Detroit Tigers: Clete Thomas, Danny Worth and the 5 Surprises in 2012

Live Spring Training Games are just around the corner, and Detroit Tigers fans are excited to see their new team in action.

Between the position switches by Miguel Cabrera and Brandon Inge, and the fun of likely seeing a rookie pitcher in the rotation, there's a lot to get their motors running. 

One of the most intriguing story lines every year with Jim Leyland is how he'll juggle his starting lineup.

In 2011, he used 127 different lineups. Leyland likes playing matchups and platoon splits, and with the exception of Miguel Cabrera batting third and Prince Fielder batting cleanup, players are apt to find themselves hitting virtually anywhere.

Oh, there are some clear exceptions.

Austin Jackson will likely lead off most of the time, while Alex Avila will probably bat sixth. But, there will be times when Clete Thomas is in the one spot and Ryan Raburn is batting after Fielder. 

With that in mind, here are five guys who have a great chance to make a bigger impact than we give them credit for today.

Clete Thomas is still relatively young, and he's got tools Leyland likes.

He's pretty fast, and he hits better than Don Kelly. If he proves that he's healthy from past injuries, he could find himself playing left field on days when Detroit is facing a right-handed pitcher. Additionally, he's out of options, so if the Tigers don't want to expose him to waivers, they'll have to bring him north.

Danny Worth doesn't walk enough, but he makes decent contact (22 strikeouts in 143 plate appearances), and his defense at three positions is above average.

If he can get his bat going better than Brandon Inge's, he could possibly make the club out of Spring Training, though a later call up is far more likely. He could get some starts against left-handers, but he's more likely to save some one run games. 

Andy Dirks is actually getting a lot of attention this spring, so some good contributions wouldn't really be that surprising.

He offers a similar skill set to Clete Thomas, but doesn't have the disconcerting injury history. He, like Thomas and Kelly, can play all three outfield positions, but he's younger than the former, and outhits the latter. 

Like Dirks, Duane Below has actually gotten a fair amount of ink, since he's in the running to be the team's fifth starter.

In fact, some folks think he's the front-runner.

Below is pretty similar to the left-handed veteran that Dave Dombrowski said he wanted for the rotation. Oh, except he's not a veteran.

In any case, a statement earlier this week by Leyland that he wanted a southpaw long man for the rotation indicated that Below had more than an outside shot at being with the big club on Opening Day.

Finally, Andy Oliver is going to be huge for the team this year.

His walk rate has been terrible, sure. In fact, he's averaged almost a walk an inning for Detroit over seven starts. But he's going to be the fifth starter out of Spring Training and here's why: he has more to lose than any of the other candidates.

He's older than Turner, Wilk or Crosby, and was more highly regarded than Below. If he can't show good signs this year, it's possible, maybe even probable, that he's going to start down the same path that Andrew Miller has traveled, a kind of baseball limbo.

The impact that he's going to make as the fifth starter will especially be big around the trade deadline.

If he's good and the Tigers have a big need, they can either trade him away and bring up Jacob Turner, or they could trade Turner for a bigger package.

Here's hoping he's able to pull back the reins on that fastball and do some damage this year.