DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Call them Baseball's Elite Eight. You have Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, Mookie Betts, Wil Myers, Jose Altuve, Ian Desmond, Paul Goldschmidt and ... Melvin Upton Jr.?
Many would be surprised Upton would be in such elite company, but the Blue Jays outfielder joined the others last season as exclusive members of baseball's 20/20 club, hitting at least 20 home runs while stealing 20 bases.
"It's something that's really rare in today's game and he's one of those guys, which is [impressive considering] when he came over here he wasn't an everyday player," Blue Jays outfielder Kevin Pillar said in appreciation of his fellow outfielder's journey.