3 Chicago Cubs Players to Watch in the World Baseball Classic

Owen Caissie

The first player to watch is the Cubs' number 10 prospect, Owen Caissie. Caissie will be playing for Canada in the WBC. Drafted by the San Diego Padres in 2020, the Cubs' acquired Caissie in the Yu Darvish trade. The 20-year-old outfielder has played in 159 minor league games during his two minor league seasons. He has hit .270 with 18 home runs and 87 RBI while slugging .430. Although this is an impressive line for what is basically a full MLB season, Caissie has his struggles. In those 159 games, he has struck out 191 times. This whiff rate is concerning going forward, but his talent and raw power are exciting. Caissie's scouting report mentions that he has the best raw power of any Cubs' minor league player. He still has a few years before fans can see him at Wrigley, but he can be seen playing for Canada this March.

It should not be a surprise that Caissie is playing for Canada in the WBC because he was born in Burlington, Ontario. He is Canada's highest-drafted outfielder, so it is only fitting he represents them in the WBC when given the chance. Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman will also be playing for Canada, and this could be very good for Caissie. Caissie does not play first base, but he is a 6-foot, 4-inch left-handed bat that projects to have some power. Now is the chance for Caissie to follow Freeman's every move, pick his brain and learn as much as possibly can. To make things even better, hall-of-fame left-handed bat Larry Walker will be the hitting coach. Those are two very good hitters for Caissie to learn from during the WBC.

As stated before, Caissie still has a few years before he is major league ready, but the WBC is a great way to see how he does against major-league pitching in a competitive environment. If Caissie can showcase some power, drop his strikeout rate, and help lead Canada to a few wins then Cubs' fans can understand why he is the number 10 prospect in the organization.

Roenis Elias

Roenis Elias will be suiting up for Cuba in the WBC. He was signed by the Cubs this off-season and is someone that could prove to be very valuable in the bullpen this year. He has pitched 395 2/3 innings in his major league career. He began as a starter for the Mariners but was moved to the bullpen in recent years. In those innings, he has a 3.96 ERA and a respectable 1.32 WHIP. Despite his usage out of the bullpen in recent years, he started in the Dominican Republic winter league and dominated. He had a sub-1 ERA and WHIP in 39 innings pitched. In those innings, he struck out 38 and gave up just 20 hits.

The Cubs will be without a few relievers to start the season, and they were already lacking a left-handed bullpen arm. If Elias can be anywhere near the form he was in during the winter league, he is going to be a weapon in the backend of the Cubs' bullpen. Playing in the WBC gives Elias a chance to face more major league hitting and prove the winter league was not a fluke.

It will be interesting to see if Cuba uses Elias as a starter or reliever, but if he is seen in Chicago this year, it will be as a bullpen piece. After throwing 39 innings in the winter league, it can be assumed that Cuba and the Cubs do not want to give him a heavier workload. With all that said, Elias is not on the 40-man roster but he did get invited to spring training. If he wants an opening day roster spot, he has to continue his dominance from the winter league into spring training and the WBC.

This list would not be complete without the Cubs' most hyped prospect of this off-season. Matt Mervis will be representing Israel in the WBC. Mervis is the Cubs' number 21 ranked prospect. Mervis is more recently being referred to as Mash Mervis because of his performance in 2022. In 512 minor league at-bats, between three levels, Mervis hit .309 with 36 home runs and 119 RBI while slugging over .600. It is easy to see why fans are raving about him and would like to see him in the majors sooner rather than later. However, he still has a lot to prove, and with only two seasons of professional ball under his belt, he might not be ready for the MLB yet.

Playing in the WBC will put Mervis against big-league pitching, just as it will Owen Caissie. Unlike Caissie, Mervis is in the hardest pool of the whole tournament. Israel will have to play the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, and a Nicaragua team with a lot of momentum. These teams are stacked with really good pitchers, so Mervis will have his work cut out for him. Facing pitchers like Sandy Alcantara, Edwin Diaz, and Pablo Lopez could be really good for him. Many people want Mervis on the opening-day roster, and if he can come out of this pool as one of the top hitters in the tournament it will only make their argument stronger.

The Cubs signed Trey Mancini and Eric Hosmer during the off-season making it even more unlikely that Mervis starts the season on the opening-day roster. However, with a good spring training and a solid showing at the WBC Mervis could make a case for himself to be the first call-up of the season. This is especially true if Hosmer or Mancini get hurt. Israel begins their WBC journey on March 12th and Matt Mervis should be their starting first baseman.