Monday night, B.J. Upton put an exclamation point on Tampa’s statement declaring they are for real. With homers in his first two at bats, Upton was the beginning of the end for Chicago. Despite the injury problems all season limiting his power, Upton’s immense talent dominated. He now has three homers and four hits in the last two games. This is just the beginning for B.J.

Only a handful of young players have the talent this Upton has. In a season where shoulder issues limited his power, B.J. used one of his other five tools to rack up 44 steals in only 145 games. He also had nine homeruns. The previous season, he had his health and power in his first nearly full season hitting 24 homers and snagging 22 steals. If he doesn’t hit for power, he gives you more speed. He is an extremely safe and valuable pick for next season. Healthy again, could he next year put it all together?

Let’s take a look at some numbers…

If you averaged his numbers from 2007 and 2008 he would have:
137 GP, 86 R, 17 HR, 75 RBI, 33 SB, 286 AVG

Those numbers compare favorably to the Kemp, Victorino and Rios this season.

Now say Upton actually completed a full season next year. What would it look like then?
162 GP, 101 R, 20 HR, 89 RBI, 39 SB, 286 AVG

We are now looking at a very unique player. No player racked up 40 stolen bases with more than 16 homers.

Finally, what if his best numbers from the two years combined for a full season?
162 GP, 107 R, 29 HR, 100 RBI, 49 SB, 300 AVG

Grady Sizemore anyone? Hanley Ramirez? The numbers compare favorably and even fall short of the ideal Upton in some aspects.

Now at the age of 24, we can even project that he gets better by five or ten percent. One of these seasons he could easily be a 110, 35, 100, 50, 300 player. Alex Rodriguez? This offseason, many owners will be looking to move him because he is losing superiority in position eligibility at second base and struggled with power this last season due to continual shoulder problems. Like Alex Rodriguez losing shortstop eligibility, his talent and value should overcome positional scarcity, and he should be healthy again. He could very well be a top five player by next season if he can play a full one. Get him while you can. No player has more untapped upside than B.J. Upton… except perhaps his little brother.