Teams announce rosters for 2023 World Baseball Classic
Miami – Shohei Ohtani, U.S. captain Mike Trout and three Cuban-born MLB standouts were among the players chosen to compete for their homelands at next month's World Baseball Classic on Thursday.
The fifth edition of the global showdown is scheduled to run from March 8 to 21 with 20 teams competing in contests in Japan, Taiwan and the United States.
The defending champion Americans are led by Trout, a 31-year-old outfielder for the Los Angeles Angels and a three-time American League MVP.
"Once the opportunity came up I was super excited," Trout said. "Looking forward to it. Playing for your country means everything. It's going to be special."
The American roster also features Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts, St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado and first baseman Paul Goldschmidt — last year's National League MVP.
Ohtani, the Angels' two-way superstar and 2021 American League MVP, will star for Japan, which won the first two editions of the tournament. The Japanese roster also features San Diego Padres pitcher Yu Darvish, who played for the 2009 team that won the WBC title. Darvish and the Padres agreed to a six-year extension worth $108 million on Thursday.
Chicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki will also suit up for Japan, as will Tokyo Yakult Swallows infielder Munetaka Murakami and Orix Buffaloes pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, NPB's two-time reigning MVPs in the Central and Pacific League, respectively.
Cuba, an amateur dynasty that has been drained of talent by defections over the years, will have Cuban-born MLB stars on the roster for the first time.
Chicago White Sox third baseman Yoan Moncada, who in 2014 left Cuba with government permission to pursue an MLB career, and White Sox outfielder Luis Robert, who departed Cuba in 2016 are among those named to the team.
Cuba's baseball federation also picked Cuban-born players from Japanese clubs, such as Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks pitcher Livan Moinelo, and U.S. minor-league teams. In past years, Cuban officials left players who had left the island off the WBC roster.
The Dominican Republic, the 2013 champion, is the oddmakers' favorite to win the title, with United States and Japan just behind.
The Dominicans have a superstar lineup that includes Padres outfielder Juan Soto and third baseman Manny Machado, Toronto first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Boston third baseman Rafael Devers and Seattle outfielder Julio Rodriguez.
The Dominicans also feature pitcher Sandy Alcantara of the Miami Marlins, last year's NL Cy Young Award winner.
"I always wanted to play in the WBC, play for my country, and to be there this year, I want to do my best," the 27-year-old right-hander said.
The Dominicans open group play in Miami's Pool D, which could be seen as the Group of Death with Puerto Rico and Venezuela also in the mix and only two quarterfinal berths available.
New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor was among the stars on the Puerto Rico roster, while Venezuela boasts Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr., Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve and reigning AL batting champion Luis Arraez of Miami.
Pool D also has Israel and Nicaragua.
The Americans are in Pool C in Arizona with Britain, Canada, Mexico and Colombia.
Japan will host Pool B in Tokyo with South Korea, Australia, China and the Czech Republic, while Taiwan will host Pool A, which also features Cuba, Panama, Netherlands and Italy.
