Around The Lineup

Victor Martinez will catch when Alex Avila doesn't. It should be the other way around. Not since Lance Parrish have the Tigers had a middle-of-the-order power guy behind the plate. Put Jim Price's number 12 on him -- Mr. Price will tell you there are lots of hits left in it -- and turn him loose.

We know Miguel Cabrera can hit, and his glove work at the initial sack is better than his detractors will admit.

Will Rhymes beat out Scott Sizemore for the second base job, unless a last few drops can be squeezed out of DL-ed Carlos Guillen. Last spring, Guillen was now, Sizemore was the future, and Rhymes was in Toledo. They young man who didn't arrive at Comerica until last August has passed both on the depth chart.

Jhonny Peralta can field, some, and hit, a little. He's a natural third baseman playing out of position at short because ...

Brandon Inge is back at third. He'll be 33 in May, is coming off knee surgery, and his strike zone is cap bill to shoelaces. But he can hit, a lot, and knows what to do with the ball when it comes to him.

When the ball comes to Ryan Raburn, anything can happen.  He's been given the chance to show what he can do full time in left field, and the hope again is that he can drive in more runs than he lets in with his porous defense.

We know what Austin ... Jackson can do, and there's no reason to believe he can't do it again.

Magglio Ordonez returns after missing the last half of 2010 with an ankle injury. If anyone can come back at age 37 and post productive numbers, he's the guy. 

They're taking six outfielders north. Brennan Boesch and Casper Wells will give the corner guys a rest, DH when Martinez doesn't, and spot start. Ramon Santiago -- bless their hearts for not trading him to the Phillies -- is the one extra infielder.

Donnie Kelly can do everything except pitch, and is also the third catcher. Maggie has requested that I not write "slide, Kelly, slide!" into the blog this season.

I will give it my best effort, m'dear -- although I have this feeling that, on the last weekend, he'll be the one whose clutch hit gives the Tigers a division-clinching win.