ATLANTA — There have been and will be signs in the Chase Field bleachers this week professing the Diamondbacks fans miss Justin Upton in their own team's uniform, but it's hard to imagine they wanted to see the 25-year-old slugger play quite so well in his homecoming.
Upton, who went 4-for-5 with one home run in Game 1 of his return series, has immediately become the star Atlanta believed it traded for back in late January, when general manager Frank Wren moved Martin Prado, Randall Delgado and a couple minor league players for Upton and third baseman Chris Johnson. Of course, the fact that Johnson is in the middle of a career year only tips the scale even more.
With the road trip almost over, the Chopcast team — Zach Dillard, Cory McCartney and Jay Clemons — discuss Upton's continued success, Johnson's continued production and more Braves news and notes. Here are the highlights:
-- It's getting to be an old storyline by now, but after watching Upton torch his former team in Game 1, just how lopsided does the trade look now? Was there any intentional vengeance in Upton's performance?
-- Does Prado's continued struggles (-0.5 WAR entering Tuesday's game) provide more optimism or pessimism?
-- Is Mike Minor among the best No. 3 starters in all of baseball?
-- Why are the Braves tied for the fewest outfield assists in the league?
