11 Chicago Cubs' Players Will Be Playing in the World Baseball Classic

Pitchers

The Cubs' have four of their pitchers playing in the WBC. The most notable is Marcus Stroman. Stroman is the reigning tournament MVP, but he chose not to play for Team USA this year. Instead, Stroman will be joining Puerto Rico. In an interview with the Chicago Tribune, Stroman explains how hard the decision was to choose Puerto Rico, but he is very excited to represent the 2017 runner-ups. Cubbies Crib writer and colleague, Michael Brakebill gives a 2023 season preview for Stroman here. Despite missing time due to injury in 2022, Stroman put together a strong second half and finished the season with good numbers. The Cubs are going to rely on him a good amount in 2023, so it will be fun to see a preview of him in the WBC.

Javier Assad will be representing Mexico in this year's WBC. The 25-year-old made his big league debut in 2022 and he did not disappoint. Assad was a solid starter for the Cubs during his eight starts. In 37 2/3 innings, Assad had a 3.11 ERA with 30 strikeouts, a 1.46 WHIP, and a .240 BAA. One thing the Cubs would love to see from Assad is better command. He walked 20 batters in 2022, and over the length of a full season, that will not bode well. Nonetheless, in his short time in the bigs, Assad pitched well. Come march, you can watch him play for team Mexico.

Roenis Elías is a new Cub this year and he will be joining Cuba for the WBC. Elías was signed to a minor league contract in December and there is some reason for Cubs' fans to be excited about his arm talent. This winter, Elías played in the Dominican Republic and dominated. In 39 innings, the southpaw had a 0.92 ERA, struck out 38, and had an impressive WHIP of 0.769. He has had his major league struggles, but with a good showing in the WBC for Cuba, Elías can further prove the Cubs made a good decision signing him.

Minor leaguer Danis Correa will represent Colombia. Correa is young, but he has potential. The 23-year-old has spent most of his time in the bullpen. In 2022, Correa made it up to AAA but had some struggles. However, he was very good at AA. In 40 AA innings, Correa had a 2.93 ERA, 40 strikeouts, and a 1.23 WHIP. He is not someone that is well-known in the Cubs' system, but he has the potential to be a good bullpen arm in the future. Representing Colombia and facing some big-league hitters will be good for him.