By MATT PIKE
The rosters have been revealed for the sixth edition of World Baseball Classic and several Kansas City Royals and St. Louis Cardinals players and prospects are among those that will be participating.
Several of the Royals players that are projected to be featured on the 26 man roster come Opening Day had been announced prior to the roster reveal, but there was one new name last night.
- Bobby Witt Jr. (United States)
- Michael Wacha (United States)
- Salvador Perez (Venezuela)
- Maikel Garcia (Venezuela)
- Jac Caglianone (Italy)
- Vinnie Pasquantino (Italy)
- Seth Lugo (Puerto Rico)
- Carlos Estévez (Dominican Republic)
Perez will be the captain for Venezuela teaming up with Garcia. Both could potentially see Estévez when Venzuela and the Dominican Republic face off on March 11th. The United States and Italy also take each other on, for a matchup between Witt Jr, Wacha, Pasquantino, and Caglianone on March 10th.
Along with those that featured on the big league roster, there are also a number of Royals prospects that will gain experience during the WBC, as they hope to earn a spot on the Opening Day roster.
- Eric Cerantola (Canada)
- Omar Hernández (Cuba)
- Oscar Rayo (Nicaragua)
Rounding out the players for Kansas City that will be a part of the World Baseball Classic is three players with Major League experience, that signed this offseason on minor league contracts, earning Spring Training invites to compete for a spot on the roster
- Jorge Alfaro (Colombia)
- Eli Morgan (Israel)
- Abraham Toro (Canada)
The St. Louis Cardinals numbers in the World Baseball Classic dropped dramatically with their roster overhaul, from 19 in the previous tournament, to just 10 this year. With the roster reshaping, at least four players who spent time with the big league club last season will feature in this years tournament
- Iván Herrera (Panama)
- Thomas Saggese (Italy)
- Gordon Graceffo (Italy)
- Riley O'Brien (Korea)
O'Brien has already been announced as the closing pitcher for Korea. O'Brien is set to compete this spring for the job as the Cardinals closer. Saggese will also be competing for a job in the St. Louis infield after the trade of Brendan Donovan.
Behind the players that have made their presence known at the big league level, is the young prospects that will feature, including one that is among the Top 100 in baseball, and could make his Major League debuit this season.
- Leo Bernal (Panama)
- Luis Gastelum (Mexico)
- Matt Koperniak (Great Britain)
- Zach Levenson (Israel)
- Noah Mendlinger (Israel)
- Bryan Torres (Puerto Rico)
The World Baseball Classic is set to begin on March 4th at 9pm local time, with a matchup from the Tokyo Dome between Chinese Taipei and Australia. Pool play will run until March 11th.
You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.