Detroit could have as many as 13 players involved in the WBC, but some are likely to get cut and some are on the Tigers' minor league rosters.

The Tigers initially will be missing their whole starting outfield (right fielder Magglio Ordonez, center fielder Curtis Granderson, left fielder Carlos Guillen) and the right side of their infield (second baseman Placido Polanco, first baseman Miguel Cabrera), so Leyland essentially will be fielding a "B" squad lineup until at least the first cuts are made by the national teams.

It's good news for utility man Ryan Raburn, however, as he will probably see a lot of outfield action. His competition for a bench spot, Jeff Larish, should see a lot of first base and third base playing time, and maybe even a little in left field in an effort to expand his defensive horizons.

Detroit has a few minor league second basemen who will have opportunities to impress Leyland.

And outfielder Casper Wells, who put himself on Detroit's prospect list with a strong minor league season a year ago, will get his first good look at major league pitching.

Those are the kinds of things Leyland will be looking at, instead of bemoaning the fact players he already knows about aren't in camp.

WHERE, WHEN: Joker Marchant Stadium, Tigertown, Lakeland, Fla. First exhibition game is Feb. 25 against Atlanta.

TOP CANDIDATE TO SURPRISE: 1B Miguel Cabrera led the league with a career-high 37 home runs and had a career-best 127 runs batted in last year in his first look at American League pitching even though he didn't really start mashing until midseason. His manager, Jim Leyland, preached all year to Cabrera about bearing down on every at-bat because he plays the game at a higher level than most, and it seemed he finally started taking that message to heart late in the season. His .292 average was his first below .300 in four years, and many insiders believe Cabrera has Triple Crown potential. At 26, he's only now reaching his physical peak, and instead of going down, he could be headed for new performance milestones.

TOP CANDIDATE TO DISAPPOINT: LF Carlos Guillen followed seven straight years in which his batting average rose with two straight seasons of decline. He played through knee and hamstring ailments in 2007 but missed most of last August and all of September because of a balky back, and at age 33 those could be signs he's hitting the wall physically. Moving him to the outfield is part of a plan to improve Detroit's overall defense (he came to pro ball as an outfielder), but injuries were a problem for Guillen early in his career and it could be that he's on the verge of simply wearing out.

AUTHORITY FIGURES: Manager Jim Leyland is 257-229 in his three seasons with Detroit, but his win total has dropped each year since the Tigers lost the 2006 World Series. That's one reason the organization decided to deny him an extension as he heads into the final year of his contract. Disappointed because his lame-duck status will be a news topic until it's resolved, he has acknowledged that if Detroit has a good year he will be back but if it doesn't, he'll be gone. The front office fired his pitching coach, Chuck Hernandez (and his bullpen coach, Jeff Jones, who was quickly returned to his job) in favor of Minnesota minor league pitching coach Rick Knapp.