Re: Stuck in a slump

看板Diamondbacks作者mittermeyer (真的真的好想休息)時間12年前 (2012/09/30 17:54)推噓11(11推 0噓 7→)

留言18則, 5人參與討論串2/4 (看更多)

"I BELIEVE I'M capable of being No. 1," Upton says a few weeks later as he sprawls across a couch in his townhouse. Even lying down, he looks like a coiled spring -- 6'2" and a lean 205 pounds, a mass of sinewy limbs and fast-twitch fibers. "I expect to come in, hit for power, hit for average and steal bases," he says, jabbing his finger into a cushion. "I hit 31 home runs last year. I want to hit 35. I hit .289. I want to hit .310. I stole 21 bases. I want to steal 30. Do I want to do the same thing again? That's a little boring." 「我相信我有能力成為天下第一。」幾個禮拜後，Upton輕鬆地躺在自家的沙發上說著，就算是這樣躺著，他看起來仍然像個螺旋彈簧─6呎2，接近205磅，發達的四肢和渾身的肌肉。「我希望能在大舞台上，展現長打力、安打一直打，然後在壘上搞破壞。」他邊說邊用手指戳著沙發的彈簧。「去年我打了31發全壘打，希望今年有35發。去年0.289的打率能夠提升到0.310，盜壘數從21進步到30。想要跟去年一樣？那有點無聊吧。」 Growing up in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, nothing came easier to Upton than baseball. He learned hitting from his father, a former college athlete who once worked as a scout for the Royals and White Sox. He learned the value of competition from older brother B.J., the Rays outfielder selected second overall in 2002. As a 10-year-old, the younger Upton was pitched around as if he were Babe Ruth. By 2005, he was 17 and tearing up teenage pitchers as a shortstop for Great Bridge High School in Chesapeake. Scouts flocked to his games and saw a superstar: a power hitter's stroke from the right side; quick, strong hands that could place the ball anywhere on the field; great defensive instincts and a laser arm; and a lower body built like an Olympic athlete. After drafting him in '05, Arizona gave him what was then a record $6.1 million signing bonus. 在維吉尼亞州的Hapmton Roads區域長大，Upton生來就與棒球為伍，他從前任大學運動員，在皇家跟白襪當過球探的父親學來打擊技巧，並從他的哥哥，2002年選秀榜眼，現任光芒隊外野手B.J.那學會了競爭的可貴。10歲的時候，投手看到他就像看到Babe Ruth 一樣閃躲。2005年他17歲，在Chesapeake的Great Bridge高中擔任游擊手的Upton瘋狂屠殺同齡的選手。球探們蜂擁至有他的比賽，觀察這位未來的大物：強力右打者、快而有力的手能把球打向球場中的任何角落、優異的守備直覺及雷射肩、還有如同奧運選手般的穩健下盤。蛇蛇在05年選中他，並且給他破紀錄的6.1M簽約金。 Success came quickly. He was 18 years old with Class-A South Bend in 2006 when he hit 12 home runs, stole 15 bases and drove in 66 runs in 113 games. The next year, he shredded Double-A and was called up to Arizona in early August 2007, just shy of his 20th birthday. Five days later, he hit his first home run and fell a single short of the cycle. Still, Upton was, by his own admission, too naive and reckless as a rookie. He threw helmets and smashed bats in the dugout when he failed. He cut up his body when he leapt into an outfield wall. He flew up the first base line on routine infield choppers, not caring if he blew out a hamstring. He hit .221 in 140 at-bats. 成功來得很快。06年他18歲，在A的South Bend，113場比賽中他打出了12發全壘打、15 個盜壘及66分打點。隔年，他粉碎了AA然後在8月被叫上大聯盟，就在他生日的前一天。五天後，他打出大聯盟生涯第一發全壘打，只差一支一壘打就締造完全打擊。然而， Upton也承認，自己是好傻好天真的新人。當他失敗時，會在休息區內找棒子跟頭盔出氣他奮不顧身的撞進全壘打牆，他打出普通的滾地球後，仍飛奔到一壘，完全不管腳會不會受傷。那年他在140個打數的成績為0.221。 "At 19, I didn't think at all," Upton says. "I was a kid playing with grown men." 「19歲那年，我啥都沒想。」Upton說。「根本就是越級打怪。」 The following season, he exploded out of the gates, batting .415 with five home runs in his first 11 games. But he hit only .216 in May, then .123 in June. He lost time to an oblique injury and worried constantly about his production. He became sullen after losses. During the season, Arizona's medical staff asked Peter Crone, the team's "performance specialist," to meet with Upton. The two sat on a training table one day and talked about rising expectations. "He had this immense talent that everyone wanted to draw out of him," says Crone, who works as a mental coach in California. "The first thing I wanted Justin to do was to accept himself." 隔年球季，他突破障礙，頭11場比賽打出0.415及5發全壘打。但他五月只打了0.216，六月更慘，0.123。接著他因外斜肌拉傷缺陣，常常陷入打不出來的焦慮，輸球後變得鬱鬱寡歡。季中，球隊醫療小組找來Peter Crone，球隊的「表現專家」與Upton懇談。他倆坐在訓練桌上，討論著旁人越來越大的期待。「他有每個人都想據為己有的天賦。」在加州擔任輔導老師的Crone說：「我要他Upton做的第一件事情是接受自己。」 In 2009, Upton's third season, he found his swagger. He hit 26 home runs, stole 20 bases, batted .300 and made his first All-Star team. At 21, he was the NL's pre-eminent young star. But he was also tagged with another label: immature. His dugout temper tantrums were beamed on TV highlights across the country. And at times, Upton would seem coolly disconnected. He blew pink-bubble-gum bubbles as he stood in the outfield or admired his home run blasts. 2009年，Upton的第三個球季，他找到了一片天，擊出26發全壘打，盜壘成功20次，三成打擊率及第一次入選明星隊。21歲的他已是頂尖的年輕球星，但也被貼上了這個標籤：不夠成熟。他在休息室開無雙的畫面，是全國電視網的常客。那時，他像是孤高的人，在外野吹著粉紅色的泡泡糖，還有臭屁的看著他的全壘打球。 "No one was there to talk to him, to sit him down and say, This is how things work in the major leagues," says Don Baylor, who was with the Rockies at the time and is now the Diamondbacks' hitting coach. "It was totally hands off." 「沒人想跟他打交道，甚至是坐在他旁邊聊天，這就是大聯盟的生態。」當時在洛磯隊任職，現任蛇隊打擊教練的Don Baylor表示。「這是完全的孤立。」 While Upton struggled with his image, Arizona clearly understood his value, signing him to a six-year, $51.25 million extension in 2010 and creating "Uptown," a section of bleacher seats behind the rightfield fence. But Upton slumped again at the season's start, finishing with just 18 home runs and 64 RBIs as Arizona went 65-97, the third-worst record in baseball. In the offseason, his name was mentioned in trade discussions. That left an indelible mark on him. "I was golfing with CY [Chris Young], and I read about it on my phone," Upton remembers. "I saw how much of a business this really is." 雖然Upton的形象受挫，球隊卻了解他的價值，與他簽下6年5125萬的延長合約，還在右外野看台上做了「Uptown」的牌子。但Upton季初又陷入低潮，整季只打出18發全壘打、 64分打點，球隊輸了97場球，聯盟倒數第三。季後，他的名字開始出現在交易討論中，這對他造成不可抹滅的陰影。「當時我在跟CY打小白球，然後我在電話中看到這些。」 Upton回憶：「我看到這些有幾分真實。」 Upton wasn't dealt, and the doubts seemed to motivate him. In 2011, he had the best season of his career, leading his team to its second playoff appearance in four years. By year's end, he already had 91 career home runs, fifth most among active players 23 or younger. Coming into 2012, his numbers were comparable to those of Cal Ripken Jr., Eddie Murray and Ron Santo at a similar age. "This season is just another step in J-Up becoming a Hall of Fame player," says Young, who plays next to Upton in the outfield. Upton並未被交易，然而這啟發了他。2011年，他打出了生涯最好的成績，帶領球隊打入四年不見的季後賽。球季結束，他生涯已有91發的全壘打，在23歲以下的球員是第五多的。2012年球季開打前，他的成績可與Cal Ripken Jr.、Eddie Murray和Ron Santo等神級球員同齡的成績相比。「今年只是J-Up邁向名人堂的一小步。」守位相鄰的隊友Chris Young表示。 In early April, though, Upton injured his left thumb trying to break up a double play. The team sent him to a specialist, who drained the joint. But the fluid eventually returned, and when management suggested that Upton take a couple of weeks off to recover, he refused. It was for noble reasons. By that time, Young had landed on the 15-day disabled list with a bruised shoulder, and shortstop Stephen Drew was still absent following a gruesome ankle dislocation a year earlier. The team could ill afford to lose another high-profile bat. But Upton's decision was not for public consumption or a play for headlines and blog posts. Instead, behind closed doors he had made a subtle point: When his teammates needed someone to step up, they could depend on him. 四月初，Upton在破壞對手雙殺時傷了左手拇指。球隊把他送到專科醫生那裏，緊急進行關節排液。但情況終未好轉，球隊希望他休息幾個星期，他拒絕了。也許是為了冠冕堂皇的理由，但那時，Young因肩傷進入傷兵名單，Drew仍因去年恐怖的腳踝傷勢缺陣，球隊不能再少一門主砲了，但Upton的決定並非為了廣大球迷，也不是為了搏版面。相對的，在球隊內部，他表明了一件事：如果他的隊友需要有人挺身而出，他是可靠的對象。 By mid-May, though, Upton has only three home runs and nine RBIs, and Arizona is a dismal 15-21. Upton refuses to make the thumb an excuse, saying, "I chose to play," but he's struggling to catch up to fastballs, and squaring up a curveball seems an impossibility. 然而到了五月中，Upton只有3發全壘打跟9分打點，響尾蛇隊只有悽慘的15勝21負。Upton 不讓拇指成為他的理由：「是我自己要打的。」但是他沒辦法打速球，似乎也不可能抓到曲球。 Back on his couch in the family room, Upton looks at his thumb, slowly flexes his oversize hand and grimaces. "I'm not seeing the ball," he admits. It seems everyone wants to help. He's called his father, who studies his son's swing with the attention of a surgeon. Upton has also spoken with Crone and Baylor, who is convinced his star hitter's slump is mostly mental. "I told him to clear his mind," Baylor says. "He's got to take all that junk out of the garage and clean it out." His anxiety, the coach says, leads to an all-consuming desire to become too perfect, to focus on the minutiae of an at-bat rather than to simply go up, see a pitch and bash the hell out of it. It's a mindset that Upton just can't seem to grasp. 回到家中的沙發上，Upton看著他的拇指，慢慢地動著手，滿臉愁容。「我打擊時沒在看球。」他承認。他打給與醫生研究兒子揮擊的父親，也與Crone跟Baylor聊過。Baylor 相信他隊上明星球員的問題出在心理。「我叫他要心無旁騖。」Baylor說。「他得把那些無聊的事情拋諸腦後，六根清淨。」Baylor認為他的焦慮，導致他野心過大事事要求完美，注意打擊的細節，而不是單純的上場然後把球打出去。他似乎沒辦法掌握這種心態 "Three times in my career I've gone through a monthlong slump," Upton says. "I'm getting really frustrated with it. I'm starting to think it's me. I'm the one causing it." 「我曾經有三次低潮長達一個月以上。」Upton說。「我對此真的很沮喪，我開始覺得是我，我是始作俑者。」 (待續...) -- ※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 114.25.47.6

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