Eight Twins agree to play in WBC 

Eight Twins agree to play in WBC

A list of players willing to compete in the World Baseball Classic was announced on Monday and with eight current Twins players on that list, the event will have a decidedly Minnesota flair to it.
Johan Santana, Joe Mauer, Juan Castro, Jesse Crain, Justin Morneau, J.C. Romero, Carlos Silva and Glenn Williams were among the 177 players announced on Monday that have agreed to participate in the inaugural event, if asked.

Though all players on the release have said that they would be willing to participate, the announcement doesn't mean that all the players listed would be on the final rosters. The list simply is which players would play if chosen to compete.

Sixty-man rosters for each country must be submitted by Jan. 17 with the ultimate 30-man rosters finalized 24 hours prior to the start of the tournament. The final rosters for each country must include a minimum of 13 pitchers and three catchers.

MLB has committed to using 60 percent of Major League-affiliated players. All the players announced on Monday have the blessings of the players association and the MLB owners, who have collectively spent months in the initial culling process.

Six different countries could feature Twins on their rosters, but the one most impacted appears to be Venezuela. Santana's decision to pitch for his native country bolstered an already strong staff. The addition of Santana didn't come as much of a surprise after fellow Venezuelan and White Sox pitcher Freddy Garcia announced on Saturday that he would play for the country.

Santana may have appeared to be a lock for the event for Venezuela, but Silva's decision to join the country's roster was a bit of a surprise. Silva has been recovering from knee surgery and many had questioned whether he would be able to participate. The addition of Santana and Silva looks to make Venezuela a front-runner for the best pitching staff at the tournament.

Canada will also feature two Twins players, with Crain and Morneau agreeing to play for the Northern country. Crain had the option to play for either the United States or Canada, but to Canada's advantage, the pitcher will star under the red and white flag. The rest of the Twins breakdown is as follows, with Mauer playing for the United States, Castro for Mexico, Romero for Puerto Rico and Williams for Australia.

In addition to the eight current Minnesota players, former Twin Tony Fiore will also participate as a member of the Italian squad. Fiore last played in the Majors as a member of the Twins in 2003.
Monday's announcement was the first time that all the names of players were made public, but some players made their interest known much earlier in the process. Castro announced his commitment back in September and was excited about the opportunity to play for his native country.

"It'll be a good event for people everywhere," Castro said. "It's an honor to be invited. I don't know when I'll have the chance again to represent Mexico."

The inaugural World Baseball Classic, a 16-team tournament sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF), will take place March 3-20 and feature the world's best players competing for their home countries and territories for the first time. Fans will be able to follow all the games live exclusively online at MLB.com.

First-round action will be played at four sites. Pool A, consisting of Japan, Korea, Chinese Taipei and China, will meet at the Tokyo Dome, March 3-5. Pool B, featuring USA, Canada, Mexico and South Africa, will play at Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks, and Scottsdale Stadium, Spring Training home of the San Francisco Giants, March 7-10. Pool C is Puerto Rico, Cuba, Panama and the Netherlands, and will play at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico, March 7-10. Pool D, featuring the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Australia and Italy, will play at the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida, March 7-10.

The top two teams from each pool will advance to the second round, which takes place March 12-15 at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in Puerto Rico and Angel Stadium in Anaheim. The semifinals and finals will be held at San Diego's PETCO Park, March 18-20.

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