Justin Upton’s Brave new world
C1 5-game win streak snapped: The D-Backs lose to the Phillies, 3-1. C1, 6 After six up-and-down seasons in Arizona, Justin Upton returns to Chase Field this week as a thriving member of the Atlanta Braves.
Ken Kendrick is right more often than he’s wrong. But he makes some silly mistakes.
He should not dictate what people wear in his stadium, even if enemy gear behind home plate makes Chase Field look like a picnic ground for infidels.
To demand otherwise is unbecoming and un-American.
The Diamondbacks’ majority owner also believed he didn’t need Justin Upton or a star attraction to market his franchise. Play the right way, he said, and the team
will be the star.
Please. Has he learned nothing of this fickle market? Bore us for a minute, and we’re outta here.
Fortunately, the loss of Upton’s drawing card is being replaced by something new and exciting.
Rookie shortstop Didi Gregorius is giving the Diamondbacks a livewire, must-watch player whenever the Diamondbacks are in the field. The other night, a spectator at Chase Field wished every ball could be hit in his direction.
The bullpen surely feels the same way.
Paul Goldschmidt does the same when the Diamondbacks are on offense. He has become a terrifying hitter, with massive shoulders built to carry an entire team, like he did in a recent sweep of the Dodgers.
Both are organic, natural attractions. They might be superstars. They are the kind of players that people want to see in person, if only to get the full effect. And no matter what Kendrick says, turnstile attractions are exactly what his team needs, especially on the eve of a contentious homecoming.
The impending series against Upton and the Braves feels like a seismic event. A controversial trade will be rehashed. Experts will again wonder what the Diamondbacks were thinking, and the early-season struggles of Martin Prado will provide little relief.
That’s where two G’s buys Kendrick some time and credibility. Gregorius brings great energy to the field, even if some offensive regression is inevitable. The latter isn’t a concern with Goldschmidt, who has uncanny plate discipline, light-tower power and a wonderful approach to the game.
This is how fast Goldschmidt has grown in stature: He signed a fiveyear, $32 million extension in late March, and two months later, the contract seems to be a steal for the Diamondbacks.
“I hope it turns out to be a good deal, because that means I played well,” Goldschmidt said. “I’d rather have it be that than I ripped the Diamondbacks off, because that would mean I didn’t play well for the next five to six years. That’s kind of the way I look at it.
“When we came to an agreement, I was very happy about it and will be for the rest of my life. So I’m glad how everything worked out, and whatever happens in the future has no bearing on how I feel about the contract. I’m very excited to be here. I love everything about the fans, the organization and the city.”
Across the board, Goldschmidt couldn’t be more impressive, even if his level of humility borders on the absurd.
Asked about his heavy lifting in Los Angeles — where he collected four home runs and nine RBIs, including three RBIs in each game — and he refused to acknowledge putting the team on his back:
“I don’t know about that,” he said. “We had a lot of guys contribute and lot of guys did some great things.”
Same deal with Heath Bell’s recent claim that Goldschmidt would be a big star if he played on the East Coast.
“That’s high praise,” he said. “I don’t know if he’s right or not. There’s a ton of good players. And it’s not something I’m really concerned with.”
Somewhere along the way, Goldschmidt decided it was best to fly under the radar, to divert attention from his own success. Maybe he had a minor-league slump that scarred him forever.
Or maybe he’s deferring to Kirk Gibson’s clubhouse culture, where focus on individual achievement is frowned upon, where egoless players are showered with praise for not desiring anything more than the collective ‘we’ can provide.
But Gibson can’t stop Goldschmidt from becoming a star. That’s for fans to decide, not the manager. And in the end, the giant slugger might be the perfect antidote to any lingering regrets over Upton. To wit:
The other night, Goldschmidt left Dodger Stadium with a black cowboy hat. It was something he purchased in Colorado, on a whimsical shopping excursion with teammates. When asked if that hat revealed something about his personality, Goldschmidt again shut the doors.
“Not at all,” he said. “I wish. But I didn’t grow up doing any cowboy stuff.”
Still, the archetype is extremely popular in Arizona. Cowboys are the strong, silent type. They are honorable, dependable and chivalrous. They prefer action, and not words.
That description seems to fit Goldschmidt pretty well.
Except this cowboy also hits clutch home runs off great pitchers. He’s better suited for a white hat. And fortunately for Kendrick, he’s the best reason to come to Chase Field on Monday, not the guy who once had his own sign and section in the right-field bleachers.