OC Register: Justin Upton reflects on a rollercoaster first full season with Angels

[AngelsWin.com]

ANAHEIM — Although Justin Upton will end his season with his accustomed numbers, he would have preferred a smoother ride.

“I typically like to do it in a different fashion than I did, but that’s how things were,” the Angels outfielder said with a shrug.

Upton was hitting .259 with 30 home runs and an .812 OPS heading into the final weekend of the season. His career average is .268 with 28 homers a season and an OPS of .826.

Upton, however, got to those numbers in a turbulent manner. He had a .657 OPS in his first 29 games, followed by a .965 mark over his next 33 games, a .639 over his next 28 games, and then a 1.000 for 32 games. Since coming back from a stint on the disabled list with a finger laceration, he has a .722 mark over his last 21 games.

Upton, 31, said some of his 12 big league seasons have been like that, and he’s not sure why.

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He also had no explanation for what has been a consistent area of struggle. Upton has hit .199 with a .657 OPS with runners in scoring position.

“I can’t put a finger on that,” he said. “Every time I felt I was in a hitter’s count, a guy makes a great pitch or I mis-hit something. Things just didn’t go my way with guys in scoring position, but somehow I still drove in runs. It’s just one of those weird things.”

Upton has 85 RBIs, which is tops on the team.

Manager Mike Scioscia said there was some bad luck involved with Upton’s issues with runners in scoring position.

“He hit some balls hard (that were caught),” Scioscia said. “He probably hasn’t been as productive as he’s been in the past in that regard, but he’s had a great season.”

Upton was the Angels cleanup hitter when the season began, expected to bat between Mike Trout and Albert Pujols. As the year developed, he will end up as the primary No. 5 hitter, behind Trout and Shohei Ohtani. When Pujols is back next year, it seems likely he would hit behind Upton, which could be fifth or sixth, depending on whether Trout is No. 2 or No. 3.

“I guess that’s the plan,” Upton said of having all four hitters healthy in the middle of the lineup. “It didn’t work out for us. Hopefully, next year is a little different.”

Upton has four years left on the contract extension he signed last year, getting an extra year on his deal in exchange for passing on his opt-out. Upton is due to make $18 million next year, and $90 million over the next four years.

He seems to have no regrets about returning to the Angels instead of becoming a free agent.

“This is a great clubhouse,” he said. “We had injuries and didn’t play as well as we wanted to, but people are going to come in prepared again next year to chase our goal of getting to the postseason. I enjoyed the season as much as you could. I enjoy the guys. I enjoy the atmosphere. I’m looking forward to next year.”

ALSO

Matt Shoemaker will start the season finale on Sunday, regardless of whether the game has any playoff implications for the Oakland A’s. Scioscia had a choice of Shoemaker, Felix Peña or even a crew of relievers. He opted against Peña because he’s already thrown 126 innings between the minors and majors, about double what he threw last year as a reliever in the Cubs’ system. Peña finishes his season with a 4.18 ERA, including 4.00 in his 17 starts. Scioscia said Peña “had a great run for us. He learned a lot.”

UP NEXT

Angels (LHP Tyler Skaggs, 8-9, 3.91) vs. A’s (TBA), Saturday, 6 p.m., Fox Sports West, KLAA (830 AM)

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[eligrba]

20 hours ago, AngelsWin.com said:

"This is a great clubhouse,” he said. “We had injuries and didn’t play as well as we wanted to, but people are going to come in prepared again next year to chase our goal of getting to the postseason. I enjoyed the season as much as you could. I enjoy the guys. I enjoy the atmosphere. I’m looking forward to next year.”

Scioscia is coming back!!

It makes sense if this is really the clubhouse reality.

[Angel Oracle]

I am beginning to see it that way.

I’m pretty okay with either decision made with Scioscia.   If they bring him back, don’t do it for any more than 2 years at a time this time.

[hangin n wangin]

It’s never a smooth ride with Upton, but he still ends up with his counting stats.