B.J. Upton's real name is Melvin.
B.J. Upton has had a terrible couple of years with Atlanta, hovering below or near the Mendoza Line while putting up positively Punto-esque OPS numbers.
So now B.J. Upton is going by Melvin Upton. But it's not because he's been terrible or needs a fresh start (except that it probably is).
"This has nothing to do with starting a new chapter," he told reporters. "I just wanted to. My father thought enough to give me his name, so why not?" Upton will use his birth name this season after long going by B.J., short for Bossman — his father, Manny's, nickname — Junior. Upton's full name is Melvin Emanuel Upton. Upton said Monday that most of his friends already call him "Mel or Melvin." "Nobody really calls me B.J., except at the stadium," he said.
That all makes sense, but … still, it will be nice for him to tell people, "I hit .184 in 2013? Nah, wasn't me. That was B.J." The sad face in all this is that his brother Justin Upton, who hasn't been terrible and who used to play for the Braves before signing with the Padres, will get tangled up in all the name confusion.
