Wonder Twins Interviewed by BP

BP: Upton in particular has been a source for debate. His defense has been erratic at shortstop. There are people who believe his bat could play anywhere on the diamond, but obviously he?d have more value as a shortstop than say, a corner outfielder. What position do you see Upton playing long-term?

Friedman: We see him as a shortstop. One of the reasons that players get moved off of shortstop in the majors is a lack of range or arm strength. B.J. possesses both of those things, they?re both pluses. People forget he played in Triple-A at 20 years old. We?ve allocated resources and worked with him to become the above-average shortstop we think he can be. One skill we think can get better through repetition is infield defense--that is, consistency as an infielder. If a player possesses range, arm strength and hands, it becomes a matter of getting the repetition. We?ve had people like Ozzie Smith and Tom Foley work with him, developing a plan to get him where we want him to be. B.J.?s an extremely hard worker, he just didn?t know what to work on in the past. We expect him to become an above-average major league shortstop, and he does too. As far as when that will happen, that?s hard to say. We definitely think his bat is ready, but he needs to continue to work on his defense. We wouldn?t bet against B.J. Upton doing anything.