B.J. Upton recalled to Tampa Bay
Published on July 31, 2006 under International League (IL1)
Durham Bulls News Release
Durham, NC - The Durham Bulls today announced their 2005 Player of the Year B.J. Upton was recalled to Tampa Bay on Monday to replace injured Ty Wigginton at third base, who broke his hand on Saturday when he was hit by a pitch. Infielder Ben Zobrist, recently acquired in the trade that sent Aubrey Huff to the Houston Astros, was selected to Tampa Bay.
Upton, the former second overall pick in the 2002 draft, was hitting .269 with eight home runs, 41 runs batted in, and was leading the International League with 46 stolen bases and 72 runs scored. He also participated in the 2006 Triple-A All-Star Game on July 12, going 0-1 while drawing a walk.
Upton spent all of 2005 in Durham, hitting .303 with 18 home runs, 74 runs batted in and 44 stolen bases, while being selected as the starting shortstop on the midseason and postseason International League All-Star team, as well as the starting shortstop for Team USA at the All-Star Futures Game. Upton led the Bulls in batting average, runs (98), hits (165), doubles (36), triples (6), walks (78), stolen bases, on-base percentage (.392) and total bases (267), while garnering Durham's Player of the Year Award.
In 2004, he was named the top prospect in the game by Baseball America. He made his Major League debut with the Devil Rays on August 2nd, and at 19 years, 11 months, 10 days, became the youngest player in the league that year, and youngest Ray ever. He started 41 games, hitting .258 with four home runs, 12 runs batted in and four stolen bases. His brother, Justin, was drafted 1st overall in 2005 by the Arizona Diamondbacks, making them the highest drafted brothers ever (The Youngs, Delmon and Dmitri, are the only other brothers to both be drafted in the top five picks of the draft).
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