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The 2013 World Baseball Classic provisional rosters have been submitted and made public. There is no shortage of big names representing their country and/or respective heritages. Team USA alone has fifteen All Stars on the roster, three former MVPs, and the reigning National League Cy Young winner. Team Venezuela is being represented by 11 MLB All Stars and Team Dominican Republic comes in third, with 10 All-Stars on its roster. Without further ado, the 2013 WBC rosters:
Team America
First Base
Player | Bats/Throws | 2012 Batting | 2012 HR | 2012 SB | 2012 UZR |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mark Teixeira | Switch/Right | .251/.332/.475 | 34 | 2 | +10.5 |
Second Base
Player | Bats/Throws | 2012 Batting | 2012 HR | 2012 SB | 2012 UZR |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Brandon Phillips | Right/Right | .281/.321/.429 | 18 | 15 | +8.1 |
Ben Zobrist | Switch/Right | .270/.377/.471 | 20 | 14 | -3.5 |
Third Base
Player | Bats/Throws | 2012 Batting | 2012 HR | 2012 SB | 2012 UZR |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
David Wright | Right/Right | .306/.391/.492 | 21 | 15 | +15.0 |
Shortstop
Player | Bats/Throws | 2012 Batting | 2012 HR | 2012 SB | 2012 UZR |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jimmy Rollins | Switch/Right | .250/.316/.427 | 23 | 30 | +4.4 |
Willie Bloomquist | Right/Right | .302/.325/.398 | 0 | 7 | -3.6 |
Ben Zobrist | Switch/Right | .270/.377/.471 | 20 | 14 | +0.5 |
Left Field
Player | Bats/Throws | 2012 Batting | 2012 HR | 2012 SB | 2012 UZR |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ryan Braun | Right/Right | .319/.391/.595 | 41 | 30 | +2.8 |
Shane Victorino | Switch/Right | .255/321/383 | 11 | 29 | +6.0 |
Center Field
Player | Bats/Throws | 2012 Batting | 2012 HR | 2012 SB | 2012 UZR |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Adam Jones | Right/Right | .287/.334/.505 | 32 | 16 | –6.7 |
Shane Victorino | Switch/Right | .255/321/383 | 11 | 29 | -2.0 |
Right Field
Player | Bats/Throws | 2012 Batting | 2012 HR | 2012 SB | 2012 UZR |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Giancarlo Stanton | Right/Right | .290/.361/.608 | 37 | 6 | +9.3 |
Ben Zobrist | Switch/Right | .270/.377/.471 | 20 | 14 | +9.8 |
Catcher
Player | Bats/Throws | 2012 Batting | 2012 HR | 2012 SB | 2012 UZR |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Joe Mauer | Left/Right | .319/.416/.446 | 10 | 8 | -3.9 |
Jonathan Lucroy | Right/Right | .320/.368/.513 | 12 | 4 | +2.2 |
J.P. Arencibia | Right/Right | .233/.275/.435 | 18 | 1 | -1.1 |
*Bold Denotes Projected Starter
Pitching Rotation
Player | Throws | IP | ERA/FIP | K/9 | BB/9 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
R.A. Dickey | Right | 233.2 | 2.73/3.27 | 8.7 | 2.1 |
Ryan Vogelsong | Right | 189.2 | 3.37/3.70 | 7.5 | 2.9 |
Derek Holland | Left | 175.1 | 4.67/4.75 | 7.4 | 2.7 |
Kris Medlen | Right | 138.0 | 1.57/2.42 | 7.8 | 1.5 |
Bullpen
Player | Throws | IP | ERA/FIP | K/9 | BB/9 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Craig Kimbrel | Right | 62.2 | 1.01/0.78 | 16.7 | 2.0 |
Heath Bell | Right | 63.2 | 5.09/3.72 | 8.3 | 4.1 |
Chris Perez | Right | 57.2 | 3.59/3.34 | 9.2 | 2.5 |
Vinnie Pestano | Right | 70.0 | 2.57/3.42 | 9.8 | 3.1 |
Luke Gregerson | Right | 71.2 | 2.39/3.36 | 9.0 | 2.6 |
Glen Perkins | Left | 70.1 | 2.56/3.17 | 10.0 | 2.1 |
Steve Cishek | Right | 63.2 | 2.69/3.22 | 9.6 | 4.1 |
Jeremy Affeldt | Left | 63.1 | 2.70/2.73 | 8.1 | 3.3 |
Tim Collins | Left | 69.2 | 3.36/3.47 | 12.0 | 4.4 |
Mitchell Boggs | Right | 73.1 | 2.21/3.42 | 7.1 | 2.6 |
All rosters are subject to change, being provisional. Many teams do not have full rosters: Team USA, among others, has one more roster spot open. There's speculation that the spot will go to Justin Verlander, who will make his final decision when he starts throwing in Spring Training. February 20 is the deadline for formal rosters to be submitted.
Team Australia |
---|
Pitchers |
Adam Bright |
Tim Kennelly (MiLB) |
Steven Kent |
Peter Moylan (MLB) |
Chris Oxspring |
Ryan Rowland-Smith (MLB) |
Andrew Russell (MiLB) |
Dushan Ruzic |
Warwick Saupold (MiLB) |
Ryan Searle (MiLB) |
Clayton Tanner |
Brad Thomas |
Matthew Williams |
Brendan Wise |
Catchers |
Allan de San Miguel (MiLB) |
Matt Kennelly (MiLB) |
Infielders |
James Beresford (MiLB) |
Josh Davies |
Brad Harman |
Justin Huber |
Luke Hughes |
Mike Walker (MiLB) |
Stefan Welch (MiLB) |
Outfielders |
Corey Adamson (MiLB) |
Mitch Dening |
David Kandilas (MiLB) |
Joshua Roberts |
Chris Snelling |
Team Brazil |
---|
Pitchers |
Gabriel Asakura |
Noris Chacon |
Rafael Fernandes |
Luiz Gohara (MiLB) |
Murilo Gouvea (MiLB) |
Hugo Kanabushi |
Kesley Kondo |
Rafael Moreno (MiLB) |
Oscar Nakaoshi |
Andre Rienzo (MiLB) |
Thyago Vieira (MiLB) |
Carlos Yoshimura |
Catchers |
Bruno Hirata |
Infielders |
Felipe Burin (MiLB) |
Alan Fanhoni |
Iago Januario (MiLB) |
Daniel Matsumoto |
Pedro Okuda (MiLB) |
Leonardo Reginatto (MiLB) |
Lucas Rojo (MiLB) |
Marcio Tanaka |
Outfielders |
Tiago Magalhaes |
Mike Magario |
JC Muniz |
Paulo Orlando (MiLB) |
Jean Tome |
Team Chinese Taipei |
---|
Pitchers |
Hung-Wen Chen (MiLB) |
Hung-Chih Kuo |
Yi-Hao Lin |
Chia-Jen Lo (MiLB) |
Ching Lung Lo |
Wei-Lun Pan |
Jen-Ho Tseng |
Chien-Ming Wang (MLB) |
Ching-Ming Wang |
I-Cheng Wang |
Yao-Lin Wang (MiLB) |
Yao-Hsun Yang |
Catchers |
Ta-Hung Cheng |
Chih-Kang Kao |
Hung-Yu Lin |
Infielders |
Chiang-Ho Chen |
Yung-Chi Chen |
Yen-Wen Kuo |
Chih-Shen Lin |
Han Lin |
Cheng-Ming Peng |
Outfielders |
Chien-Ming Chang |
Szu-Chi Chou |
Che-Hsuan Lin (MLB) |
Wu-Hsiung Pan |
Dai-Kang Yang |
Team China |
---|
Pitchers |
Tao Bu |
Bruce Chen (MLB) |
Kun Chen |
Shuai Li |
Wenming Li |
Xin Li |
Yu Liu |
Jiangang Lu |
Xia Luo |
Qingyuan Meng |
Song Ran |
Haifan Yang |
Yanyong Yang |
Dawei Zhu |
Catchers |
Wei Dong |
Weiqiang Meng |
Wei Wang |
Infielders |
Xu An |
Ray Chang (MiLB) |
Fujia Chu |
Xiaolei Du |
Delong Jia |
Yubing Jia |
Lei Li |
Shu Okamura |
Outfielders |
Xiao Cui |
Jingfeng Lai |
Zhenhong Lu |
Team Canada |
---|
Pitchers |
Andrew Albers (MiLB) |
Phillippe Aumont (MLB) |
John Axford (MLB) |
Jesse Crain (MLB) |
Mark Hardy (MiLB) |
Jim Henderson (MLB) |
Shawn Hill (MLB) |
Chris Leroux (MLB) |
Trystan Magnuson (MLB) |
Scott Mathieson (MiLB) |
Dustin Molleken |
Scott Richmond |
Jameson Taillon (MiLB) |
Catchers |
Russell Martin (MLB) |
Chris Robinson (MiLB) |
Infielders |
Taylor Green (MLB) |
Cale Iorg (MiLB) |
Brett Lawrie (MLB) |
Jonathan Malo (MiLB) |
Justin Morneau (MLB) |
Pete Orr (MLB) |
Jimmy Van Ostrand (MiLB) |
Outfielders |
Tyson Gillies (MiLB) |
Adam Loewen (MLB) |
Michael Saunders (MLB) |
Rene Tosoni (MLB) |
Team Cuba |
---|
Pitchers |
Freddy Alvarez (MiLB) |
Odrisamer Despaigne |
Vladimir Garcia |
Norberto Gonzalez |
Yander Guevara |
Raciel Iglesias |
Ismel Jimenez |
Darien Nunez |
Vicyohandrys Odelin |
Wilber Perez |
Alexander Rodriguez |
Catchers |
Yulexis La Rosa |
Frank Morejon |
Erier Sanchez |
Infielders |
Jose Abreu |
Erisbel Arruebarruena |
Danny Betancourt |
Jose Fernandez |
Yulieski Gonzalez |
Yulieski Gourriel |
Andy Ibanez |
Luis Rivera |
Outfielders |
lexei Bell |
Rusney Castillo |
Frederich Cepeda |
Alfredo Despaigne |
Guillermo Heredia |
Yadiel Hernandez |
Team Dominican Republic |
---|
Pitchers |
Santiago Casilla (MLB) |
Octavio Dotel (MLB) |
Pedro Figueroa (MLB) |
Kelvin Herrera (MLB) |
Alexi Ogando (MLB) |
Joel Peralta (MLB) |
Fernando Rodney (MLB) |
Wandy Rodriguez (MLB) |
Esmil Rogers (MLB) |
Pedro Strop (MLB) |
Edinson Volquez (MLB) |
Catchers |
Miguel Olivo (MLB) |
Carlos Santana (MLB) |
Infielders |
Erick Aybar (MLB) |
Adrian Beltre (MLB) |
Robinson Cano (MLB) |
Edwin Encarnacion (MLB) |
Hanley Ramirez (MLB) |
Jose Reyes (MLB) |
Miguel Tejada (MLB) |
Outfielders |
Melky Cabrera (MLB) |
Nelson Cruz (MLB) |
Carlos Gomez (MLB) |
Team Italy |
---|
Pitchers |
Chris Cooper |
Yovany D'Amico |
Tiago Da Silva |
Jason Grilli (MLB) |
Alex Maestri |
John Mariotti |
Luca Panerati |
Nick Pugliese |
Dan Serafini |
Brian Sweeney |
Matt Torra |
Catchers |
Drew Butera (MLB) |
Francisco Cervelli (MLB) |
Tyler LaTorre (MiLB) |
Infielders |
Jeff Bianchi (MLB) |
Chris Colabello (MiLB) |
Anthony Granato |
Alex Liddi (MLB) |
Nick Punto (MLB) |
Anthony Rizzo (MLB) |
Alessandro Vaglio |
Outfielders |
Lorenzo Avagnina |
Mario Chiarini |
Chris Denorfia (MLB) |
Team Japan |
---|
Pitchers |
Takuya Asao |
Takeru Imamura |
Kenta Maeda |
Kazuhisa Makita |
Masahiko Morifuku |
Atsushi Nomi |
Kenji Otonari |
Hirokazu Sawamura |
Tadashi Settsu |
Toshiya Sugiuchi |
Masahiro Tanaka |
Tetsuya Utsumi |
Hideaki Wakui |
Tetsuya Yamaguchi |
Daisuke Yamai |
Catchers |
Shinnosuke Abe |
Ryoji Aikawa |
Ginjiro Sumitani |
Infielders |
Kazuo Matsui (MLB) |
Shuichi Murata |
Hayato Sakamoto |
Takashi Toritani |
Outfielders |
Atsunori Inaba |
Team Korea |
---|
Pitchers |
Woo-Chan Cha |
Won Jun Chang |
Tae-Hyon Chong |
Won-Sam Jang |
Yong-Chan Lee |
Kyung Eun Noh |
Seung Hwan Oh |
Heesoo Park |
Jae Weong Seo (MLB) |
Seung-Lak Son |
Wonsang Yoo |
Hi-Sang Yoon |
Suk-Min Yoon |
Catchers |
Kab-Yong Jin |
Min-Ho Kang |
Infielders |
Jeong Choi |
Keun-Woo Jeong |
Jung-Ho Kang |
Sangsu Kim |
Tae-Kyun Kim |
Dae-Ho Lee |
Seung-Yeop Lee (MLB) |
Si-Hyun Son |
Outfielders |
Jun-woo Jeon |
Hyun-Soo Kim |
Jin-Young Lee |
Yong-Kyu Lee |
Ahseop Son |
Team Mexico |
---|
Pitchers |
Alfredo Aceves (MLB) |
Luis Ayala (MLB) |
Marco Estrada (MLB) |
Yovani Gallardo (MLB) |
Miguel Gonzalez (MLB) |
David Hernandez (MLB) |
Rodrigo Lopez (MLB) |
Luis Mendoza (MLB) |
Oliver Perez (MLB) |
Sergio Romo (MLB) |
Fernando Salas (MLB) |
Catchers |
Rod Barajas (MLB) |
Ali Solis (MLB) |
Infielders |
Alfredo Amezaga (MLB) |
Jorge Cantu (MLB) |
Luis Cruz (MLB) |
Danny Espinosa (MLB) |
Adrian Gonzalez (MLB) |
Edgar Gonzalez |
Ramiro Pena (MLB) |
Outfielders |
Karim Garcia (MLB) |
Team Netherlands |
---|
Pitchers |
David Bergman |
Robbie Cordemans |
Bayron Cornelisse |
Jonatan Isenia (MiLB) |
Jair Jurrjens (MLB) |
Diegomar Markwell |
Shairon Martis (MLB) |
Tom Stuifbergen (MiLB) |
J.C. Sulbaran (MiLB) |
Berry Van Driel |
Loek Van Mil (MiLB) |
Orlando Yntema |
Catchers |
Spencer Kieboom (MiLB) |
Infielders |
Xander Bogaerts (MiLB) |
Yurendell de Caster |
Jurickson Profar (MLB) |
Jonathan Schoop (MiLB) |
Andrelton Simmons (MLB) |
Curt Smith |
Hainley Statia (MiLB) |
Nick Urbanus (MiLB) |
Outfielders |
Wladimir Balentien (MLB) |
Roger Bernadina (MLB) |
Andruw Jones (MLB) |
Randolph Oduber (MiLB) |
Kalian Sams (MiLB) |
Team Puerto Rico |
---|
Pitchers |
Giancarlo Alvarado |
Jose Berrios (MiLB) |
Hiram Burgos (MiLB) |
Fernando Cabrera (MLB) |
Xavier Cedeno (MLB) |
Jose De La Torre (MiLB) |
Nelson Figueroa (MLB) |
Dicky Gonzalez (MLB) |
Javier Lopez (MLB) |
J.C. Romero (MLB) |
Hector Santiago (MLB) |
Giovanni Soto (MLB) |
Javier Vazquez (MLB) |
Catchers |
Martin Maldonado (MLB) |
Jose Molina (MLB) |
Yadier Molina (MLB) |
Infielders |
Mike Aviles (MLB) |
Ivan De Jesus (MLB) |
Irving Falu (MLB) |
Luis Figueroa |
Andy Gonzalez (MLB) |
Carlos Rivera |
Pedro Valdes |
Outfielders |
Carlos Beltran (MLB) |
Jesus Feliciano |
Angel Pagan (MLB) |
Alex Rios (MLB) |
Eddie Rosario (MiLB) |
Team Spain |
---|
Pitchers |
Richard Castillo (MiLB) |
Jose Cruz |
Rhiner Cruz (MiLB) |
Eric Gonzalez |
Ivan Granados |
Ricardo Hernandez |
Chris Manno (MiLB) |
Eddie Morlan |
Leslie Nacar |
Antonio Noguera |
Paco Rodriguez (MLB) |
Richard Salazar |
Nick Schumacher |
Catchers |
Salomon Manriquez (MiLB) |
Adrian Nieto (MiLB) |
Infielders |
Barbaro Canizares |
Paco Figueroa |
Jesus Golindano |
Jesus Merchan |
Yunesky Sanchez |
Outfielders |
Engel Beltre (MiLB) |
Daniel Figueroa |
Yasser Gomez |
Fernando Martinez (MLB) |
Gabe Suarez (MiLB) |
Team Venezuela |
---|
Pitchers |
Henderson Alvarez (MLB) |
Ronald Belisario (MLB) |
Enrique Gonzalez |
Felix Hernandez (MLB) |
Cesar Jimenez (MLB) |
Jose Mijares (MLB) |
Francisco Rodriguez |
Anibal Sanchez (MLB) |
Carlos Zambrano (MLB) |
Catchers |
Ramon Hernandez (MLB) |
Miguel Montero (MLB) |
Salvador Perez (MLB) |
Infielders |
Elvis Andrus (MLB) |
Asdrubal Cabrera (MLB) |
Miguel Cabrera (MLB) |
Pablo Sandoval (MLB) |
Marco Scutaro (MLB) |
Outfielders |
Carlos Gonzalez (MLB) |
Gerardo Parra (MLB) |
Martin Prado (MLB) |
How does Team USA compare to other teams in the tournament? Team Japan will be suffering from a lack of marquee star power; Yu Darvish, Ichiro Suzuki, Daisuke Matsuzaka, and other past stars will not be playing for their homeland, opting to prepare for the upcoming MLB season instead.
Team Cuba has lost numerous past stars to defection, notably Aroldis Chapman and Yoenis Cespedes. The reigning WBC champions and the number one ranked international baseball team are seemingly weakened while Team USA, at least on paper, appears stronger. Other teams, such as Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Venezuela appear stronger, too, addressing what was cited as their biggest problems in the 2009 competition: pitching. Overall, anything can happen — the odds of Team Netherlands sweeping the much stronger Dominican Republic team in the 2009 World Baseball Classic were slim, but they did.
The first round of the WBC is a round robin, featuring four pools. Pool A — Japan, Brazil, Cuba, China — will be playing six games against each other in the Fukuoka Yahoo! Japan Dome in Fukuoka, Japan between March 2 and March 6.
Pool B — Australia, Chinese Taipei, Korea, The Netherlands — will be playing six games against each other at Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium in Taichung, Taiwan between March 2 and March 5.
Pool C — Venezuela, The Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Spain — will be playing six games against each other at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico between March 7 and March 10.
Pool D — Italy, Mexico, Canada, The United States — will be playing six games against each other at Salt River Fields in Phoenix, Arizona and Chase Field between March 7 and March 10.
The second round of the WBC is a modified double elimination featuring two pools. Pool 1 takes place between March 8 and March 12, and features six games played at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan. Pool 2 takes place between March 12 and March 16, and features six games played at Marlins Park.
The final round of the WBC is a single elimination game to be played at AT&T Park.
Why Does the WBC Matter?
Japan staff ace Masahiro Tanaka is expected to be posted in 2014, and the 2013 WBC gives us a venue to see him ply his trade. The 2007 Rookie of the Year, 2011 Eiji Sawamura Award Winner, and five-time All Star went 10-4 in 2012 with a 1.87 ERA, 169 strikeouts, and 19 walks in 173 innings. He owns a career record of 75-35 in 1,103 innings pitched with a cumulative 2.50 ERA and a staggering 1055 strikeouts to 243 walks.
Tanaka's teammate, Hideaki Wakui, anchor of the Saitama Seibu Lions, also is a potential posting candidate. Team Korea’s Suk-Min Yoon, a Scott Boras client, has been tied to North American baseball for two years, and a high profile performance on the international stage might be the impetus that finally propels him to MLB. Moon, profiled back in December, went 9-8 with a 3.12 ERA, 137 strikeouts, and 33 walks in 153.0 innings in 2012.
Yoenis Cespedes and Aroldis Chapman both made their first appearances to most baseball fans during the 2009 WBC and showed the world why they were worth signing. Cespedes hit .458/.480/1.000 in 24 at-bats (11 singles, 1 double, 3 triples, 2 home runs) during the competition, and Chapman wowed the world with his triple-digit fastball and devastating slider. Both have since become premier players in MLB, with Cespedes hitting .292/.356/.505 in his rookie year and Chapman dominating out of the bullpen with 212 strikeouts in 135.0 innings pitched.
The inclusion of Brazil in the tournament marks an intriguing paradigm shift. It is widely said that the emerging market of Brazil will make the country an economic powerhouse in the future. The same can be said for baseball. As of right now, only a single Brazilian has made it to MLB: Yan Gomes. Fourteen other Brazilians, as of January 2013, are under contract by MLB teams. As the popularity of baseball increases in the country, more Brazilian talent will come to MLB.
It also gives us all a stage to watch baseball, and see the different forms that it takes across the world. As is well documented, baseball in Asia is fairly different from baseball here in North America, with more of an emphasis on small ball, defense, and fundamentals. The Cuban National Team rarely makes appearances at MLB-headed baseball ventures because of lingering political issues between the U.S. and Cuba. It is only once in a blue moon that we North American baseball fans get to see our stars go head-to-head with the legendary players of Cuba.
In the end, everything else aside, the WBC gives us a chance to watch baseball, cheer for our country, and be proud of our heritages.