• Height: 6′ 0″ | Weight: 180
• 2008 Stats: .213 – 2 HR – 20 RBI

It’s difficult to get a clear picture of new Tigers shortstop Adam Everett based on his 2008 performance with the Twins. He had just 158 at bats (which produced a .213 average) and appeared in only 45 games for the Twins defensively due to a bum throwing shoulder. However, it’s not so much Everett’s production at the plate that concerns Tigers fans – anything close to .250 would suffice – it’s his glove work.

Jim Leyland and the Tigers’ faithful look to the 31-year-old to fortify (along with third baseman Brandon Inge) the left side of the infield. But how can he inject some offense into the lower third of the lineup in 2009? By focusing on the parts of the strike zone he favors; for Everett that’s above the belt from the heart of the plate to the outside corner.

The bottom line is that the Tigers wouldn’t have signed Everett to man a keystone position if they didn’t see him as a defensive upgrade to the departed Edgar Renteria.

• Height: 5′ 11″ | Weight: 190
• 2008 Stats: .205 – 11 HR – 51 RBI

Brandon Inge began last season as the Tigers backup catcher and ended it as the third baseman for 2009. In between was yet another sub-par offensive performance for a player that, as recently as 2006, seemed locked in as a power-hitting, Gold Glove-caliber defensive whiz. Perhaps the shift from full-timer to part-time super-sub weighed on Inge in ’08, pushing his average to .205.

Unfortunately, there’s little positive Inge can take away from last season; he struggled against righties and lefties alike, and, outside of the fastball, opposing pitchers had little problem fooling Inge. But he and the Tigers view 2009 as a fresh start.

At the plate, Inge will look to rediscover the power that generated 27 home runs in ’06. To do that he’ll need to focus on his strengths, particularly turning on pitches on the inner half of the plate, and avoiding the urge to pull the ones on the outer edge.

In 2009, chances are that Inge will save more runs with his defense than he’ll drive in with his bat. Yet the stability he’ll enjoy as the Tigers regular third baseman could ignite an offensive resurgence.

• Height: 6′ 1″ | Weight: 225
• 2008 Stats: .276 – 6 HR – 41 RBI

Before most general managers had checked into their Las Vegas hotel rooms at the Winter Meetings last December, the Tigers acquired catcher Gerald Laird to fill a gaping hole in their lineup. A career .255 hitter, Laird enjoyed one of his finest offensive seasons in 2008, hitting .276 with nine home runs and 41 RBI in 95 games for Texas.

Laird has shown a tendency to get off to a fast start at the plate, hitting over .300 in the first half of both ’08 and ’06, and as catchers often do, losing steam after the All Star Break. One can forgive Tigers fans that think of Laird as an offensive force: against the Tigers at Comerica Park last season he hit .571, but only .250 in all games against Detroit.

Looking ahead to 2009, Laird will need to lay off the curveball — and avoid chasing the low offerings — if he hopes to match last season’s output. Watch for pitchers to throw inside on him where they had the most success in ’08.

• Height: 6′ 1″ | Weight: 215
• 2008 Stats: .286 – 10 HR – 54 RBI

You can’t blame Carlos Guillen if he’d like to forget the 2008 season. After being tapped as the starting first baseman, Guillen lasted there only a few weeks before moving across the diamond to third, where his lack of range became glaringly apparent.

Offensively, though, Guillen put together a solid, if not spectacular first half to ’08 (.284/8/47). Back problems shortened his second half, limiting the Tigers’ All-Star selection to a mere 93 at bats and shelving him altogether after Aug. 25.

A bad back likely is the cause for the dramatic drop off in power numbers from a career-high 21 homers in 2007 to just 10 in ‘08.

The switch-hitting Guillen bats predominately from the left side and has few spots in the strike zone that he can’t handle. Inside pitches – both up and down in the zone – give him trouble but he’s skilled at hitting off-speed pitches, splitters and the fastball. From the right side (just 89 at bats in ’08), Guillen’s hot zone is the heart of the plate.

The Tigers are hoping a move to left field in 2009 will provide relief for Guillen’s back and trigger a return to the production levels he had from 2004 to 2007.

Of course, if the transition to the outfield isn’t the answer, the club could be looking at another Bobby Higginson scenario: a fat investment with meager returns.

• Height: 6′ 0″ | Weight: 215
• 2008 Stats: .225 – 19 HR – 57 RBI

Gary Sheffield entered the 2008 season looking to improve on a sub-par debut campaign in Detroit. A shoulder injury sustained in an outfield collision in ’07 required surgery and off-season rehab, and it slowed Sheffield at the plate during the season’s first two months. A left oblique strain landed him on the disabled list at the end of May, leaving little time for a strong first-half finish. Sheffield posted a .217 average and just five home runs before the All Star break.

The second half featured flashes of the power stroke – 14 homers in 220 at bats – that might eventually put Sheffield in the Hall of Fame. Tigers fans are still waiting for the Gary Sheffield of old to arrive in Detroit, but at age 39, they are in for a long wait. Still, he remains a dangerous presence in the lineup and at the plate, lashing pitches down in the zone and scorching line drives to the left side of the diamond.

Sheffield begins 2009 one home run shy of 500. If he can stay healthy, watch for this motivated veteran to make up for lost time – and hits.

• Height: 6′ 0″ | Weight: 215
• 2008 Stats: .317 – 21 HR – 103 RBI

Few hitters can weather a 50-point drop in batting average and still be within shouting distance of a batting crown. But that’s how 2008 shaped up for Tigers rightfielder Magglio Ordoñez. The 2007 A.L. batting champ served up an encore performance in ’08: .317, fifth in the league, 22 home runs and 103 RBI. Certainly, having Miguel Cabrera batting ahead of him helped Ordoñez see more strikes in ’08, but since joining Detroit in 2005 all he’s done is hit.

Last season, Ordoñez fluctuated from month to month – .296 in April, .350 in May; .266 in June, .386 in July – but finished the season strong, batting .330 in the second half and mounting a credible defense of his batting title.

Ordoñez is a top-tier hitter thanks to a stroke that can deftly handle pitches across the strike zone, but the closer the pitch is to the inner-half of the plate the better. Like most power hitters, he can crush a fastball but he takes more delight in change-ups from righties – a .407 average when he hits one – and curves from southpaws, an astounding .600 clip.

At 35, Ordoñez shows no sign of slowing and looks at home as the Tigers’ cleanup hitter. And that should worry A.L. pitchers – again – in 2009.

• Height: 6′ 4″ | Weight: 240
• 2008 Stats: .292 – 37 HR – 127 RBI

Miguel Cabrera wasted little time in 2008 showing Tigers fans why he’s one of baseball’s premier hitters. His towering home run on Opening Day set the tone for a season in which he’d lead the league with 37 round-trippers.

After a cool start to ’08 — and a shift from third base to first — Cabrera quickly discovered his stroke and began feasting on A.L. pitching staffs, finishing with a .292 average.

The four-time All Star had particular success in 2008 against lefties, posting a .311 average and a .596 slugging percentage — though only nine of Cabrera’s homers came off a port-sider. This is just one anomaly in 25-year-old’s swing: a closer look at his hitting chart shows a decidedly pure pull hitter on ground balls and liners but more of a spray hitter on fly balls. In fact, most fly balls put in play Cabrera — roughly a quarter, including more than half his home runs — traveled to right- and right-center fields.

But perhaps the biggest mistake an opposing pitcher can make on Cabrera is to leave a ball out over the plate; and the higher the pitch, the better the chance he’ll crush it.

Look for more of the same in 2009.

• Height: 5′ 10″ | Weight: 195
• 2008 Stats: .307 – 8 HR – 58 RBI

Like most of his teammates, Placido Polanco struggled at the outset of the 2008 season. The usually fast-starting second baseman – he has a .307 average for April spanning 2006-08 – was expected to pickup the slack at the top of the order left by the injured Curtis Granderson. But as the weather warmed, so did Polanco finding the stroke that delivered a .341 average in 2007. He hit .330 in May and a torrid .386 in June.

Widely considered one of the toughest outs in baseball, Polanco confounds pitchers with his knack for hitting the ball virtually anywhere it’s pitched. Even on pitches down and away, Polanco hit a solid .286 in ’08.

This year Tigers fans can expect from Polanco what they’ve enjoyed since he came to Detroit in 2005: consistent, durable performance in the field and at the plate. But with a strong crop of middle infield prospects in the minors, 2009 could be his final season in Detroit. Though, I for one am hoping it’s not.

• Height: 6′ 1″ | Weight: 185
• 2008 Stats: .280 – 22 HR – 66 RBI

If anyone doubted Curtis Granderson’s value atop the Tigers lineup, the first few weeks of 2008 likely convinced them. Without their leadoff hitter – Granderson suffered a broken finger at the end of Spring Training – the Tigers’ offense sputtered and, in case you’d forgotten, the team started the season 0-7.

When Granderson returned to the team, he started strong, hitting .375 in April before a May slump brought his average down. In June, though, he hit .364 followed by a .324 month of July.

One area in which the Tigers wanted to see improvement from their centerfielder was in the number of strikeouts, and since 2006, Granderson has made a dramatic turnaround, slashing his strikeouts from 174 in ’06 to 111 last season. What’s more, in 2008 he boosted his success against lefties by nearly 100 points from 2007’s dreary .160 average.

Entering his fifth major-league season, he continues to show power to all fields with a stroke that has few holes. The bottom line: As Granderson goes, so goes the Tigers’ lineup. Expect that trend to continue this season.

• Height: 5′ 11″ | Weight: 220
• 2008 Stats: 0-6, 4.91 ERA, 13 Saves

In a bottom-line business like major league baseball, fans tend to overlook stats such as 49 strikeouts in 40 innings or 13 saves from a late-inning reliever like Fernando Rodney. Six blown saves and an ERA a whisker under five are more glaring and more representative of Detroit’s bullpen woes in 2008. Yet despite that lackluster campaign, the Tigers expect big things from Rodney in ’09.

Though he spent April and May on the DL, the ’08 season wasn’t all bad for the senior-ranking Tiger in the bullpen; he assembled stretches of lights-out appearances, including June and July in which hitters produced a .183 average against him. Over that same timeframe he fanned 37 in 27.1 innings pitched. The key to success for Rodney is a breathtaking changeup that, when near the plate, is difficult for hitters to resist. Of course, a high-90s fastball makes the off-speed pitches that much more tantalizing.

With Todd Jones’ retirement, Brandon Lyon‘s arrival and Joel Zumaya’s (tentative) return, chances are that Rodney will begin 2009 as a setup man. If something goes wrong with Lyon or Zumaya and if Rodney can harness his pitches, develop consistency, and fortify his mental makeup, he could, in the end, be the Tigers’ answer at closer.

For a pitcher with Rodney’s track record, that’s an awful lot of ifs.

• Height: 6′ 4″ | Weight: 180
• 2008 Stats: 13-7, 3.73

On April 15, 2008, the Tigers summoned Armando Galarraga from Toledo for what most presumed was a short-term stint for the rookie right-hander. He made his Tigers debut on April 16 in Cleveland – a period when the Tigers desperately needed wins – and tossed a gem: 6.2 innings pitched, one hit, two runs, no walks and six strikeouts. At that time, little did the Tigers know how significant Galarraga’s impact would be.

In 30 appearances (28 starts), he posted a 13-7 record with a 3.73 ERA in 178.2 IP — and became the de facto staff ace. For his effort, Galarraga ranked fifth in the American Rookie of the Year voting. His recipe for success in 2008 was simple: throw strikes early and often – nearly 70 percent of his first-pitch fastballs were strikes – and nibble at the outside corners. Another ingredient: dominate right-handed hitters; they batted a meager .174 off Galarraga – nearly 90 points less than lefty hitters.

If the Tigers’ pitching staff is to rebound collectively in 2009, it will depend on an encore performance by Galarraga. And if top-line starters Verlander and Bonderman return to form, the Tigers will boast a dynamic rotation that few A.L. Central teams can match.

• Height: 6′ 3″ | Weight: 210
• 2008 Stats: 14-11, 4.42 ERA

When the Tigers traded Matt Joyce to the Tampa Bay Rays for Jackson, Detroit fans scratched their heads – and not only because Joyce appeared to have a future in the Tigers outfield. Jackson is an unknown quantity outside of the A.L. East and the Tigers have only faced the righthander four times since 2006 for a total of 16 innings (1-0, 3.38 ERA, 12 K). He became expendable in pitching-rich Tampa despite a pedestrian 2008 (14-11, 4.42) due mainly to the emergence of David Price, but from most accounts, the Tigers landed themselves a gem and a durable number-three man in the rotation.

The 25-year-old Jackson features a mid-90s fastball and a devastating slider – and batters hit just above .200 when facing the slider. In 2009, watch for Jackson to stick with his formula for success: working the lower half of the strike zone and the corners of the plate – up and away on lefties, high and tight on righties. And, if he can maintain his low rate of walks per nine innings (2.5), Jackson will pay rapid dividends for the Tigers.

• Height: 6′ 2″ | Weight: 220
• 2008 Stats: 3-4, 4.29 ERA

It seems that every season baseball experts predict that it will be the year that Jeremy Bonderman finally emerges as an ace, discovers an effective third pitch, and challenges for the Cy Young Award. The 2008 season was no different but the lofty expectations quickly evaporated. Bonderman didn’t pitch after June 1 and had surgery in July to correct a pinched vein that returns blood from the arm to the heart. The good news is that Bonderman’s surgery was successful and he’s on track to return in 2009.

So, while the 26-year-old grapples with the nuances of an off-speed pitch, expect him to focus on what works: a nasty slider as his primary out pitch. In his 12 starts last season, Bonderman went to the slider more than half the time with two strikes – in contrast, he threw the changeup just 1% of the time in similar situations.

Coming off an arm injury, Bonderman may see expectations lowered for a change. But perhaps that’s just what he’ll need to flourish at last.

Nevertheless, we want to continue our series of player profiles today with The Nater for two reasons — actually three, I just thought of a third: First, he made more starts last season than either Miner or Willis. Second, I already had the profile written. Last, we’ll do our friend and avowed Nater Hater, Ian Casselberry, a favor and get it out of the way.

Nate Robertson #29

• Height: 6′ 2″ | Weight: 225
• 2008 Stats: 7-11, 6.35 ERA

The Tigers had no shortage of pitching frustrations in 2008 and one could argue that the most perplexing of all was Robertson. Once considered a core member of the rotation, the lefthander’s performance in ’08 raised questions about whether he could physically and mentally take his game to a higher level. In fact, Robertson’s season was so off-kilter that he found himself in the bullpen after a 5-8, 5.26 ERA first half.

Things improved little after the All Star Break and the 31-year-old enters 2009 as a major question mark. However, if any Tigers pitcher is likely to adopt the mantra of new pitching coach Rick Knapp – throw first-pitch strikes – it’s Robertson, who had above-league-average success in this area in ’08. (Nearly 60 percent of his initial offerings were strikes.)

A reversal of fortune for the Tigers in 2009 will be tied closely to Robertson’s ability to rediscover his command – especially his slider – and log quality starts. The club hopes an off-season exercise regimen designed to improve his flexibility will help him in the short and long term. Barring a Spring Training meltdown, expect him to return to the rotation in 2009 and to stay out of the bullpen.

We kick things off with birthday boy Justin Verlander who turns 26 today.

Justin Verlander #35

• Height: 6′ 5″ | Weight: 200
• 2008 Stats: 11-17, 4.84 ERA

When a number-one starter opens the season 2-9, chances are his team faces a severe uphill climb. That certainly was Justin Verlander’s reality in 2008. When the calendar turned from April to May, the Tigers’ ace had a 1-4 record with a 6.60 ERA, and by Memorial Day he was 2-9. But as the Tigers offense started to click in June, so did Verlander.

In nine starts from June 6 through July 20, he went 7-2 including a six-game winning streak. His ERA in June alone was 2.73 as hitters produced a mere .197 average against him. Ultimately the problem for Verlander in 2008 – and the Tigers’ entire staff – was walks. In 33 starts he issued 20 more free passes and fanned 20 fewer men than he did in ’07, fueling a 11-17 record and a 4.84 ERA.

Looking ahead to 2009, the Tigers and new pitching coach Rick Knapp will expect Verlander to have greater command of his explosive stuff and regain the dominant form of 2006 and ’07. Watch for Verlander to reclaim the inner part of the plate in ’09, and use a near-triple-digit fastball and devastating breaking pitches to remind A.L. hitters that he’s one baseball’s elite starting pitchers.

Fact is, he throws harder than Jones — which can’t hurt — but no one is going to confuse him with Joe Nathan.

Last season wasn’t a pleasant one for the D-backs’ closer, a position he lost to Chad Qualls. Well, that’s not entirely true.

Despite four blown saves in 23 chances in the first half, hitters managed a .243 average against him and his ERA was 2.43. (Compare that to Jones’s 4.95 ERA and .297 opponents’ average in the first half.)

In terms of repertoire, it doesn’t extend far past a fastball and curve. In fact, that’s it. But the curveball is something to behold; no roundhouse breaking pitch, Lyon’s is top-to-bottom — or noon-to-six, as they say. Still, in 2008 he threw the fastball 72 percent of the time — 73 percent with two strikes.

As you might expect, Lyons doesn’t heave bullets across the heart of the plate. Instead, he has a Jones-like corners-nibbling approach. His favorite spots — against righties or lefties — are the outside corners. But against lefties his greatest success comes on the inside corner, up and in, and down and in. So, did the Tigers get themselves another Todd Jones?

Perhaps.

But Lyon is 10 years younger than the Tigers’ erstwhile closer and, in the spirit of optimism, he seems to have the durability and closer-ish stuff the bullpen so desperately needs.

(Oh, and Lyon wore number 38 in Arizona and will need a new one in Detroit…unless Jeremy Bonderman wants to give up his number. I’m guessing he ends up with 36.)