With much fanfare (and little attention), the provisional rosters for the 16 World Baseball Classic teams have been released. I'm not going to post the full rosters here, but will instead link to the WBC's website and note any interesting major leaguers or former major leaguers on each team's roster.
POOL A
Brazil. No major leaguers, but is managed by Hall of Famer Barry Larkin.
China. Royals starting pitcher Bruce Chen is on the team after playing for Team Panama in the 2006 and 2009 World Baseball Classics.
Cuba. No Cuban-born players currently playing in America are on the team (for obvious reasons), though you've probably heard of infielder Yulieski Gourriel.
Japan. For the first-time ever, this is an all domestic roster for Japan, with no current major leaguers on the roster. However, former major leaguer Kaz Matsui will play.
POOL B
Australia. The biggest "name" on the team is former Braves reliever Peter Moylan, who just signed a minor league contract with the Dodgers this week. Former Mariners starter Ryan Rowland-Smith is also on the team, along with a pair of prospects that never really panned out in Justin Huber and Chris Snelling.
Chinese Taipei. Former Dodgers reliever Hong-Chih Kuo is on the team, along with former Yankees starter Chien-Ming Wang and former Red Sox outfielder Che-Hsuan Lin.
Netherlands. Team Netherlands has a blend of young and old players, including former Braves pitcher Jair Jurrjens, Red Sox prospect Xander Bogaerts, Rangers prospect Jurickson Profar, Orioles prospect Jonathan Schoop, Braves shortstop Andrelton Simmons, Nationals outfielder Roger Bernadina, and former Braves outfielder Andruw Jones.
South Korea. No current major leaguers are on the roster, though former Mets pitcher Jae Seo will pitch for the team.
POOL C
Dominican Republic. The entire roster has major league experience, highlighted by Rangers starter Alexi Ogando, Pirates starter Wandy Rodriguez, Padres starter Edinson Volquez, Indians catcher Carlos Santana, a star-studded infield that includes Adrian Beltre, Robinson Cano, Edwin Encarnacion, Hanley Ramirez, and Jose Reyes, and outfielders Melky Cabrera, Nelson Cruz, and Carlos Gomez.
Puerto Rico. Most of the roster has major league experience, and the most recognizable names are relievers Javier Lopez of the Giants and JC Romero, starter Javier Vazquez, catchers Jose and Yadier Molina, infielder Mike Aviles, and a fantastic outfield featuring Carlos Beltran, Angel Pagan, and Alex Rios.
Spain. Former Braves minor leaguers Barbaro Canizares and Yasser Gomez are on the team, along with former Mets super prospect (and current Astro) Fernando Martinez and Rangers prospect Engel Beltre.
Venezuela. This team's roster is almost totally comprised of players with major league experience. Felix Hernandez, Francisco Rodriguez, Anibal Sanchez, and Carlos Zambrano highlight the pitching staff, while Ramon Hernandez, Miguel Montero, and Salvador Perez will be the catchers for the squad. In the infield, Elvis Andrus, Asdrubal Cabrera, Miguel Cabrera, Pablo Sandoval, and Marco Scutaro have been announced, while the outfielders for the team will be Carlos Gonzalez, Gerardo Parra, and Martin Prado.
POOL D
Canada. Several current major leaguers are on the team, including John Axford of the Brewers, Jesse Crain of the White Sox, Pirates top prospect Jameson Taillon, Pirates catcher Russell Martin, Brett Lawrie of the Blue Jays, Justin Morneau of the Twins, and Mariners outfielder Michael Saunders.
Italy. There are a few players with major league experience on the roster, including Pirates closer Jason Grilli, Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo, catcher Francisco Cervelli of the Yankees, Mariners prospect Alex Liddi, Dodgers infielder Nick Punto, and Padres outfielder Chris Denorfia.
Mexico. The pitching staff features Alfredo Aceves of the Red Sox, a pair of Brewers in Marco Estrada and Yovani Gallardo, Miguel Gonzalez of the Orioles, David Hernandez of the Diamondbacks, Giants closer Sergio Romo, and Fernando Salas of the Cardinals. Offensively, the Nationals' Danny Espinosa and the Dodgers' Adrian Gonzalez will be on the team.
United States. We went over the full roster when it was announced this morning.
Overall, the rosters for each team aren't nearly as star-studded as one might think they could be, but the're not that bad overall in my opinion. I'm incredibly intrigued by the Netherlands team, which doesn't have much in the way of pitching, but has an extremely talented crop of young position players in the infield that could turn some heads in Pool B, and possibly do enough to qualify in the weakest of the four pools.
