Arizona's Justin Upton gets hit by a pitch by the St. Louis Cardinals' Josh Kinney as Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina reaches for the ball Tuesday in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks won 7-6 in 10 innings.
PHOENIX – Much like the way he had been holding his hands and bat high above his head and seemingly out of position, consider this when talking about Justin Upton: It’s not where or how you start, but how you finish.
As the Arizona Diamondbacks begin their first road trip of the season with a three-game set at AT&T Park against the Giants on Friday, Upton embarks on a critical journey in his young major league career.
He’s trying to rebound from a poor spring training and bitterly cold start to the season at the same time he’s attempting to fix some flaws in his hitting mechanics.
Part of the reason he hit .197 during the Cactus League and carries a .105 average into Friday is because he’s trying to find a better approach at the plate.
He had been cocking his bat high behind his head and wasn’t getting into a decent position with his hands as pitches were made to him. As a result, he was getting long and loopy with his swing.
That limited his ability to read and react to pitches, let alone make any consistent contact with the ball.
“Sometimes, you just fall into bad habits,” Upton said. “I tried to keep things really simple, but sometimes things get away from you.”
Upton has been working tirelessly with hitting coach Rick Schu. He is now dropping his hands into a more suitable spot to maximize contact and power and, slowly, it seems to be working.
He strung together a handful of decent at-bats during the end of Arizona’s series against the visiting Cardinals, which finally included his first hit after 15 at-bats and seven strikeouts.
He’s only 21, but there is so much potential that people can forget the pressure that comes with being a No. 1 overall draft pick.
At 19, he became the youngest Diamondbacks player to reach the big leagues. But as his swing problems prove, he has a lot to learn.
“He’s a high-hand guy, but it’s where your hands are when you’re loaded and moving toward the ball,” manager Bob Melvin said. “You see a lot of stances and hand positions, but for all good hitters it’s where they are when their foot gets down and when the ball is on its way.”
The Diamondbacks contemplated sending Upton to Triple-A Reno, but when the question was put to Upton, he scoffed at the notion he needs time in the minors.
“I played here in ’07, I played here all of last season, and in my mind and being a competitor, I don’t think I need to go there,” he said. “I think it’s just a matter of time before I get hot and start swinging the bat.”
Like Upton, the Diamondbacks haven’t started out well, either. They are 3-6 and have lost all three series.
“We have to start playing better, whether it’s offensive and defensively at the same time or whether it’s pitching and offense at the same time,” Melvin said. “Our timing hasn’t been good as far as that goes . . . It’s certainly not the start we were looking for.”