Detroit Tigers: Justin Upton Might be Fixed
By Matt Snyder
Detroit Tigers outfielder Justin Upton has begun the month of June with a strong showing at the plate, a hopeful sign that he’s returning to his career form.
Justin Upton didn’t have his best hitting game of the season on Monday in the Detroit Tigers‘ 11-0 win over the Toronto Blue Jays — he went 4-5 with a home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates back on April 12 — but perhaps it was his second best.
Upton reached base three times on Monday night and showed his power and speed with a home run and a stolen base. He was, for one of the precious few times this season, exactly the player the Tigers signed him to be.
The season has certainly been a disappointment for Upton. His .225/.274/.343 batting line would be the worst of his career, though similar to the number he posted as a 19-year-old rookie.
It always seemed obvious that Upton would eventually turn a corner and begin hitting like he’s always been capable of but in the depths of his struggles he looked completely lost. Perhaps now he’s found his way.
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MLive reported on May 31 that Brad Ausmus and Upton sat together in the video room of Angle Stadium to watch footage of Upton’s swing from previous seasons.
"“There’s no question in my mind it’s mechanical, or it started out mechanical, and it’s become a little bit mental,” Ausmus said. “At some point, you have to just erase and wipe the slate clean mentally and just say, ‘Hey, we’re going to fix this.’“It might take time, but we’re going to fix this.”"
We’re still not sure if Upton is indeed fixed, but early returns are at least promising. Int he six games (26 PA) since the video session, Upton is hitting .304/.385/.609 with a pair of home runs and has seen his strikeout rate return to a more normal 23%.
The sample size is too small to declare Upton to be back to form, but smart money would seem to be on the “fix” sticking. Perhaps he won’t continue to hit at .990+ OPS rates, but expecting an OPS around .800 the rest of the way isn’t unreasonable.
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If Upton can continue to hit like he has throughout his major league career, the Detroit Tigers offense could jump from good to great, as we’ve seen in recent days.