The Tigers may have been interested in Justin Upton for some time now, but they certainly were not favorites, nevertheless mentioned a lot when the free agent’s name came up in discussions. Upton may be a great bat to add to the lineup, and got the contract he deserved, but the big unanswered question about the signing is concerning the longevity of the contract. Upton has an opt-out clause after the second season (17’), but if he elects not to, than it’s a total of 6 years in a Tigers uniform. Detroit has huge impactful contracts on the books right now with Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander signed through at least 2019. However, both stars/leaders are showing fatigue, resulting in a drop in numbers. Still young at 28-years-old, and moving from tough pitching in the NL West to becoming part of a slugger fest lineup in the AL Central, Upton is certainly in his prime for a while longer, so will he silently become the Tigers’ captain (at least on the field)?
Borrowing the thought of JD Martinez repeating his breakout 2015 campaign, new guy Upton will be the outfield leader, despite probably playing in left (centerfielder usually has right of way). Yes, the lineup in 2016 for the Tigers will be dominantly right-handed hitters, so it’s a good thing that Upton has hit 15 points higher against right-handed pitching than left the last 3 years, while powering 58 homers as well. His WAR was the second highest of his career in 2015, 4.4. He has been more consistent with his glove recently as he has had less than 8 errors/season since 2012 when he committed 13. Miggy is putting up huge numbers still, but they have been diminishing, only appearing in 119 games in 2015, and hitting less than 30 homers in 2014 (the first time since 2006). Verlander has lost his fastball velocity he once had, and is now developing as a finesse starter. They may still be fan favorites, but if Upton quietly complies huge numbers, while the old stars are noticeably down playing, Justin may emerge as the new leader. With age, and question marks on the pitching staff weighing down on the Tigers, the time to win is now; after that (and if the team doesn’t win), fans might see the departure of V-Mart, Miggy, and others via trade, leaving Upton still young and producing (if he doesn’t opt out). But, from previous locker room reports, Upton tends to resemble the traits that don’t exactly spell leader. What will he have to do to make his mark on Detroit?
