MLB Network: Justin Upton A Top-10 Left Fielder
By: Will Burchfield
@burchie_kid
For all the handwringing over Justin Upton's performance last season, the fact remains the Tigers have one of the top left fielders in the game. That's according to MLB Network, which ranked Upton seventh among players at his position heading into the 2017 season.
Upton was ranked one spot ahead of the Astros' Carlos Beltran and one spot behind the Cardinals' Randal Grichuk. The Brewers' Ryan Braun led the way.
In his first season with the Tigers, Upton rebounded after a brutal first half to post 31 home runs, 87 RBI and a .775 OPS. To some, these numbers failed to justify Upton's $22,125,00 annual salary, although the market said just the opposite.
Meanwhile, within the context of his career, Upton's 2016 production was pretty much on par.
MLB Network compiled its positional rankings based on the following criteria:
"Taking into account player performance over several seasons with an emphasis on 2016, a number of offensive and defensive metrics both advanced and traditional, and projected performance for the upcoming season, MLB Network's Top 10 Right Now! series ranks the top players at each position heading into the 2017 season."
The complete ranking for left fielders is below.
1. Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers
2. Yoenis Cespedes, New York Mets
3. Starling Marte, Pittsburgh Pirates
4. Khris Davis, Oakland Athletics
5. Michael Brantley, Cleveland Indians
6. Randal Grichuk, St. Louis Cardinals
7. Justin Upton, Detroit Tigers
8. Carlos Beltran, Houston Astros
9. Brett Gardner, New York Yankees
10. Adam Duvall, Cincinnati Reds
In addition to Upton, Ian Kinsler ranked fifth on MLB Network's Top 10 Second Basemen list last week.
