Anthony Fenech

Detroit Free Press

Detroit Tigers owner Mike Ilitch answered the question of who will play leftfield.

It will be Justin Upton, who on Monday night agreed to a six-year, $132.75-million contract with the Tigers that represents the latest lucrative long-term deal handed out by Ilitch in his quest to get his hands on a World Series championship.

Now, Tigers manager Brad Ausmus will answer the question of where Upton will hit in the lineup.

And the way it looks now, he will hit second.

On paper, the Tigers will have one of the strongest top fives in baseball if Ausmus chooses to pen in his lineup like this: second baseman Ian Kinsler, Upton, first baseman Miguel Cabrera, designated hitter Victor Martinez and rightfielder J.D. Martinez.

Ausmus indicated at the winter meetings last month that if Victor Martinez is healthy, as has been reported throughout the off-season, he will assume his normal cleanup spot behind Cabrera.

Kinsler has extensive experience as a leadoff hitter, and Upton offers strong base running in the No.2 hole in front of Cabrera, whom Ausmus has been reluctant to move out of the No. 3 spot for the past two seasons.

Martinez slots naturally into the cleanup spot because of his switch-hitting ability. The Tigers will need his left-handed presence in the order, given how they are stacked with right-handed hitters.

Another thing that points to Kinsler in the leadoff spot: Depending on whether the team is facing a right-hander or left-hander, Ausmus could put Jose Iglesias and Anthony Gose or Cameron Maybin at the bottom of the order, so when the lineup turns over, it resembles Iglesias at leadoff, Gose or Maybin hitting second and Kinsler third.

Ausmus’ answers will come in due time, but it’s not a bad question to face.

Check our projected lineups in the photo galleries below.

Contact Anthony Fenech: afenech@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @anthonyfenech.

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Vs. righties

Vs. lefties

Fenech: Justin Upton makes Tigers World Series contender