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B.J. Upton has good memories with the Rays

The former Rays outfielder waxed nostalgic after signing a $75 million dollar contract. Perhaps he'll blow his nose with a $100 bill.

By Ben Gellman-Chomsky
Daniel Shirey-US PRESSWIRE

Outfielder B.J. Upton is leaving the Tampa Bay Rays and the AL East for the Atlanta Braves and the Senior Circuit, but he says he'll look back fondly on his time with the Rays.

Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes that Upton expressed gratitude to the fans of Tampa Bay for all their support over the years. The star outfielder told Topkin that he "look[s] back on my time in Tampa with a lot of great memories and a lot of great teammates. I grew up in the big leagues, so there were a lot of ups and down. But I wouldn't change a thing."

Upton established himself as one of the premier power-speed threats in the game during his time with the Rays. Over eight seasons with Tampa Bay, Upton amassed 118 homers and 232 stolen bases. During his six full seasons, he averaged 19 homers and 36 stolen bases. However, his best season came in 2007 (.894 OPS), and he hasn't been able to match or top that success since (.746 OPS from 2008-2012).


Photographs by cstreet.us, thelastminute, turtlemom nancy , fesek, kthypryn, justinwright, sue_elias, pointnshoot, and scrapstothefuture used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.