The Detroit Tigers have moved 31-year old righty swinging Brandon Inge back to 3B where he will be starting once again. Inge provides some power but he’s also a outstanding defender at the hot corner. Inge played 51 games at 3B for the Tigers last season and he only made 1 error while showing outstanding range. He could win a Gold Glove in 2009 at 3B. Inge played in 113 games for the Tigers last season and he was 71 for 347 (.205 avg, .672 OPS) with 41 runs scored, 11 homers, 51 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. The Tigers are hoping that he hits better in 2009.

26-year old lefty swinging Jeff Larish is the #5 prospect in the Tigers’ minor league system according to Baseball America. He played in 42 games with the Tigers last season and he was 27 for 104 (.260 avg, .681 OPS) with 12 runs scored, 2 homers and 16 RBIs. Larish only played in 12 games at 3B for the Tigers last season and he made 2 errors while showing pretty good range. He also played in 103 games in AAA-ball last season in which he was 96 for 384 (.250 avg, .818 OPS) with 49 runs scored,21 homers and 64 RBIs. He will likely get the first shot to replace Brandon Inge if he doesn’t hit in 2009.

31-year old righty swinging Mike Hessman had a outstanding season last year and the Tigers could give him a chance at some point in 2009 to prove it wasn’t a fluke. He played in 12 games for the Tigers last season and he was 8 for 27 (.296 avg, 1.276 OPS) with 6 runs scored, 5 homers and 7 RBIs. Hessman played in 12 games at 3B for the Tigers last season and he only made 1 error there while showing outstanding range. Hessman also played in 108 games in AAA-ball last season and he was 108 for 399 (.271 avg, .976 OPS) with 83 runs scored, 34 homers and 72 RBIs.

Ramon Santiago could also get some playing time at 3B in 2008 but he’s not much of a defender there. He played in 6 games at 3B for the Tigers last season and he made 2 errors while showing terrible range. He’s best kept in the middle of the infield.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009 SEASON: C-

The Tigers signed 32-year old righty swinging Adam Everett to start at shortstop in 2009. Everett played in 48 games for the Twins last season and he was 27 for 127 (.213 avg, .601 OPS) with 19 runs scored, 2 homers and 20 RBIs. The Tigers are hoping that Everett can hit his career averages of .246 with a .653 OPS in 697 major league games. Everett made 7 errors in 44 games at shortstop for the Twins last season while showing off outstanding range. Everett should make a great DP partner to Placido Polanco in 2009.

Ramon Santiago will be Everett’s backup in 2009. He only made 3 errors in 33 games at shortstop for the Tigers last season while showing pretty good range.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009 SEASON: D

33-year old righty swinging 2B Placido Polanco is one of the most dependable all-around 2B in all of baseball. He played in 141 games for the Tigers last season and he was 178 for 580 (.307 avg, .767 OPS) with 90 runs scored, 8 homers, 58 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. Polanco is also one of the best defenders at his position in all of baseball. He made 8 errors in 141 games at 2B for the Tigers while showing out of this world range. Look for Polanco to make a run at a Gold Glove Award this season while hitting .300+.

29-year old switch hitting infielder Ramon Santiago will likely be the top backup at 2B, SS and 3B for the Tigers in 2009. He played in 58 games for the Tigers in 2008 and he was 35 for 124 (.282 avg, .781 OPS) with 30 runs scored, 4 homers and 18 RBIs. One has to wonder if his bat was a fluke or not last season as he has a career batting average of .238 with a .635 OPS in 366 major league games. He is also a good defender at 2B just like Polanco as he didn’t make an errors at 2B in 21 games there while showing slightly above average range.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009 SEASON: B+