The next edition of the World Baseball Classic, which is way more fun than people seem to want to admit, is scheduled to take place next spring. There is one remaining qualifying round to be played, otherwise the field of 16 teams is set:
Asia: China, Chinese Taipei, Japan, South Korea
Europe: Italy, Netherlands
Americas: Canada, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, United States, Venezuela
Qualifier 1 Winner: Australia
Qualifier 2 Winner: Mexico
Qualifier 3 Winner: Colombia
Qualifier 4: Brazil, Great Britain, Israel, Pakistan (tournment will take place in September)
According to WBC guru Jon Morosi, longtime big-league skipper Jim Leyland will manage Team USA next spring. USA Baseball has since confirmed the news. Buck Martinez (2006), Davey Johnson (2009), and Joe Torre (2013) have previously managed Team USA at the WBC.
"It's a great honor to be named Manager of Team USA," said Leyland in a statement. "I'm looking forward to working with USA Baseball on this challenge in my career. I'm excited to get started & flattered with this opportunity."
Leyland, now 71, currently works as a special advisor with both the Tigers and MLB. He last managed in 2013. Leyland owns a career 1,769-1,728 (.506) record in 22 years as a manager with the Pirates, Marlins, Rockies, and Tigers. He's a three-time Manager of the Year winner (1990, 1992, 2006) with one World Series ring (1997 Marlins).
"We could not be happier to have Jim Leyland serve as the manager of the 2017 U.S. World Baseball Classic team," said Paul Seiler, executive director/CEO of USA Baseball. "His tremendous managerial success will produce immediate respect and rapport amongst the players and staff and we look forward to him leading Team USA to new heights in the World Baseball Classic."
Jeff Jones, Marcel Lachemann, Lloyd McClendon, Willie Randolph, and Alan Trammell will join Leyland on the Team USA coaching staff. Leyland is as good a managerial choice for Team USA as anyone. But really, fans don't care too much about the managers. They care about the players.
So, with that in mind, lets look ahead and project the Team USA roster for next spring. Keep in mind that plenty can and will change between now and then. Also, teams tend to find ways to prevent their best players (especially pitchers) from participating in the WBC, which is a bummer. Consider this the "ideal" Team USA 28-man roster. (WBC rosters are 28 players, not 25.)
CATCHERS (3)
Buster Posey, Giants
Jonathan Lucroy, Brewers
Matt Wieters, Orioles
Posey is an easy call at catcher. He is the by far the best hitting catcher in the game today, and he's also a sound defender behind the plate. The guy is a three-time World Series champ, an MVP, the whole nine. Posey is the guy Team USA wants behind the plate, no doubt about it.
Lucroy and Wieters are the No. 2 and 3 catchers -- Team USA has carried three catchers in each of the previous three WBCs -- because they're both good two-way players. Lucroy destroys lefties and would be a solid platoon option. Wieters is a switch-hitter, which is always nice. With all due respect to Stephen Vogt, I have Brian McCann and Travis d'Arnaud as fourth and fifth on the depth chart.
INFIELDERS (6)
Matt Carpenter, Cardinals
Brandon Crawford, Giants
Josh Donaldson, Blue Jays
Paul Goldschmidt, Diamondbacks
Dee Gordon, Marlins
Ben Zobrist, Cubs
Anthony Rizzo played for Team Italy in the 2013 WBC, making Goldschmidt the obvious choice at first base. (No disrespect to Eric Hosmer.) Posey and Lucroy have played plenty of first base in their careers, so I'm counting on them to back up Goldy.
Donaldson gets the third base nod over Manny Machado and Nolan Arenado -- Machado's mother is from the Dominican Republic and I wonder if the Dominican team will try to woo him -- and I'm going with Gordon over Ian Kinsler at second base to add speed. Plus Kinsler will be 34 soon. I'm going with youth.
The shortstop position is tough! Baseball is loaded with young shortstops right now, but none were born in the United States. Carlos Correa and Francisco Lindor are from Puerto Rico, and Xander Bogaerts is from the Netherlands. Shortstop came down to Crawford, Troy Tulowitzki, and Addison Russell. Crawford is simply the best player of the three right now.
Carpenter and Zobrist are the utility players who provide depth all around the infield (and outfield). The lineup is very right-handed heavy so far, so Carpenter provides a lefty bat off the bench. Zobrist is a switch-hitting contact machine. Others receiving consideration: Kyle Seager, Chris Davis, Todd Frazier, Jason Kipnis, and Justin Turner.
OUTFIELDERS (4)
Bryce Harper, Nationals
Andrew McCutchen, Pirates
Giancarlo Stanton, Marlins
Mike Trout, Angels
Now we're talking. The outfield is the backbone of the Team USA offense. Trout and Harper are the two best players in the world, and McCutchen very well might be No. 3. Stanton is baseball's preeminent power hitter. It still blows my mind he finished tenth in the NL with 27 homers in 2015 despite playing only 74 games.
The United States has produced a ton of quality outfielders in recent years -- Alex Gordon, Jason Heyward, Lorenzo Cain, Michael Brantley, A.J. Pollock, and Adam Jones could start for me any day of the week -- but those four are the very best Team USA has to offer. I'd put Stanton at DH and let the other three guys roam the outfield. Gosh that would be fun.
Here is the starting lineup I would run out there:
- LF Trout
- RF Harper
- CF McCutchen
- 1B Goldschmidt
- 3B Donaldson
- C Posey
- DH Stanton
- SS Crawford
- 2B Gordon
McCutchen has never played a position other than center field in his big-league career while Trout has experience in left, which is why I have them playing those positions. As far as I'm concerned, you can order those 3-7 hitters in any way I wouldn't complain. The lineup leans righty, but these aren't normal righties. That team is stacked.
STARTING PITCHERS (4)
Jake Arrieta, Cubs
Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers
Chris Sale, White Sox
Max Scherzer, Nationals
This is me looking at that rotation:
Teams use four-man rotations in the WBC because of off-days and things like that. Team USA's "B" rotation is Madison Bumgarner, Zack Greinke, Dallas Keuchel, and David Price. The "C" rotation is Sonny Gray, Matt Harvey, Chris Archer, and Corey Kluber. The "D" rotation is Cole Hamels, Jacob deGrom, Stephen Strasburg, and Noah Syndergaard. And where do Gerrit Cole and Garrett Richards fit in? Pretty, pretty good.
Unfortunately, that super rotation will never happen. Teams find ways to keep their top pitchers out of the WBC because they don't want to risk injury. That's why the Team USA rotation in the 2013 WBC was R.A. Dickey, Gio Gonzalez, Derek Holland, and Ryan Vogelsong. I listed 18 different starting pitchers above. I would surprised if one actually pitched in the WBC.
Fortunately Team USA is very deep in starters -- I haven't even mentioned Tyson Ross, who would be the staff ace for most other WBC teams -- and whoever they end up taking will form a very good starting four. Arrieta, Kershaw, Sale, and Scherzer would be my dream 1-4. They are the four titans of Team USA pitching.
RELIEVERS (11)
Dellin Betances, Yankees
Zach Britton, Orioles
Wade Davis, Royals
Ken Giles, Astros
Craig Kimbrel, Red Sox
Jake McGee, Rockies
Mark Melancon, Pirates
Andrew Miller, Yankees
Darren O'Day, Orioles
Trevor Rosenthal, Cardinals
Tony Watson, Pirates
The WBC has very specific pitch count guidelines. Starters are limited to 65 pitches in the first round, 80 in the second round, then 95 pitches in the semifinals and finals. That's why there are so many relievers on the roster. They have to soak up innings early in the tournament.
I would probably let Kimbrel close -- Kimbrel, Stanton, Zobrist, and Lucroy are the only players on my roster who played in the 2013 WBC -- because he's done it so long in MLB, but really, there's no wrong answer. You could let any of those guys close and it would be fine.
That bullpen is balanced -- we have six righties and five lefties -- and you've got all different looks. Britton is an extreme ground ball guy. O'Day comes from a funky low angle. Betances is 6-foot-8 and throws over the top. Davis has that surgical precision. That's a fun bullpen.
Of course, that won't be the bullpen Team USA takes to the WBC for reasons outlined earlier. Teams go to great lengths to keep their top pitchers out of the tournament. Other bullpen options include Carson Smith, Brad Ziegler, Jeremy Jeffress, Sam Dyson, Jake Diekman, Will Harris, Kevin Siegrist, Adam Warren, Ryan Madson, Justin Wilson, and Jonathan Papelbon.
In a perfect world, this would be the 28-man roster Team USA would take into the 2017 WBC. And they would be favored to win it all. No disrespect the other clubs, but man, how do you bet against that roster? The actual Team USA roster will be pieced together by Leyland and his staff in the coming months.
