ranked as the #21 prospect in baseball before the 2003 season by Baseball America, and as the #2 prospect a year later in 2004. In both 2004 and 2005, Upton was the starting shortstop in the All-Star Futures Game. In 2003, Upton committed 56 errors, leading the minor leagues.

He made his major league debut on August 2, 2004, less than three weeks before his 20th birthday, becoming the youngest Ray ever and the youngest player in the major leagues in 2004. In that game against the Boston Red Sox, he went 1-for-3 with a walk, with his hit being a seventh-inning single. His younger brother, Justin, was taken with the top overall choice of the 2005 Major League Baseball draft, making them the highest-drafted siblings of all time. In 2004, he started 16 games at shortstop, 11 at third base, and one in left field. He spent the 2005 season with the Rays' Triple-A affiliate the Durham Bulls, appearing in 139 games. He returned to the major leagues in 2006, starting 48 games, all at third base.