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

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The World Baseball Classic (WBC) begins on March 8th. With twenty separate countries competing, the Chicago Cubs will have some of their own playing and representing eight different countries. The World Baseball Classic took a hiatus due to the pandemic, but it is making a return in 2023. The last WBC took place in 2017 which featured the United States taking the gold over Puerto Rico. Current Cubs' pitcher Marcus Stroman took home the tournament MVP award for his championship game performance.

The cool thing about the World Baseball Classic is the tournament allows minor league baseball players to be seen on a bigger level rather than the normal minor league spring training. Because the WBC begins March 8th and can run through March 21st, it can also be a more competitive spring training for some of the major league-ready players. The schedule of the WBC can be found here.

The Cubs will be sending 11 of their players to the WBC. One thing to note is new Cubs' first baseman/ designated hitter Trey Mancini was supposed to play for Italy, but he has since decided to forego the WBC and focus on creating a relationship with his new teammates. Here is a breakdown of the 11 other players taking part in the tournament.

Cincinnati Reds v Chicago Cubs / Jamie Sabau/GettyImages

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.

Infielders

There will be four Cubs' infielders playing in the WBC. The first is Nick Madrigal. Madrigal will be representing Mexico. Madrigal is someone Cubs fans had high hopes for when he was acquired via trade. However, he has not panned out the way Chicago has wanted him to. With the signing of Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner sliding over to second base, Madrigal is without a true position on the big league roster. Playing for Mexico in the WBC, Madrigal has a chance to prove his worth and be more than just a platoon player.

Miles Mastrobuoni will be playing for Italy in the WBC. Mastrobuoni was acquired by trade this off-season from the Tampa Bay Rays. The 27-year-old has only played eight games in the majors, but he performed well in AAA last year for the Rays affiliate. In 129 games, Mastrobuoni hit .300 with 16 homeruns and 64 RBI. He is on the 40-man, so he does have a chance to make the Cubs' opening-day roster this year. The coaching staff will be keeping an eye on his performance for Italy in the WBC.

Esteban Quiroz will be joining teammates Nick Madrigal and Javier Assad on team Mexico in the WBC. Quiroz was acquired by the Cubs in a trade during the 2022 season. Quiroz played for Mexico in the 2017 WBC where he was one of the top hitters throughout pool play. He made his major league debut during the 2022 season, and he performed okay. In 14 games, Quiroz did not register an extra-base hit. He is joining Madrigal, so it could be a good chance for them to bond and build a better relationship.

The last player is one the Cubs and Cubs fans have been most excited about. Matt Mervis will be playing for Israel in the WBC. Mervis has had a lot of hype around him this off-season and is currently the Cubs' 21st-ranked prospect. Many fans would love to see him at Wrigley on opening day. However, earlier this off-season I explain that although Mervis had incredible numbers and the Cubs needed a first baseman with some power, he just is not ready for the big leagues yet. Watching Matt Mervis face some big league pitching not only in spring training but in the WBC as well could be signs for what is to come.

Chicago Cubs v Cincinnati Reds / Andy Lyons/GettyImages

Outfielders

The first Cubs' outfielder should be no surprise. Seiya Suzuki will be representing Japan in the WBC. He also played for Japan in 2017 when they came in third place. Suzuki was very good for the north siders after he returned from injury last season. Suzuki finished 2022 with 14 home runs, 46 RBI, and a .262 batting average. He will look to fix a few things but build upon a pretty good rookie season in the 2023 season. Before the 2023 season, you can expect him to be a big part of Japan's offense in the WBC.

Owen Caissie will be representing Canada in the WBC in March. Caissie is the Cubs' 10th-ranked prospect, and the highest-ranked Cubs prospect competing in the tournament. Caissie hit just .254 last season for South Bend and part of the problem was his strikeout rate. However, scouts say he has the rawest power of all Cubs' prospects. It will be fun to watch if he is able to show off that power in the WBC.

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Ben DeLuzio will be joining Mastrobuoni on Team Italy in the WBC. DeLuzio was signed this off-season after he elected free agency. DeLuzio was drafted in 2013 but did not make his major league debut until this past season. He recorded just 3 hits in his 20 at-bats for his hometown St. Louis Cardinals, but he performed much better in the minor leagues. He is someone the Cubs might look to call upon if there are any injuries, but he is not currently on the 40-man roster. The WBC will be your best chance at seeing him play when he suits up for Italy.

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