Brandon Inge

The 2011 season was a disaster for Inge. After hitting just .184/.250/.251 in 207 at-bats before the All-Star break, the Tigers opted to designate him for assignment. Rather than try to find a new major league team, the long-time Tiger opted to accept a demotion to Triple-A Toledo. A three-week stint with the Mud Hens helped Inge work out some of the kinks in his swing, but he was stuck in a platoon role with Wilson Betemit upon his return to Detroit. Inge showed some signs of life by hitting .324 with three extra-base and four RBI in 34 at-bats in September, but those numbers are bolstered because Inge faced primarily left-handed pitching at that time. He'll return to the Tigers for the 2012 campaign and compete for a shared duties at second base while also filling in as the backup to Miguel Cabrera at third.

Inge put together another campaign of solid defensive play, mediocre power (13 homers, 70 RBI) and a low average (.247) in 2010. Outside of power surges in 2006 (27 homers, 83 RBI) and 2009 (27 homers, 84 RBI), Inge has been one of the worst hitting third basemen in the majors over the past six seasons. Even when he has been able to post better power numbers, his lowly batting average usually limits his fantasy value to deeper formats. The Tigers committed to another two years of Inge at the hot corner this offseason, but fantasy owners would be better off looking elsewhere for production at third base.

Inge’s 2009 campaign was a tale of two halves. The 33-year-old third baseman put together an All-Star first half, hitting .268 with 21 homers and 58 RBI, but he was held to an .186/.260/.281 line after the break. The drop in production can be tied to lingering knee problems that he played through for most of the season, but the .236 career hitter was due for a regression to the mean anyway. He underwent successful surgery on both knees this offseason and should be at full strength for spring training, but his loss of catcher eligibility and low batting average will limit his value to deeper leagues.

Inge began last season as Detroit's super utility player after the team was unable to unload his contract on another club. He played in the outfield, at third base and behind the plate for various stints throughout last season. The Tigers are moving him back to third this year where his defense shines but his catcher eligibility in most fantasy leagues will be the reason he gets considered in drafts. Inge struggles to make contact at the plate and his power output hasn't held up since his banner 2006 season. Despite those struggles, Inge warrants some consideration in fantasy leagues due to the dearth of quality catching options. Of course, your team will need to be built to handle the toll he'll take on your batting average.

Inge was in danger of being benched towards the end of last season before managing to hit just enough to keep himself in the lineup. He finished with poor overall numbers after coming off of a pretty good 2006 season. Inge is an excellent defender at third base and he does have some pop but his high strikeout numbers and low contact rate are always going to limit his batting average. With Miguel Cabrera now in Detroit, Inge's fantasy value will take a hit without a trade.

Inge posted the highest home run total of his career last season but barely kept his batting average above .250 while doing so. He doesn't have a good eye at the plate, as the high strikeout and low walk totals attest, but he does have good range at third base which makes him a fairly solid major leaguer. Inge should be good for another 20-plus home run season in 2007 but there's little reason to believe he'll improve much on his batting average.

Inge had 208 more at-bats last year than the season before but only increased his home run output by three. He also posted the second-highest strikeout total in the AL. Without the power commensurate with such high strikeout totals, he'll need to reduce that number or his job security will slip away. He also lost catcher eligibility, which will severly hurt his fantasy value.

Inge, who was a career .199 hitter entering the 2004 season, found his hitting stroke in a utility role, posting career-bests in batting average, homers, RBI and runs. While he played a variety of positions last season, he may have found his niche at third base and will likely win for the starting job during spring training making him a solid sleeper pick.

The Tigers have a bad habit with Inge. They love his defense and figure they can "make-do" with his impotent bat, and hope for an improvement to mediocrity. They give him the starting job, he flops, and gets sent to Toledo. He shows marginal improvement there, only to be recalled and start the cycle again. Lather, rinse, repeat. They were set to start the cycle again in 2004, but the late signing of Pudge Rodriguez shunts Inge into a utility role, where he belongs.

The four home runs he hit in June were probably the worst thing that could have happened to him; he spent the second half thinking he was a power guy and wound up hitting just .159. The starting job is all his with Mike Rivera and Mitch Meluskey gone. The Tigers are very happy with Inge's defensive game, but there's no sign that he's ready to hit .240 or higher. Pass.