One of the natural names that came up often when talk started going around about the Texas Rangers having to replace Josh Hamilton's production was B.J. Upton, along with his brother, Justin.
B.J. Upton was a free agent and came up in baseball as a guy with all five tools, similar to Hamilton, but he hasn't really panned out just yet. That's why Rangers fans should be thankful to the Atlanta Braves for signing the former Rays outfielder and taking him off the market so he couldn't eventually become a Ranger.
Make no mistake, Upton has plenty of talent, but he's also kind of a headcase and he has struggled as of late.
In 2012, Upton hit just .246, which is the highest average he's had since 2008. His on-base percentage was an atrocious .298, dipping his career OBP to .336. There are some positives: He hit a career-high 28 home runs in 2012 and stole 31 bases. He's had three seasons of 40 steals or better. But he's also a below-average centerfielder.
Now that the Braves signed him, it seems as though they'll let free agent Michael Bourn walk.
Now there's a guy the Rangers would love to have in center and hitting leadoff.
