Chicago Cubs: Former, current players making their mark in World Baseball Classic

Several former Chicago Cubs players have left their marks – good and bad – on their respective teams in this year’s World Baseball Classic.

From current players, including Javier Baez and John Andreoli, to former hurlers such as Jason Marquis and Ryan Dempster, this year’s World Baseball Classic is littered with Chicago Cubs’ talent.

Dempster shook off the dust of retirement to pitch for Team Canada, while Baez’s usual theatrics have been on full display for Team Puerto Rico. He headlines the list of current Cubs players taking part in the WBC. Prospect John Andreoli has also been a leader for Team Italy, coming up clutch for his home country already.

Notable pieces, especially first baseman Anthony Rizzo, opted to not take part in this year’s tournament – in hopes of focusing on defending the team’s World Series title.

Theatrics and poor performances have been mixed in for these current and former Chicago athletes; let’s take a look at how things have shaped up to-date.

Dempster gets lit up in his Team Canada return

After not pitching in the big leagues since 2013, Ryan Dempster needed a lot of work to prepare for the WBC.

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And, despite all that hard work, the results were less than ideal. Dempster and Team Canada squared off against the formidable Team Dominican Republic – arguably the best lineup in the entire tournament.

He lasted a mere two innings, surrendering seven hits and four earned runs.

“That’s probably the least upset I’ve been after pitching as poorly as I did in that second inning in my entire career,” Dempster said. “I really did just soak it all in. I was proud of myself for not being afraid to fail.”

Dempster told the New York Times he hopes to appear again in the tournament. Team Canada certainly appears to lack the star power of other countries. Then again, as we’ve seen with Team Israel’s improbable run, things aren’t always as they seem.

Cubs prospect steps up on the world stage

Entering play on Sunday, Chicago outfielder John Andreoli carried an OPS north of .900.

In 10 at-bats in this year’s World Baseball Classic, he has a home run, a pair of runs and four runs batted in. There are certainly more impressive resumes in the tournament, but for a guy still looking to crack a big-league roster, it’s been eye-catching.

But, above all else, it’s been one moment that looms large.

Team Italy trailed Team Mexico by four runs entering the bottom of the ninth last week. Facing young, but talented Toronto Blue Jays reliever Roberto Osuna, the Italian offense got to work.

Pirates’ catcher Francisco Cervelli led off with a double. Two more hits plated a pair of rallies. An error and a walk loaded the bases and ended Osuna’s night early. Oliver Perez took the ball, in hopes of preventing a total collapse.

Italy plated another run on a single, making it a 9-8 ballgame. Andreoli stepped to the dish, and the rest, as they say, is history. The Chicago prospect delivered a ground ball into the outfield, plating two runs and giving Italy a shocking come-from-behind win.