By Matthew Tallarini
World Baseball Network
The defending 2017 World Baseball Classic champion United States will appear in their fifth World Baseball Classic. Under manager Jim Leyland, the United States beat Puerto Rico 8-0 in the 2017 WBC championship game at Dodger Stadium.
Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt will be the only two players returning for Team USA from the 2017 Championship team for new manager Mark DeRosa.
The United States will start training together on March 6 in Scottsdale, Ariz. and will play two exhibition game before the start of Pool C against the San Francisco Giants on March 8 in at 7:05 p.m. MST in Scottsdale, and against the Los Angeles Angels on March 9 at 1:10 p.m. MST in Tempe.
The USA is 16-12 all time in the World Baseball Classic. The last senior event Team USA played in was the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, with a roster filled with players that weren’t on the 40-Man rosters of major league clubs, along with free agents and American players playing internationally in Japan and Mexico that suited up for the red, white, and blue under manager Mike Scioscia. Team USA lost to Japan in the gold medal game at Yokohama Stadium.
Marcus Stroman, who won the MVP Award in the 2017 World Baseball Classic, will suit up for Puerto Rico in 2023. Starting pitching will be a big concern for Team USA this World Baseball Classic, with Nestor Cortes and Clayton Kershaw off the roster, there will be a lot of choices that manager Mark DeRosa and pitching coach Andy Pettitte will need to make when evaluating their pitching depth for the tournament. Nick Martinez and Kyle Freeland have been both added to the pitching staff for Team USA.
Mexico and Colombia will not be a push over for the United States come pool play, and the USA’s starting pitching and bullpen will be crucial in getting out of the pool and advancing to the single-elimination quarterfinals in Miami.
The USA will start in Pool C during the 2023 World Baseball Classic going up against Colombia, Great Britain, Canada, and Mexico at Chase Field in Phoenix from March 11-15. The United States’ first game is against Great Britain on March 11 at 9 p.m. EST on FOX.
Team USA 2023 World Baseball Classic Roster
Pitchers (Team)
Jason Adam (Tampa Bay Rays)
Daniel Bard (Colorado Rockies)
David Bednar (Pittsburgh Pirates)
Kyle Freeland (Colorado Rockies)
Kendall Graveman (Chicago White Sox)
Merrill Kelly (Arizona Diamondbacks)
Lance Lynn (Chicago White Sox)
Miles Mikolas (St. Louis Cardinals)
Adam Ottavino (New York Mets)
Ryan Pressly (Houston Astros)
Brooks Raley (New York Mets)
Brady Singer (Kansas City Royals)
Adam Wainwright (St. Louis Cardinals)
Devin Williams (Milwaukee Brewers)
Catchers (Team)
Kyle Higashioka (New York Yankees)
J. T. Realmuto (Philadelphia Phillies)
Will Smith (Los Angeles Dodgers)
Infielders (Team)
Pete Alonso (New York Mets)
Tim Anderson (Chicago White Sox)
Nolan Arenado (St. Louis Cardinals)
Paul Goldschmidt (St. Louis Cardinals)
Trea Turner (Philadelphia Phillies)
Bobby Witt Jr. (Kansas City Royals)
Mookie Betts (Los Angeles Dodgers)
Jeff McNeil (New York Mets)
Outfielders (Team)
Cedric Mullins (Baltimore Orioles)
Kyle Schwarber (Philadelphia Phillies)
Mike Trout (Los Angeles Angels)
Kyle Tucker (Houston Astros)
Coaching Staff
Manager – Mark DeRosa
Bench Coach – Jerry Manuel
Pitching Coach – Andy Pettitte
Hitting Coach – Ken Griffey Jr.
First Base Coach – Lou Collier
Third Base Coach – Dino Ebel
Bullpen Coach – Dave Righetti