ATLANTA — Justin Upton all but owns the city of Atlanta at the moment.
We're all just waiting for mayor Kasim Reed to make it official.
The Braves most accomplished addition this offseason has taken not only the city by storm, but also baseball with his immediate impact on the team's new-look roster. The youngest of Atlanta's brotherly duo — B.J. Upton is off to a slower start — has accounted for six home runs, eight RBI and is slugging a ridiculous 1.107 entering Tuesday night's game against the Marlins.
In short, he's been one of the two or three best players in baseball to start the 2013 season.
Granted, it's far too early to be making judgment calls on offseason moves, but general manager Frank Wren has to be feeling quite pleased at the moment. Through seven games, his franchise boasts the biggest free agency/trade steal of the year. Our team discusses his and the Braves' fast start in the latest edition of the Chopcast.
Here are some of the highlights:
-- Should Braves fans be questioning the Justin Upton-Martin Prado trade now?
-- Could anyone have expected this type of ethereal start for the team's 25-year-old left fielder?
-- The other parts of the celebrated outfield — B.J. and Jason Heyward — are off to slower starts. Is there any concern there? Is B.J. Upton hitting in the right spot in the order?
-- Evan Gattis is living up to his folk hero legend. Does Atlanta have a decision to make when Brian McCann returns from injury?
-- The pitching staff, especially Paul Maholm, has been somewhat overshadowed by its high-scoring offense. But is there is genuine reason to believe the group could do great things in 2013? Can Maholm (2-0, 0.00 ERA, 13 strikeouts) stay on top of his game?
