In 2011, the Arizona Diamondbacks had their big breakout year. Their right-fielder also had his big breakout year in 2011 and looks poised to build on the season in which he finished 4th in the NL MVP voting. Justin Upton has finally put together the season that Diamondback fans have been waiting for since he was called up to the majors at the ripe age of 19. The 2012 season seems to be shaping into the "perfect storm" for the Dbacks superstar.
When the Diamondbacks won the NL West last season they insured one thing: that the entire city and state would benefit from the win by gaining national attention. Going into training camp last year you would have been hard-pressed to find a team less relevant to the national spotlight. Similarly, Justin Upton was coming off of a disappointing year; where he took a step back from his All-Star season the year prior. Now in 2012, the attention has definitely taken a shift to the Diamondbacks and specifically Justin Upton.
Justin Upton is positioned to put together the type of year that defines a career, and in this case, potentially defines a Hall of Fame career. A step forward from last year would put him alongside the Albert Pujols and the Alex Rodriguez's of the league in terms of star power. It would be the year that he gave the Diamondbacks their national identity, which would parallel with what hometown favorite superstars Steve Nash and Larry Fitzgerald have done for the Phoenix Suns and the Arizona Cardinals.
This year will be filled with nothing but high-expectations for the Diamondbacks and their superstar to surpass, and Diamondback fans just can't wait!
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