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St. Louis Cardinals: Cardinals in the World Baseball Classic
Following the ever-popular FIFA World Cup, baseball now comes to the international stage in March. This year marks the 4th ever World Baseball Classic. Baseball might not be the popular international sport that soccer is, but baseball fans worldwide are incredibly excited to see this tournament. We will get a chance to see a lot of St. Louis Cardinals players taking the field for their respective country.
The last World Baseball Classic we saw was in 2017, where we saw the United States beat their own territory of Puerto Rico in the championship game. This tournament is loaded with passion and an opportunity to become a hero for your country.
You get to see many of the world’s best baseball players playing with their compatriots with one goal: lifting that large silver trophy at the end of the tournament. The 2017 tournament provided us with many memories and breathtaking moments of excitement like Adam Jones robbing a home run from his Baltimore teammate Manny Machado, Javier Baez pointing to Yadier Molina before even applying the tag on a stolen base, Molina back-picking Profar to end a crucial first-inning rally, and finally the United States lifting the trophy at the end.
If the 2023 World Baseball Classic is half as exciting as the 2017 version, then we are still in for an amazing tournament. Loads of elite players have already committed to playing in the WBC. Trout, Harper, and Betts are set to lead the loaded USA team with an immaculate outfield. Juan Soto, Julio Rodriguez, and Manny Machado are going to anchor the star-studded Puerto Rico lineup.
The tournament will feature an all-star cast of managers. Ian Kinsler will manage Team Israel, Mark DeRosa will manage Team USA, Mike Piazza will manage Team Italy, and our very own Yadier Molina will be from starting catcher in the 2017 World Baseball Classic to being the skipper for Team Puerto Rico.
In 2017, the Cardinals were represented by a plethora of players in their system. Most notably, the Cardinals who participated were Seung-hwan Oh (The Final Boss) for South Korea, Yadier Molina for Puerto Rico, and Carlos Martinez and Alberto Rosario for the Dominican Republic. Alex Reyes was on the roster to play for the Dominican Republic but suffered an injury right before the tournament. The Cardinals also had five other minor league players who played for their country in the 2017 World Baseball Classic.
The St. Louis Cardinals are on track to be well represented again in this year’s version of the World Baseball Classic. They currently have five players that have confirmed they will be playing, while many others have either been asked or will most likely be asked to participate.
Cardinals confirmed to be playing in this year's World Baseball Classic…Team USA
- The 2022 NL MVP will hope to kick off his 2023 season in a positive way by representing the United States in this year’s World Baseball Classic. Goldschmidt will be competing with fellow NL first baseman, Pete Alonso, for the starting spot and a chance to anchor this US lineup. Goldschmidt will be playing in his second WBC.
- The Cardinals' third baseman was also asked to play for the United States and is most likely to be the starter with the current United States roster. The 10x Gold Glover will bring WBC experience to the hot corner as he played for the US in 2017
- “Uncle Charlie” has committed himself and his legendary curveball to compete in the WBC. Wainwright is most likely approaching the final season of his career and is looking to anchor the Cardinals rotation in 2023. Let’s hope that Wainwright gets to start a game or two for the red, white, and blue.
- Mikolas earned himself an invitation to the United States team with a strong 2022. He received his second career All-Star game appearance last year and was a strong, reliable force at the front of the Cardinals rotation.
These are just the guys who have committed for Team USA. There are a bunch of other Cardinals confirmed or expected to play as well for other countries.
Cardinals who will represent other countries at the WBC
- “Cabby” was selected by Dominican manager Rodney Linares to add some bullpen depth to the loaded Dominican Republic team. After a spectacular 2021 season, Cabrera regressed badly during the 2022 season. Almost all facets of his game regressed so hopefully he can return to form and help out the 2023 Cardinals.
- After a solid rookie season, Pallante caught the eye of Italy manager Mike Piazza and earned an invite to be a part of the Italian WBC team. Pallante will be fighting for a starting spot and could really showcase his ability in this tournament. Former Cardinals OF Ben DeLuzio will also be a part of the Italian team.
- Tommy Edman becomes the latest Cardinal to commit to the World Baseball Classic. Although he was born and raised in the United States, his mother’s side has Korean descent. So he has decided to accept the invitation to join the South Korean team alongside a couple of other Korean MLB players and former Cardinals pitcher Kwang-Hyun Kim.
- Fan-favorite “Noooooooooooot” will also be featured in the WBC. Although there has not been an official report from either camp, it is assumed that Nootbaar will represent Japan during the World Baseball Classic. He is confirmed to receive an invitation from Team Japan but no word on if he accepted. Lars would be competing for an outfield spot on Team Japan with fellow MLB outfielders Seiya Suzuki, Steven Kwan, and Masataka Yoshida.
- The Cardinals reliever was added to Team Mexico to solidify the back end of the Mexican bullpen. Gallegos has been a solid force in the bullpen for the Cardinals over the past four seasons. Gallegos has a career 3.05 ERA and will surely be called upon by manager Benji Gil of Team Mexico to close out games.
- Minor league outfielder Koperniak has never seen the big leagues but he could be on the way if he puts his name on the map with a great showing for his birth country England. The team he will be representing is Team Great Britain (which encompasses England, Wales, and Scotland). Koperniak was born in London, England, and helped Team Great Britain reach the WBC through a qualifying tournament.
Other Cardinals most likely to compete in the World Baseball Classic…
- Willson Contreras for Venezuela
- Juan Yepez for Venezuela
- Tyler O’Neill for Canada
- Ivan Herrera for Panama
Former Cardinals confirmed or likely to play
- Kwang-hyun Kim for South Korea
- Edmundo Sosa for Panama
- Randy Arozarena for Cuba
- Lance Lynn for United States
Next. Cardinals 2023 Hall of Fame Candidates Part 1. dark