Pirates stars, including a Cy Young winner, headline 14 organizational players competing globally in the World Baseball Classic.
Eight players on the 40-man roster are among 14 players from the Pittsburgh Pirates’ organization who plan to play in the World Baseball Classic.
Topping the list is right-hander Paul Skenes, last year’s National League Cy Young Award winner. He will play for the United States in the tournament, which will be held from March 5-17, with the championship game set for loanDepot Park in Miami.
Two relief pitchers, closer Dennis Santana and left-hander Gregory Soto, will be part of the Dominican Republic team along with center fielder Oneil Cruz. Infielder Nick Gonzales will play for Mexico, first baseman Spencer Horwitz will suit up for Israel, the Netherlands will have right-hander Antwone Kelly on its roster, and reliever Kyle Nicolas will play for Italy.
The six minor-league players who will participate in the WBC are Pietro Albanez (Brazil), Emmanuel Chapman (Cuba), Po-Yu Chen (Chinese Taipei), Alessandro Ercolani (Italy), Joe La Sorsa (Italy), and Oddanier Mosqueda (Venezuela).
In a perfect world, teams would prefer their players stay in their spring training camps and prepare for the season on a normal regimen. Teams also fear their players getting injured in high-intensity games, while leisurely exhibition games are being played in Florida and Arizona.
However, the WBC has become an important initiative for Major League Baseball, and general managers understand that.
“I think it's just like supporting the greater good of the game and having a pit in our stomach,” Pirates GM Ben Cherington said of the mixed emotions. “That's probably the truth. It's really important to some guys to participate, and that's good; we want to support that. It is an important event for the game. It's an important event for individual players. We want to support that. Of course, there's going to be a pit in the stomach.”
The WBC has become a popular event since drawing a lukewarm reception in 2009’s inaugural event. However, interest has picked up in each subsequent WBC, and it has become a must-watch event for baseball fans.
“There's a ton of energy in these games, and people wearing their country colors around the complex and stuff and bragging rights and all that,” Cherington said. “So, it’s fun.”
Pirates Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Pirates. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.