Some days, he’s getting in cardio work, getting his body in shape. Other days, he’s strengthening his arm around his surgically repaired elbow. All the while, he’s trying to keep his focus in the weight room, not letting it wander out to the fields.

It isn’t easy for him, but he’s pretty steadfast about it right now.

“I keep my mind only on working, working, working,” he said. “That’s it.”

For somebody coming off a breakthrough season before a bone fracture in his elbow cost him the first half of this season, Alburquerque’s spirits are remarkably high. He has talked with teammates who have been through the rehab process, including new Tiger Octavio Dotel, and he’s confident he can make it back. He’s determined to make it back by the All-Star break, as Tigers medical personnel have cautiously forecast.

So far, it is difficult to see him on a given day without a smile on his face.

Like Alburquerque, Joel Zumaya had a screw inserted into his elbow to stabilize the joint after a fracture. When he tried to come back last spring, he made it through one outing before pain in his elbow shut down. Eventually, Zumaya had to undergo the surgery again, this time with noted surgeon Dr. James Andrews inserting a titanium screw.

There’s a difference in the situations. For one thing, Alburquerque said, the fracture is in a different location. Also, Dr. Andrews didn’t do Zumaya’s first surgery, but he did Alburquerque’s. He also used a titanium screw.

As long as Alburquerque makes it back, he’s supremely confident he can be effective. He also could be somebody who makes a big impact on this team down the stretch.

Early arrivals piling up: Brandon Inge has never been a particularly early arrival at Tigers’ Spring Training, except for maybe the days when he was a catcher and had a responsibility to work with Detroit pitchers. That was never going to change this year at age 34. So the fact that he isn’t here yet shouldn’t be a surprising development, and probably not a statement about his feelings about his situation.

He knows what he needs to do to get ready for the season, and he knows what early workouts entail. He also knows his situation with the Tigers isn’t going to change whether he shows up early or not.

What makes Inge’s status stand out this year compared to others is the fact that so many others have reported early. Andy Dirks, who was in the Dominican Republic for winter ball from mid-December until Feb. 10, reported to Tigers camp on Wednesday, ending his brief trip home to Kansas to rest up. He was probably the last player besides Inge with report with a realistic chance to make the 25-man roster.

There are others on the 40-man roster who haven’t yet reported, but they’re coming from other countries, such as Avisail Garcia and Hernan Perez from Venezuela. Victor Martinez hasn’t yet made an appearance, but his knee injury makes his situation different. He’s expected to stop in at some point, but won’t be doing much with the team, mainly rehabbing on his own while he awaits his surgery to repair his ACL.

Inge has a conversion to do if he’s going to compete for the job at second base, but that work doesn’t begin until full-squad workouts do this weekend. Most of what position players do this week has involving hitting work in the cage and batting practice on the field.

Actual workout item of the day: Though Doug Fister made his name as a Tiger down the stretch run and postseason last year, you can make the case that the coaching staff is still learning him. After all, this is his first Spring Training with the club. What they’ve seen so far is looking just as impressive.

Jim Leyland doesn’t usually like to rave about particular pitchers and their bullpen sessions, because they’re bullpen sessions. But Fister stood out to him on Wednesday.

“You can see why he’s successful,” Leyland said. “He does the one thing that we preach forever in this game, and preach long after I’m gone: Command your fastball. He’s really good at it. I mean, he was throwing today, and wherever [the catcher] wanted to catch it, that’s where he threw it.

“To me, he’s really a guy that I’d be watching if I was a young guy, just because of what he can do with the ball, where he could put it. I mean, he’s a perfect example of what we’ve talked about for a thousand years: Command your fastball. It’s only his second time throwing down here, and he was throwing the ball pretty much right to where he wanted to every time.”

Others who watched Fister on Wednesday added it wasn’t simply fastball command. He could make his fastball move one way or another, seemingly at will, and hit the spot. It’s something not often seen from tall, lanky pitchers, and certainly not at a young age.

Non- workout item of the day: The folks behind Justin Verlander’s Fastball Flakes were at Joker Marchant Stadium on Wednesday, giving up free boxes for players and reporters. And Verlander, whenever he saw somebody snacking on it, asked them how it was.

The reviews are good. They’re corn flakes with a frosting of sugar, and according to the box, they’re a fat-free food. If you live in Michigan, they’re available at Meijer store, with Verlander donating his share of the proceeds to the VA medical centers in Detroit and Ann Arbor.

The company behind the cereal has been successful with similar products in other cities. In Cincinnati, for instance, you will soon find a cereal named for Joey Votto, fittingly resembling Cheerios. In Pittsburgh, you will find Fleury Flakes cereal, named for Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury.

Non-workout item of the day, part 2: Octavio Dotel and Daniel Schlereth are both listed at six feet tall, which led to the question of which one is actually taller. So Schlereth, being a good sport, stood next to Dotel in the clubhouse and measured. Turns out Dotel is a little bit taller.

Schlereth considers himself to be a tick over 5-foot-10. He is not the shortest pitcher in the league. Royals left-hander Tim Collins, for one, is listed at 5-foot-7. Schlereth broke into the big leagues in 2009 with the Diamondbacks as a teammate of Tom Gordon, who’s listed at 5-foot-9.

Quote of the day: “I know they’re really good, but even if you’re really good, you burp.” — Jim Leyland on the Detroit Red Wings’ NHL record home winning streak, now at 23 games.

Like everyone else around, he just took it in. Then he went about his regular routine, hitting line drives to left field and looking for solid contact.

Peralta has been in this situation before. He was part of a powerhouse lineup in Cleveland in 2007 that included Victor Martinez, Travis Hafner and Grady Sizemore. But that, he said, doesn’t compare to this.

“It’s unbelievable watching those two hitting,” Peralta said of Cabrera and Fielder Tuesday morning. “They make it look so easy and they go out so far.”

It takes a similarly confident individual to handle the potential brunt of the infield shift that will put Fielder and Cabrera on the corners. But Peralta, who grew accustomed to Brandon Inge’s range at third last year, doesn’t seem worried about that either.

Peralta is going about his business, like he always does.

Tigers officials have said Cabrera’s return to third base will have no impact on Peralta at shortstop, that Peralta won’t be called on to make do anything more than he did last year. There will be balls hit to third that Cabrera might not get, that Inge might have gotten, but it won’t fall on Peralta to make up for it.

Peralta saw Cabrera play at third base during a three-game Interleague series in 2007 and a couple times in the opening month of the 2008 season, but doesn’t remember much of it. He’s going into it with an open mind, ready to learn what Cabrera can do.

“We need to see how it goes in Spring Training, see how he goes to the left side,” Peralta said. “That’s why we’re here in Spring Training.”

Peralta spent the offseason going through the same training program he had last offseason, when he made the transition from third base back to full-time shortstop.

Road to nowhere: Infielder Danny Worth reported to camp Tuesday after arriving in Lakeland around 1 a.m. His cross-country drive from southern California took about 2 1/2 days after getting in his car and hitting the road Saturday afternoon.

It would’ve been about two hours shorter, but he lost his way in Oklahoma, where he was intending to change interstates off of I-40 and head further south at some point.

“I just missed the highway,” he said. “I took a wrong turn around Oklahoma City.”

That led him onto the back roads of Oklahoma and Texas, an adventure he joked about on his twitter account.

“Every house looks like it could be in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” he said.

He made it, but this might be the last time he tries. He has driven the trip the last few years so that he would have his own car around and could ship it north with the team once the season starts, but he’s thinking he might fly and have his car shipped to Florida from now on.

“Boesch always makes fun of my driving,” Worth said as Boesch shook his head from the next locker over.

Actual workout item of the day: As chronicled on the site Tuesday, nobody provides a running commentary on his own Spring Training mound sessions like Justin Verlander. He took an intensity and a purpose into every pitch he threw last Spring Training, and he’s doing the same this time around. So when he doesn’t like a pitch, it isn’t hard to tell.

Sometimes, it’s clean enough for publication, like when he asks his catcher (Gerald Laird, in Tuesday’s case) about location and life on a pitch. Other times, he’ll simply mutter in frustration. But he lets it loose with game velocity.

His opinion on his first formal throwing session this camp was mixed.

“It went OK,” he said. “Not as good as I would like, but not as bad either. The major thing at this point is making sure the ball’s coming out all right and my mechanics are good.”

Non-workout item of the day: For years, we’ve heard Jim Leyland talk about Tony La Russa and reference their many phone conversations. La Russa’s arrival in camp Tuesday morning to start a two-week stint shadowing Dave Dombrowski was a chance to see their rapport in person.

“I’ve got one goal,” La Russa said. “That’s to have him stop smoking and eat tofu.”

Later, La Russa said, “He’ll eat tofu before he stops smoking.”

Leyland shot back, “I didn’t start smoking until I started coaching for him.”

At one point, Leyland called closer Jose Valverde into his office because La Russa wanted to meet him. Valverde walked out of the office like he had been told he’d been traded.

At another point, Miguel Cabrera came in on his own and introduced himself.

La Russa: “Is he on your team, too?”

Leyland: “You’re not the only guy who had a Pujols.”

Quote of the day: “I’m looking for a legitimate, confident swagger, without being a total, cocky [jerk]. I don’t have any problem with guys that talk it, if they can back it up.” — Leyland

Let’s be honest: It’s not as if the Tigers haven’t had a superstar before. They didn’t have one when Ivan Rodriguez signed in 2004, which made him the potential savior of a 119-loss team as soon as his car pulled into the parking lot at Tigertown that February. Miguel Cabrera was a superstar on the field when the Tigers got him about four years later.

Justin Verlander has pitched his way into superstar status, complete with his image on the cover of a video game and a cereal box, and his face on Conan. In many ways, he’s the face of the franchise, and baseball’s headline attraction each time he takes the mound.

Still, there’s something about Prince Fielder. And his arrival at camp Monday drew a reception that hasn’t been seen here in a while, whether from television cameras, microphones, fans or even teammates. Maybe it’s the fact that he grew up a Tiger. Maybe it goes back to the draw of a big home-run hitter. Or maybe it’s the fact that one of the best free agents on the market actually chose Detroit. Or it might even be the fact that a Tiger has the third-largest contract in baseball, . Whatever the reasons, Fielder’s arrival Monday had the attention of an event.

Fans, who had been asking when he was expected to show for a couple days, lined up against the fence separating the practice complex from the clubhouse for a chance at his autograph. Photographers followed his every move around the fields, then his interaction with fans. His warmup throws with new teammate Miguel Cabrera became a sight.

Teammates weren’t immune to it, either.

“When star players show up, people take notice,” manager Jim Leyland said. “They might say they don’t, but they do, particularly the young guys. I don’t mean they’re in awe or anything, but heck, that’s pretty nice. Heck, that’s a thrill.”

Then he took batting practice with Cabrera — back-to-back, like they’re expected to bat in the order when the games start.

“It was fun,” said Brennan Boesch, who shagged fly balls (or watched home runs) while they hit. “I mean, they’re in my opinion the best left- and right-handed hitters — especially with power — in the game. They’re great hitters, too. They’re not just sluggers. Obviously, everyone knows what they can do — Prince from the left side, Miguel from the right. So it’s a deadly combination to have, and you’re glad to have them on our side.”

The chemistry seemed to be immediate, Cabrera watching Fielder’s homers in awe, and Fielder joking about how hard Cabrera hits the ball.

“Double,” Cabrera said about one of his own drives to the gap.

“What???” Fielder exclaimed, looking out beyond the fence. “You hit that alligator.”

There was no alligator out there; Lake Parker, where many a gator call home, is beyond even these sluggers’ reach. But you get the point: They enjoyed hitting with each other, and they admire talent.

And a lot of fans admire what Fielder can do, which is why he had the crowd he had. Whether Fielder relishes that kind of response or not — he said he got used to people asking for autographs when he was a kid — he’s getting that reception.

(Page down after photo for more camp notes)

Speaking of rock stars: Look for a bigger story Tuesday, but Justin Verlander talked with reporters Monday morning about his upcoming season and how he worked this offseason. He said he turned down some off-field opportunities this winter because they would have interfered with his training routine.

“What I tried to do,” he said, “was choose the things that would be fun and brought the most attention to the Tigers, myself, the organization, the city. Those are basically the things that I kept in mind. And obviously, doing the Conan show was huge, being on the cover of the game, going out and shooting the commercial. And I’m doing a couple other cities that are in the works but haven’t come out yet.”

The Conan appearance, he said, was “awesome. That was a lot of fun. I was a little nervous going into it, didn’t know how I’d feel. Then I sit down in the chair and just start talking and I felt very at ease and just had fun with it.”

That, he said, was his favorite thing of the offseason.

“That, and shooting a commercial with Kate Upton isn’t too bad,” he said with a smile.

Monday, by the way, was Verlander’s 29th birthday. He got a watch.

Actual workout item of the day: Watch these drills for enough years, and it sometimes looks like a ritual rather than an actual exercise. But manager Jim Leyland takes these things seriously, and he lets players know if he doesn’t like what he’s seeing. He met with one group of pitchers during pickoff drills and hammered home the point that they need to make their pickoff move look as much like a normal delivery as possible until they’re whirling and firing. Of course, Leyland has been hammering home the need for Tigers pitchers not named Verlander to hold runners better for a few years now.

The Tigers don’t have all-day workouts, but when they’re working, Leyland wants them to be productive. He didn’t use his most common phrase today — Work Hard, but Work Smart — but he related it to game situations.

“I think it makes you better in close games during the season if you have more discipline,” Leyland said. “I truly believe that. I believe disciplined teams perform better from the seventh inning on.”

Actual workout item runner-up: Nobody, and I mean nobody, has more fun in spring training workouts than Jose Valverde. I said it last year, and the year before, and it still holds.

Valverde was yelling and cheering during random parts of pitchers fielding practice Monday morning. He covered first base with a flair every once in a while, drawing a cheer from the fans in attendance. He slammed his glove to the ground in mock disgust when Phil Coke missed a throw to first. He doesn’t blow these drills off, mind you, but he has fun doing that.

The better sign of who takes these early workouts seriously will come when Jim Leyland starts trying to hit fungoes past pitchers during infield work.

Non-workout item of the day: Remember when Gerald Laird joked a few days ago that he would be picking up whatever loose change fell out of Prince Fielder’s locker next to him, because “he’s making $213 million more than I am.”

Fielder saw it, and joked upon his arrival Monday that he would be watching his money.

“Yeah, I heard about that,” Fielder said. “I’m going to make sure I keep all my change in my pocket.”

Quote of the day: “Beck, you missed my bullpen.” — Don Kelly on his way in from batting practice. He did not actually throw a bullpen session.

• On how different of a task his current job is in spring compared to bullpen coach: “Especially during spring training when you have so many guys in camp, I knew it was going to be totally different. But there’s a lot of planning, a lot of sitting down, making notes, going over schedules and redoing schedules, that kind of stuff. You don’t want to get anybody hurt in Spring Training if you can help it. Hopefully everybody has thrown plenty before they get here, because it becomes a daily grind once you get to Spring Training. You’re going to play catch every day, you’re going to throw every day, and some of the guys aren’t used to doing that. As far as organizing the schedules and everything, Gene Lamont is just fabulous. He’s the best I’ve ever seen at having guys in the right place at the right time. Gene is going to be a huge help, and Jim will be a huge help.”
• On Leyland’s view that fifth starter candidates shouldn’t view this as a competition: “I agree with him totally. He doesn’t want it to be like a competition as much as we want the guys to get ready for the season. Even though the guys that we have that will be fighting for that spot, I’m sure it’s going to be in the back of their mind: I’ve got a chance to be that guy. But we want them to just concentrate on the things they need to do to get ready for the season, regardless of where they pitch, whether it’s here or it’s in Toledo or Erie or wherever.”
• On evaluation versus competition: “It’s all going to be evaluated, but we don’t want them to put any extra pressure on themselves. We want to see them at their best. I think if they put extra pressure on themselves, they might not be at their best. And I don’t want them to feel that if they have a bad outing, now I’m out of the running, or I have to go out there next time and do twice as good. That’s not the case, because everybody has bad outings.”
• Does he leave Verlander alone or does he just afford tips now and then: “I think it’s a little bit of everything. Ver is extremely driven. You notice that, not in the season that he had last year, but in his preparation during Spring Training. Because the previous couple years he got off to a slow start, so he changed some of the things — not so much mechanically, but he changed some of the mindset during Spring Training in order to get off to a better start last year, which he did. He’s accountable for everything he does. He’s driven. He wants to be the best. I think his attitude is just tremendous, because he wants it really bad. And it seems to me, just being around him a couple times this spring so far, that he wants it as bad or worse this year than he did last year. And there’s something to be said for that, after the year he had.”
• More on Verlander’s approach: “He’s different than what I remember three or four years ago during Spring Training. Last year, his focus was tremendous, and I see the same thing already this year. Because guys in this game, they want to be the best. And Ver wants to be the best. There’s no question in his mind. And in order to be the best, you have to be focused all the time. You can’t really take any days off. I see the same attitude from him this year as I saw last year.”
• On whether Verlander has something still to prove: “I’m not sure he looks at it that way as much as he just wants to go out, give us a chance to win like he always does. I don’t think in his mind he’s sitting there thinking, ‘Ok, I won 24 games last year. I’m going to win 27 this year.’ Those are things that are out of his control. We have to score runs on those days and whatever. But it’s just like his mindset, his focus, is just unbelievable in Spring Training. It’s the same way during the season. He’s a special individual.”
• Is workload from postseason run a concern with anybody: “It’s always a concern, I think. But normally, you make adjustments as far as how much you throw coming into Spring Training. I think it’s more of a situation when you first get to the big leagues and those innings jump, maybe from 150 to 200, and then you see how you feel that offseason. I think once you’re established and you pitch in the big leagues for a while and you’re used to throwing that many innings …
  If Ver had gone from 150 to 250, I’d be really concerned. You’re always a little bit concerned. It’s always in the back of your mind. But I’m not really overly concerned about it, unless he comes to me and says, ‘My arm’s tired.’ Then obviously you worry.”
• On Porcello throwing earlier this winter: “It’s a fine line, there’s no question. I spoke to Rick and he had told me he wanted to start throwing his bullpens a little earlier this year, and I said absolutely. He didn’t have a great spring last year, and he wants to do the things, I think, that he did at the end of the season, earlier this year. He wanted to just change his routine a little bit, which I don’t blame him. He wanted to throw more this offseason. He did. I think he’s comfortable where he’s at right now. I don’t blame him for wanting to throw more.”

Leyland announced a few days ago that La Russa would be joining the club for a couple weeks this spring in a non-uniformed, non-official capacity. It’ll be La Russa’s first baseball work since he retired as a manager after leading the Cardinals to another World Series title last fall.

There’s an image in Spring Training that everybody reports to camp the day before their first workout is scheduled. Realistically, that hasn’t been the way things operate with the Tigers for some time.Truthfully, most pitchers have been in Lakeland for a while now, getting their gear together, going out on the field and working out on their own or with teammates. The pitchers who haven’t stopped by camp by now are more the exception than the norm, and they’re usually guys who live in warm-weather towns and can get their workout program done at home. Even a lot of those guys have made their way here by now.

As for physicals, the team usually gets those of the way in Detroit in January, when almost everybody on the 40-man roster is in town for the Winter Caravan and (in other years) TigerFest.

Bottom line: Reporting day is more of an outdated part of the schedule. In fact, the Tigers didn’t even list reporting days this year, only the dates of their first workouts. If a pitcher or a catcher isn’t on the field for stretching at 9:30 Monday morning, they’re late.

Being that the traditional day for reporting day fell on a Sunday this year, it was even quieter than usual around Tigers camp. Duane Below, Doug Fister, Adam Wilk, James McCann, Rob Brantly and Patrick Leyland were among those at the ballpark Sunday morning, as was Austin Jackson among early position players, but a lot of pitchers who had been around all week took Sunday off as a last day of freedom before their workouts are more formal.

So Joker Marchant Stadium was quiet this morning. It’ll pick up quite a bit on Monday.

Yet as the fog was just starting to lift around Lakeland before 9 a.m. ET, Cabrera was already in his workout gear and hitting in the batting cages. He wasted no time getting to work, and he didn’t waste much time brushing off questions about his weight.

“I don’t know,” he said when asked about his weight program. “My goal is to be ready for the season. Whatever weight I [am at], I have to be in the best shape every year to go out there and don’t be hurt. I’m trying to be in my best shape and trying to be 100 percent the first day of the season.”

Cabrera looked notably slimmer compared with last year, but he couldn’t put a number on it. Manager Jim Leyland said Thursday he felt that 255 pounds would be a good weight for him, and a source close to Cabrera suggested that would be his weight.

To Cabrera, the scrutiny has gotten repetitive.

“It’s the question they ask me every year,” he said. “I think that’s been an issue my whole career. Everybody complained about my weight every year. It’s the same thing this year. Everybody’s talking the same thing about my weight, and he’s overweight, he’s this, he’s this. It’s nothing new. It’s been a complaint almost my whole career. Every year they say I’m overweight. It’s the same thing this year.”

That said, Cabrera added that he thinks losing weight will be good for him in the long run. He sounded very much like someone transitioning for the next stage of his career as he approaches age 30 next year.

“I think that’s a very positive thing to happen right now in my career,” he said, “because it’s going to help me a lot to lose more. It’s going to help me a lot to get in my best shape. It’s going to help me to play long in baseball.”

For what it’s worth, his neighbor in the Tigers’ spring training clubhouse gave him a vote of confidence. Jhonny Peralta saw him settle in, turned to reporters and said, “He’s ready.”

Leyland was in his office when Cabrera arrived.

“He looks great,” said Leyland, who added that he seems “real upbeat.”

Leyland said he felt like Cabrera is “on a mission to show he can play third base.”

Cabrera, however, downplayed that in favor of the team aspect.

“I want to win some games,” he said. “I’ll go over there and do my best and do my best to help the pitchers get some outs and try to get some wins. That’s what I’m going to do. I don’t want to try to show everybody I can play third base because, why? What’s the reason? There’s no reason to hear all the negative things they say about me playing third base.”

He did indicate, though, that moving back to third will be a challenge.

“It’s going to be hard,” he said. “Nobody said it’s going to be easy. It’s going to be hard playing back over there. But when you’re motivated and you have your team to support you and you’ve got the support of your manager and all your team, you feel like you’re going to do it, you can do it and play your best baseball.”

“I can’t say I’ve ever looked forward to a spring as much as this one,” Leyland said.

He said that soon after he said this: “I have a lot of business to take care of — big business.”

Leyland has a good team, and he knows it. He also knows he has a team that has a lot of potential issues to work out if they’re going to be really good, and a lot of questions to answer. What to do with Brandon Inge was already on the list. His move to second base adds a whole new facet to that.

Inge has never played second base in the big leagues, or the minors. He was a shortstop in college. He has demonstrated enough times that he’s a natural athlete, but even for him, this is a new one. And he’ll be trying it at age 34.

All he learned on the left side of the infield, he’s going to have to think in reverse. He’ll have to learn to turn the double play again, only on the blind side. He’ll have to know to cover the bag on relays from left field. He’ll have to develop a working knowledge with Prince Fielder on who goes for ground balls in the hole on the right side.

Inge’s athleticism, even at his age, will get him through quite a bit of this. He’s going to have to learn some more to really make it stick.

Oh, and he has to hit.

Keep in mind, this idea came from Inge. His agents knew about it and discussed it with the Tigers as well. It isn’t out of financial reasons; he has $6 million coming this year ($5.5 million salary, plus $500,000 buyout) no matter what happens from here. This is him trying to find a role.

Huge challenge? You bet. Impossible? I’m learning my lesson not to say that around the Tigers this winter, and I wouldn’t have said it here anyway.

In any case, what do the Tigers have to lose? They’re paying him the same either way, and Leyland said he’ll get Ryan Raburn the games he needs at second. Ramon Santiago will lose the most, but as Leyland pointed out, he has no question whether Santiago can be ready at second.

Believe it or not, there were other tidbits coming out of Leyland’s interview Thursday:

• Leyland gave a target on Miguel Cabrera’s weight: “I want him at about 255.” Last reports suggested Cabrera will report at around that weight. Leyland suggested that’s about the weight he carried a few years ago. “I think that retains all his strength,” Leyland said, “plus gets him more quickness.”
• Leyland said he’ll monitor how Cabrera is doing at third base.
• Expect a lot more talk about increased intensity in early camp workouts, especially for the defense. Leyland wants to get closer to game speed than usual so that he can prepare Cabrera and Inge for what they might see.
• Both Leyland and pitching coach Jeff Jones reiterated Thursday that they don’t want their fifth starter candidates treating this camp like a competition. “Don’t think of spring training like you’re trying to make the team,” Leyland said. “Think of spring training like you’re preparing yourself to get in the best possible shape to get ready to pitch wherever you’re supposed to pitch.”
• Leyland’s reasoning on this: “Sometimes you don’t see the real guy if they know that they’re in that position. They go out first outing, they give up two or three runs and [they think], ‘Well, I’m done. I’ve got no chance to make it.’”
• Another reminder from Leyland that Clete Thomas has a chance to make the team: “He’s an interesting guy for me who certainly hasn’t been written off by me. What’s he going to look like coming back healthy? This guy was a good player. … I think Thomas is a good, exciting player. I’ve always liked what he can do.”

La Russa, the longtime manager who retired after leading St. Louis to another World Series title last fall, will spend this Spring Training in camp with the Tigers in a non-uniform, non-official capacity. Leyland made the announcement while talking with reporters Thursday after arriving at Joker Marchant Stadium.

“Tony’s going to be down for a couple weeks,” Leyland said. “He’s going to work with Dave [Dombrowski] in the front office, and he’s going over to Jupiter for a few days and then go out to Arizona for a few days. He will not be in uniform.”

The friendship between Leyland and La Russa is well-known. La Russa hired Leyland out of the Tigers farm system, where he had managed for more than a decade, to join La Russa’s coaching staff with the White Sox in 1982. The experience helped Leyland earned his long-awaited chance to manage in the big leagues with the Pirates in 1986.

While La Russa went on to win a World Series title with Oakland in 1989, Leyland built a previously dormant Pirates club to perennial contention, leading them to three straight NL East titles from 1990-92. Leyland went on to win a World Series with the Florida Marlins in 1997.

After Leyland resigned from the Rockies managerial job after the 1999 season, citing burnout, he joined the Cardinals as a special assistant. Leyland regained his passion for managing, rejoined the ranks with the Tigers in 1996, and led Detroit to a World Series matchup against his former employers in St. Louis. The Cardinals won, earning La Russa his second title, then did it again this past season.

La Russa announced his retirement the day after the Cardinals held their championship parade, becoming the first manager to retire immediately after winning the World Series. He said he’d be open to another position in baseball, leading to speculation he’d join a front office, possibly back with the White Sox.

Once Joe Torre stepped down from his position with Major League Baseball to join a group bidding to purchase the Dodgers, speculation included La Russa possibly becoming Torre’s successor.

One member of the White Sox front office during La Russa’s time in Chicago was Dombrowski, then an assistant under general manager Roland Hemond. La Russa and Dombrowski were both let go around the same time by Hemond’s successor, Ken Harrelson, and both went on to success elsewhere.

Now, more than a quarter-century later, the time with Dombrowski could give La Russa the experience to decide whether he wants to try an executive role somewhere.

Inge has asked the Tigers for a chance to compete for the one relatively open infield spot — at second base. Manager Jim Leyland revealed the news Thursday upon his arrival at Joker Marchant Stadium, and said he’s going to give Inge his shot.

It’s a move seemingly out of left field rather than the infield, but it’s a chance for Inge to hold onto a starting spot and play a significant role on a team that’s favored to win the American League Central and compete for a pennant.

The original request, Leyland said, came from Inge to team president/general manager Dave Dombrowski, who forwarded it to Leyland.

“I said I’m all for it. Absolutely,” Leyland said. “I’ll pay you that respect. If you want to compete for the second base job, compete for it. How it’s going to play out, I have no idea. So there’s some wrinkles in here that are pretty interesting.”

This is one wrinkle few saw coming. While Inge has played at third base, catcher and all three outfield spots over his 11-year Major League career, and was a standout shortstop and closer in college at Virginia Commonwealth, he has never played second base in a game. He worked out there in Spring Training years ago, but only in anticipation of superutility duty.

He’ll get a crash course this spring. Leyland said he plans on having Inge take the vast majority of his playing time at second along with Ryan Raburn.

“I know Inge can play third base in his sleep,” Leyland said, “so I’m going to focus him on nothing but second base. Later in the spring, depending on how everything looks, we’ll play him at third once in a while just to sharpen him up.

“But I’m going all-out on this second-base thing. We’ll give him an opportunity.”