In an effort to find to bring a new angle to the routine nature of season previews, last year New English D ran a season preview series based on the team’s nine most pivotal players. We be called the series “2016 Bellwethers,” broke down the players whose 2016 direction would indicate where the Tigers were heading. Due to a solid response, the series is back for 2017. Keep in mind this is not a series about the most important Tigers, but rather the Tigers with the widest range of possible outcomes. You won’t see Miguel Cabrera featured, for example, because of his steady dominance of the league. Enjoy. | #9: James McCann and Alex Avila | #8: Victor Martinez | #7: Whoever Plays Center Field |#6: Jose Iglesias | #5 Jordan Zimmermann | #4: Daniel Norris | #3: Nick Castellanos

It might surprise you if you sort of tuned out down the stretch, but Justin Upton almost got himself back to his career norm for offensive production. He wound up with a 105 wRC+, which is only about 14 points behind his 119 career average. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not hyping a down year, but it could have been a lot worse if he hadn’t caught fire late.

Let’s go to the tape!

There were basically three Uptons. He was terrible, meh, and awesome. Through June 11th, he had a 61 wRC+ (235 PA). From June 12 to August 18, it was 82 wRC+ (235 PA). From August 19 to October 2, he had a 205 wRC+ (156 PA). Streakiness has been part of Upton’s game for a long time. It wasn’t weird that he was hot and cold, but when you’re cold right out of the gate with a new team that just gave you a lot of money, it’s easier to notice. When you suck in April, it takes the entire season to repair your stat line. If you suck in June, it’s kind of hidden.

There isn’t anything interesting to say that hasn’t been said. At the end of the day, he struckout a little too much and didn’t make up for it with any sort of power spike. That changed as the season went on, but he looked lost for the first couple months. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with Upton. This is who he is. He was adjusting to a new city and new league and it took some time. That doesn’t mean he won’t have bad streaks in 2017, just that his late-2016 hot streak will probably put his mind at ease a bit.

If Upton can avoid a sustained period of trouble in 2017, he’ll give the Tigers a boost. They need him. JD Martinez is hurt, Cabrera and Victor are getting older, and Castellanos is a bit of a wild card. Upton has to be that 130 wRC+ guy in the middle of the order who you can count on every day. If Upton doesn’t have a good year, it’s hard to picture the Tigers in the playoffs, but if he has a great year, it’s difficult to imagine they’ll be out of the race at all.