#4 Most Disliked Braves Player – Melvin “B.J.” Upton
A lot of similarities here between Uggla and B.J. Upton. In 2013 Upton signed what was at the time the largest free agent contract the Braves had ever dished out at five years and $75 million. Along with his brother Justin who the Braves had acquired via trade, there was a lot of hope that they would be cornerstones of the franchise for years to come.
It didn’t pan out. Upton pretty much was terrible from day one. I had the privilege of being in attendance on Apr 6th, 2013, at Turner Field in the game against the Cubs where B.J. tied the game with a homer and Justin walked it off. It was an awesome moment. Unfortunately, that was one of the lone highlights of Upton’s brief tenure in Atlanta.
There’s not much to really say here about Upton’s stint with the Braves because he basically did nothing, and when you’re paying a player $75 million nothing just doesn’t cut it with the fanbase. The contract definitely was a part of the reason the Braves franchise went into rebuild mode.
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