In fact, in some ways, it was historic.

At the age of 20, Upton compiled an OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging) of .816. To put that in perspective, only 13 players have had better seasons at that age, and the list includes legends like Mel Ott, Ted Williams, Mickey Mantle, Ty Cobb and Willie Mays.

Upton, though, was far from satisfied with hitting .250 with 15 homers and 42 RBIs in 108 games.

"I wasn't exactly happy with last year," Upton said. "I missed somewhere around 45 games. I mean, there were some shades of daylight where I played fairly well, but there were also times where I didn't play so well."

An oblique injury kept the right fielder out of action from July 18 to Aug. 29, and manager Bob Melvin said the timing was particularly bad, because he felt Upton was starting to find his groove at the plate at the time of the injury.

The injury left a lasting impression on Upton, who is determined not to repeat the experience.

"I'm more on a routine this year, more so because I'm trying to keep myself healthy," Upton said. "Last year, I ran into some issues with my core and stuff -- the oblique injury -- and this year, I'm trying to stay on top of that stuff and stay strong for the whole season. I focused a little more on strengthening my core during the offseason. Obviously, that weakness showed last year."

Success came to Upton at a young age. As a senior in high school, Baseball America ranked him as the best athlete, best five-tool talent, best pure hitter, fastest baserunner, best defensive player and the closest to the Majors among high-school players.

In short, he was pretty darned good.

Upton put up decent numbers in his first year of pro ball -- a .263 average, 28 doubles, 12 homers and 66 RBIs at Class A South Bend. But respectable was not his goal, and that season increased his desire to get better.

"Since '06, when I didn't perform the way I thought I should have in South Bend, I've taken it upon myself to make myself better," Upton said. "The oblique injury last year increased that, and I started thinking maybe there was more I could be doing for myself."

One of those things is extra work on his defense. In fairness, Upton, a shortstop in high school, had only played a handful of games in right field before being called up to the big leagues in August 2007.

Still, he is well aware that his 11 errors last year -- the highest total among outfielders -- were unacceptable.

"I think the more reps I get, the better I'm going to get," Upton said. "I'm feeling a little more confident out there and getting a lot of work out there this spring. I think I can play at a high level in the outfield, it's just going to take some time, and one day it's going to click. It's going to be one of those things where one day people are going to say, 'This kid can play right field.'"

If new first-base coach Lorenzo Bundy has his way, that will be sooner rather than later. Bundy has been working overtime with Upton on all aspects of outfield play -- from catching balls at the wall to simply picking up a ball with his bare hand and hitting the cutoff man.

"He's been on the fast track, but he knows he has to get better, and he knows he has to work at it," Bundy said. "His time and effort are going to be asked for this Spring Training, and so far, he's accepted the challenge."

Consistency will be a key for Upton in 2009. Last year, he started out hot, hitting .340 in April, and seemed to be on his way to a monster season.

As good as April was, a stretch from mid-May to mid-June was bad. From May 18 to June 17, Upton hit just .103 and struck out a whopping 42 times in 78 at-bats.

"I think any player who struggles, if they handle it the right way, will come out for the better," Upton said. "There was a definite cloud when I was struggling, and I was still trying to figure things out. It's something that I hope I can avoid in the future -- at least the prolonged streak like that where I struggle. Hopefully, I can come out of things faster if it happens again and be more consistent."