DETROIT -- Brandon Inge's 2009 season is already off to a better start than last year's. He's on the bus for the Tigers Winter Caravan, but he isn't going anywhere in the infield.

"It's amazing what a year of change can do," Inge said Thursday.

If eighty percent of success is showing up, then this has been a very good week in what Inge and the Tigers hope will be a good year for him. When new arrivals Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis were the talk of the town last January for the caravan and TigerFest, the man Cabrera had replaced at third base was at home, a decision Inge and Tigers management reached mutually. They felt it better not to overshadow the festivities with questions about whether and where Inge would play, or whether and where he'd be traded.

One disappointing Tigers season and several defensive changes later, those are no longer issues. And the current longest-tenured Tiger has gone from former third baseman to trade bait to utilityman to backup catcher to platoon catcher to starting catcher to now back at third. In turn, Inge's mind-set has changed from wanting out to wanting to play, from re-training himself in the art of catching to relearning his pitching staff to not having to think in the field. At third base, he can mainly just react.

Follow all of that? Inge doesn't have to anymore.

"Last year, I was a little upset," Inge said. "I just want to play the game of baseball. Last year, when you get it taken away from you, when you can't play, you can't play. This year, I can't wait to get to the field."

When team president/general manager Dave Dombrowski talked about adding the pieces to make his team better, Inge fits into the strategy. By putting his defensive range back at third base alongside new shortstop Adam Everett, Detroit put an emphasis on defense, rewarding pitchers for ground balls and counting on stars such as Cabrera, Magglio Ordonez, Carlos Guillen and Curtis Granderson to provide the offensive support.

In terms of range factor -- outs plus assists per nine innings -- the duo of Everett and Inge has the potential for hyperactivity if pitchers do their part. The last time Inge was an everyday third baseman for a season, he ranked third in the American League at the position in that category. Everett's last full season yielded the same ranking among National League shortstops.

"I've watched him play [in the Minors]," Inge said of Everett. "He's about as good as it gets at shortstop."

"The Tigers gave me another chance at third, and I'm not going to let them down."

-- Brandon Inge

The more they play alongside each other, the stronger they should get in learning each other's ranges. The bigger challenge for Inge is how much stability and repetition can help him offensively. He doesn't realistically need greatness at the plate, and the Tigers don't expect it, but there's equal acceptance that his recent numbers aren't up to expectations for an everyday third baseman -- Inge's own expectations included.

The year of change, going from one role to the next, ended up with more of a repeat of his frustrations at the plate. Though his versatility to change positions was admirable, Inge never really settled into a set role, and it carried over -- at least somewhat -- to his hitting.

Despite lacking a rhythm for playing time starting out, Inge was somewhat underrated in the first half last season. His .238 batting average overshadowed eight home runs in 212 plate appearances, resulting in a .772 OPS that was comparable to '06 despite a batting average that was similar to '07. From the All-Star break on, while he adjusted to catching regularly for a month and a half, Inge hit just .169 with three home runs and 22 RBIs in 53 games, including 12-for-76 with 25 strikeouts in September.

"You go through a year like that, and one of two things will happen," Inge said of the Tigers' struggles. "One, it'll beat you down. Or two, it'll motivate you."

The dealings from the previous winter beat him down. The stability heading into this winter ended up as a motivation.

Without having to worry about his job, Inge was able to focus on two factors in his offseason training. Before the season had ended, he had set himself toward working again on his swing. But he also went on a strength program with a personal trainer that has added weight to his frame.

Inge called it one of the better offseasons he has had from a preparation standpoint. Whether it translates into the season, of course, remains to be seen. What Inge hopes to get is a return more toward his power numbers of 2006, when he homered 27 times and drove in 83 runs from the bottom of the lineup.

At least there's a confidence about him -- that he has put himself in a position to succeed.

"Everything 's going to take care of itself in the end," Inge said.

Eight more games, and Inge will become the first Tigers player since Bobby Higginson to play 1,000 contests in a Detroit uniform. The next-closest total on the team is Carlos Guillen, at 640. Inge doesn't know how these games will go for him or the Tigers, and he can't be sure how many more he'll have. But he's ready for the chance.

"The Tigers gave me another chance at third," Inge said, "and I'm not going to let them down."