Justin Upton knows his defense is a work in progress

For all he can do at the plate, Justin Upton still has his
share of struggles in the outfield.

The 24-year-old who committed 13 errors in 2011 already
has
one this season, and that number does not include balls
he’s
misplayed in right.

Needless to say, Upton still has room to improve
defensively. And he knows it.

“I’ve been playing the outfield for six years now, so I’m
still working on it,” Upton told Grantland.com over the weekend in
Colorado.

The good news for Upton is he shares the outfield with a
couple of excellent defenders, including Gold Glove winner
Gerardo Parra.

So, if the All-Star wants some pointers, he has plenty of
places to turn.

“Parra’s got a great arm; he really knows how to use his
arm well in games,” Upton said. “Me and him messed around
in spring training, trying to work on a couple of things
with my throwing.

“Chris is just a great guy to watch. He gets great jumps
in the outfield, does a great job of playing angles and
getting to the ball. We all work closely together in
spring training. I’m always trying to pick up little
things from them.”

Justin Upton is by no means a finished product, but he’s
aware of where he needs to improve and has the necessary
resources available to do just that.

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