Despite boasting one of its most complete rosters in World Baseball Classic history, Team USA has not looked nearly as dominant as many expected. Losing to Italy in their final game of pool play, Team USA risked missing out on the quarterfinals entirely. They were fortunate to advance, as Italy defeated Mexico the next day, which was the outcome Team USA needed. But the Americans will need a much better showing on Sunday against the Dominican Republic if they want to advance to the semifinals and have a chance to win this tournament.
It had been reported that Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Joe Ryan was expected to join Team USA for a potential championship game start. Ryan is the ace of Minnesota’s staff and one of the best strikeout pitchers in baseball. Making 30 starts last season, he punched out 194 batters in 171 innings. His 3.42 earned run average was a career best, and his 1.04 WHIP was elite.
Having this level of talent on the hill for a potential championship game was something Team USA had to feel good about. But unfortunately, it was reported on Saturday by Bob Nightengale of the Minnesota Star Tribune that Ryan will no longer be joining Team USA.
This is a troubling development for the Americans, as pitching depth has already been a concern. After Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes, who is slated to start against the Dominican Republic on Sunday, USA’s rotation gets a bit thin.
This is especially the case due to the reigning back-to-back American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal deciding to rejoin the Detroit Tigers in spring training after just one WBC start.
With Ryan no longer in the mix for Team USA, manager Mark DeRosa will have to find a new starter for a potential championship game, assuming a win over the Dominican Republic on Sunday, which is of course not guaranteed.
At 29 years old, Ryan is one of the few established stars still left in Minnesota after last year’s fire sale at the trade deadline. He made his first All-Star team last season, and despite a lot of reported interest around the league, Minnesota decided to hold onto him. His teammate Byron Buxton is also on Team USA and was among the names floated at last year’s trade deadline, but he also stayed put.
Ryan logged a career high in innings last season, so perhaps that played into his decision to continue his spring training ramp-up and not place himself in potential harm’s way by throwing very intense high-leverage innings in the World Baseball Classic. Nonetheless, this is a disappointing development for Team USA and one that makes their path to a World Baseball Classic title much more difficult.
However, it is again important to mention that none of this matters if the Americans cannot advance past the Dominican Republic, which as of right now looks to be the most dominant team in this entire tournament.