Update 5: Buccos vs. The World

Since the publication of the first four posts about Pirates in the World Baseball Classic (WBC), additional updates have been necessary as rosters get finalized. Please click/tap “Continue Reading” below to find out more.

According to an article from Trib Total Media, the Pittsburgh Pirates have five players in the World Baseball Classic (WBC). Outfielder Andrew McCutchen will play for the U.S., while fellow outfielders Gregory Polanco and Starling Marte will be representatives of the Dominican Republic. Although catcher Francisco Cervelli was born in Venezuela, he will be on Italy‘s WBC roster. The same Trib article also mentions pitcher Ivan Nova, who will be on the Dominican Republic national team’s “designated pitcher pool.” Though not mentioned in the Trib article (see above for hyperlink), South Korean infielder Jung-Ho Kang will not play in the WBC due to expulsion for DUI charges. The next paragraph explains the minor leaguers.

As the WBC is a truly open tournament, even minor and independent league players can participate with their counterparts from the Major League, Japanese, and South Korean domestic baseball championships. According to Wikipedia, the Pirates organization has several other WBC players. Jared Lakind is on the Israeli national team’s roster as a designated pitcher, and Sam Street is a designated pitcher for the Australian team. (Speaking of Aussie baseball internationals, Washington Wild Things pitcher Luke Wilkins did not make the final WBC roster.) Infielder Eric Wood has a place on Team Canada, while designated pitcher Luis Escobar made the Colombian squad. (To hear each country’s respective national anthem, please click on the hyperlinks above.)

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See Also

• Post 1
• Post 2
• Post 3
• Post 4