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Who are the Chicago Cubs in the World Baseball Classic?
Like the Olympics, every four years is a super-baseball fan's favorite time of the year. The World Baseball Classic. Earlier this week, the rosters for the countries involved were announced, and the Chicago Cubs have players representing 10 of the 20 teams involved. So who are the players on the 10 teams and what are Cubs fans hoping to see from them?
1. Liam Spence, Australia
Liam Spence, a shortstop currently assigned to the Arizona Complex League (ACL), is a 24-year-old right-handed infielder who was selected in the 5th round in the 2021 MLB draft by the Cubs. Born out of Australia, in 2022 Spence hit .192 in 62 games. As his bat is nowhere near ready for the majors, his defense is stellar, with only 6 errors at shortstop in his minor league career.
2. Owen Caissie, Curtis Taylor, Jared Young, Canada
In 2022, across three minor league levels with the Washington Nationals, Taylor had a 3.91 ERA with a 1.11 WHIP in 34 games. Depending on his performance for Team Canada, he may be up in the Chicago Cubs bullpen sooner than later. The 27-year-old Young was drafted in the 15th round in 2017 and has definitely struggled since joining the Triple-A team, hitting .230 in 109 games. Young is someone who could be up again in the future as a backup, but seeing another Cubbie in the World Baseball Classic is still something to look forward to.
3. Danis Correa, Fabian Pertuz, Columbia
Right-Handed, 23-year-old pitcher Danis Correa made his way to the Iowa Cubs in 2022, posting a 3.65 ERA with a 1.34 WHIP in 38 games. He is expected to be out of the bullpen for Team Columbia, and like many of these young players in the World Baseball Classic, can show what they are capable of and might move up in the system sooner than later.
Out of the Cubs Single-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans is shortstop/3rd baseman Fabian Pertuz. In 2022 with the Pelicans, Pertuz appeared in 113 games, hitting .237 with 59 RBI and 27 doubles. Pertuz is showing that he can hit the ball well, however with his high BB/K ratio of 22/123, he has a ways to go to manage the discipline at the plate.
4. B.J. Murray, Great Britain
The switch-hitting 1st baseman out of the Bahamas is playing for Great Britain for his first World Baseball Classic. Murray made his way to the Myrtle Beach Pelicans in 2022 hitting .286 with 53 RBI. He will likely start at 1st base for Great Britain and will soon make his way to Triple-A Iowa Cubs, competing for 1st with Matt Mervis.
5. Ben Deluzio, Vinny Nittoli, Miles Mastrobuoni, Italy
Early in the offseason, the Chicago Cubs traded for 2nd baseman Miles Mastrobuoni. The 27-year-old left-handed hitter was with the Tampa Bay Rays Triple-A team for 2022, hitting .300 in 129 games with 64 RBI and 32 doubles. Mastrobuoni is someone to look out for in the WBC, as he could easily find his way to the Major League roster this season.
6. Seiya Suzuki, Japan
Seiya Suzuki is entering his 2nd year in the MLB and is expected to have a much better season than his rookie year. The right-fielder is hoping to make 2023 a breakout year and for him to help lead Team Japan deep into the tournament.
7. Javier Assad, Mexico
Javier Assad was in the Majors for a little while in 2022, appearing in 9 games with a 3.11 ERA and 1.46 WHIP. As it would be ideal to get those numbers down, the 25-year-old right-hander has a lot of potential and will be back in the majors at some point this season.
8. Marcus Stroman, Nelson Velazquez, Puerto Rico
The ace of the Cubbies, Marcus Stroman, is making his first appearance for Team Puerto Rico, as he dominated as the starting pitcher in the 2017 WBC for Team USA. Puerto Rico will be a dominant team this tournament, but many fans are worried about Stroman pitching in the WBC as injuries can always occur.
The other Cubby is Nelson Velazquez, who appeared in the 2nd half of the 2022 season. Velazquez played in 77 games for the Chicago Cubs, hitting a brutal .205 with 26 RBI and 6 homers. Despite his solid fielding in the outfield, there is no reason for Velazquez to be on the major league roster to start the season. He needs to show the Cubs that his discipline at the plate is under control, and the WBC can be a great place to show that.
3 Chicago Cubs to watch in the World Baseball Classic. dark. Next
9. Matt Mervis, Israel & Roens Elias, Cuba
Cuba and Israel both have 1 player from the Chicago Cubs organization. To read more about these 2 players, check out Cameron Zunkel's 3 Chicago Cubs Players to Watch in the World Baseball Classic