What is Justin Upton's Net Worth and Salary?
Justin Upton is a professional baseball player who has a net worth of $90 million. Justin Upton has played for various MLB teams since he debuted in 2007, including the Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres, Detroit Tigers, and Los Angeles Angels. Among his many career accomplishments, he won Silver Slugger Awards in 2011, 2014, and 2017. While playing for the Braves and the Padres, his brother B.J Upton was his teammate. He earned around $200 million in salary during his career.
Early Life and Education
Justin Upton was born on August 25, 1987 in Norfolk, Virginia to Yvonne and Melvin. His mother was a teacher, while his father worked variously as a scout for the Kansas City Royals, a college basketball referee, and a mortgage broker. With his older brother B.J., Upton played baseball growing up. He was an all-district shortstop at Great Bridge High School in Chesapeake, Virginia, where he also won the AFLAC National High School Player of the Year Award. In college, Upton played baseball for the North Carolina State University Wolfpack.
Arizona Diamondbacks
In the 2005 MLB draft, Upton was chosen with the first overall pick by the Arizona Diamondbacks. He spent his first professional season in the minors with the Class-A South Bend Silver Hawks, and after that played for the Class-A Advanced Visalia Oaks and the Class AA Mobile BayBears. In August of 2007, Upton was called up to the Diamondbacks. He finished his rookie season for the team batting .221 with two home runs and 11 RBI. Upton fared better in the postseason, batting .357 as the Diamondbacks reached the NLCS. Although he had a relatively strong 2008 season, some cold streaks and a left oblique injury put a damper on his overall performance. Upton finished the season batting .250 with 15 home runs and 42 RBI. Despite sustaining another oblique injury, he was more impressive in 2009, leading the Diamondbacks in both batting average, with .300, and hits, with 158. Upton also recorded 26 home runs and 86 RBI in 2009.
In early 2010, Upton signed a six-year contract extension with the Diamondbacks. However, his 2010 season was truncated due to another oblique injury. He finished with a .273 batting average to go along with 17 home runs and 69 RBI. Upton had one of his best career seasons in 2011, batting .289 with 31 home runs and scoring the second-most runs in the National League, with 105. For his season, he won the Fielding Bible Award and his first Silver Slugger Award. In 2012, his final season with the Diamondbacks, Upton hit his 100th career home run in an August game against the Philadelphia Phillies. He finished the season tied for second in the National League in runs scored, with 107. After the season, Upton declined a trade to the Seattle Mariners.
Atlanta Braves
Upton was traded to the Atlanta Braves in early 2013. Because of the trade, Upton became a teammate of his brother B.J. In an April game against the Colorado Rockies, the brothers hit back-to-back home runs. They finished their time together for the Braves having homered in the same game on five different occasions, a record for brothers in MLB.
San Diego Padres
In late 2014, Upton was traded to the San Diego Padres. On the team, he was reunited with his brother B.J., who was traded to the Padres in the spring of 2015. Upton spent one season with the team, hitting .251 with 26 home runs and 81 RBI. He subsequently filed for free agency.
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Detroit Tigers
Upton signed a six-year contract with the Detroit Lions in early 2016, with the option to pursue free agency after the 2017 season. That summer, he hit his 200th career home run. Upton finished the season with a .246 batting average, 31 home runs, and 87 RBI.
Los Angeles Angels
Toward the end of the 2017 season, the Tigers traded Upton to the Los Angeles Angels. He finished the season with a .273 batting average and career highs of 35 home runs and 109 RBI, and won his third career Silver Slugger Award. In November, Upton re-signed with the Angels on a five-year contract. He went on to bat .257 and record 30 home runs and 85 RBI in 2018. In 2019, Upton batted .215 with 12 home runs and 40 RBI before his season was curtailed due to a knee injury; he only appeared in 63 games that season. During the COVID-shortened 2020 season, Upton scored his 300th career home run, and in 2021 recorded his 1,000th career RBI. He was released by the Angels in April of 2022, having spent five years with the team.
Seattle Mariners
In May of 2022, Upton signed a contract with the Seattle Mariners. The team optioned him to the Triple-A minors in July, but he declined and chose free agency instead.
Personal Life
With his wife Ashley, Upton has two daughters named Sydnee and Evyn. The latter was diagnosed with Emanuel syndrome, a rare disorder that Upton and his wife work to raise awareness of.
Newport Beach Mansion
In March of 2020 Justin paid $4.726 million for a 6,000 square foot mansion in Newport Beach, California. He listed this home for sale in September 2023 for $6.795 million. Here is a video tour:
Other Real Estate
In 2022 Justin paid $4.5 million for a 4,700 square foot home in Flagstaff, Arizona. He listed this home for sale in February 2024 for $5 million.
