Betts: Who might be on Canada's WBC roster?
Ontario Terriers and Junior National Team alum Cal Quantrill, who has 14 wins for the Cleveland Guardians, has made it known that he wants to pitch for Canada in the World Baseball Classic.
September 30, 2022
By Matt Betts
Canadian Baseball Network
With mere days remaining in the Major League Baseball regular season, it’s shaping up to be quite the postseason full of Canadian storylines.
But as we wait for the first pitch of October baseball to fly, let’s jump ahead to next spring and the World Baseball Classic.
There is a lot of high-end Canadian baseball talent in the big leagues right now. That should serve Team Canada’s entry in the 2023 edition of the tournament well.
As other countries have begun to announce player commitments, it seems like a good time to predict what Canada could look like. In this article we’ll dive into the players that could make up the team and why, and in some cases why they will not, take part.
Manager: Ernie Whitt (Macomb County, Mich.)
One of the most recognizable managers in national team history, Whitt managed the team in all four previous editions of the tournament. This just seems like a natural choice.
First baseman: Freddie Freeman (Villa Park, Calif.)
This one seems like a lock. Earlier this season, Freeman said he was ‘100 per cent in’ to play for Canada at the 2023 tournament. Freeman reportedly had already asked Los Angeles Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman if participation in the tournament among Dodgers was okay.
Director of Men’s National Teams, Greg Hamilton, also didn’t downplay the possibility of Freeman anchoring the lineup on a recent episode of the Canadian Baseball Network podcast.
Second baseman: Abraham Toro (Longueuil, Que.)
Toro has turned into a respectable big league player since being called up on August 22, 2019. And who can forget him breaking a scoreless tie with a home run in the ninth inning of Justin Verlander’s third no-hitter, and second in Toronto no less, back on September 1, 2019?
The current Seattle Mariner has a career .206 average in 256 games.
Shortstop: Toro, Adam Hall (London, Ont.)
To be honest, there’s no clear-cut favourite to be Canada’s shortstop next spring. It’s possible Toro can swing to this spot if need be, but Baltimore Orioles prospect Adam Hall could get a look. Hall hit .253 with 16 stolen bases for double-A Bowie before getting a cup of coffee in triple-A. It’s important to note that Hall has also received playing time in the outfield.
If Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (see below) somehow donned the red and white, it’s also possible Charles Leblanc (also see below) or Otto Lopez (yes, see below again) would fill this spot.
Third baseman: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Montreal, Que.)
Okay, this one might be a long shot. But Canadian baseball fans can dream. A 3-4 in the order of Guerrero Jr. and Freeman has the makings of one of the best duos in the tournament.
Charles Leblanc (Laval, Que.)
A much more likely option at third base, Leblanc stroked a double in his big league debut with the Miami Marlins off New York Mets starter Carlos Carrasco and he hasn’t slowed down since. He’s hitting .282 with four home runs and 11 RBIs in his first taste of the big leagues.
Young players are some times hard to pin down for this tournament as they are often in a battle for a roster spot during spring training.
Catcher: Bo Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.)
It was recently announced that Naylor was added to the Cleveland Guardians taxi squad, and for good reason. He was named the Guardians Minor League Player of the Year by Baseball America and hit 21 home runs and stole 20 bases between double-A and triple-A.
Left field: Jared Young
Young made his big league debut with the Chicago Cubs on September 16 and is hitting .263. Much like other Canadians new to the big leagues, he could be destined to stay at spring training to try and win an Opening Day job.
Centre field: Tyler O’Neill (Maple Ridge, BC)
While O’Neill hasn’t flashed the power from a year ago when he swatted 34 home runs in 138 games, he’s still a threat each time he walks to the plate.
In 96 games so far in 2022, he’s left the yard 14 times for the National League Central division champion St. Louis Cardinals.
Right fielder: Josh Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.)
One of the most entertaining players to watch in all of Major League Baseball, Naylor has been a key component of the Cleveland Guardians run to the American League Central crown in 2022.
Naylor is a home run short of reaching 20 for the first time in his young career and is hitting .253 in 118 games.
Designated hitter: Joey Votto (Etobicoke, Ont.)
Votto will be coming off shoulder surgery, so he may not be available. But imagine Guerrero Jr., Freeman, Votto?
Bench:
INF Otto Lopez (Montreal, Que.)
Lopez spent part of his childhood in Montreal after being born in the Dominican Republic. He’s played five games over parts of two seasons with Toronto and owns a career .305 average in the minor leagues.
OF Michael Crouse (Port Moody, BC)
Crouse was a member of the 2017 team and hit .283 in 93 independent league games between
Chicago Dogs and Winnipeg Goldeyes in 2022.
C Kellin Deglan (Langley, BC)
A regular with the national team, Deglan’s left-handed bat should be considered.
OF Jacob Robson (Windsor, Ont.), who played in seven games with the Detroit Tigers in 2021, Tristan Peters (Winkler, Man.), who has hit .212 in double-A this season and OF Denzel Clarke (Pickering, Ont.), who was a Futures Game participant and is heading to the Arizona Fall League could all make a case for roster spots.
Pitching:
We’ll lump all the pitching into one group instead of separating by the rotation and bullpen, because let’s face it, with a four-game round robin and pitch counts being watched closely, it’s not a traditional set of games.
Cal Quantril (Port Hope, Ont.)
Jameson Taillon (The Woodlands, Tex.)
Nick Pivetta (Victoria, BC)
Matt Brash (Kingston, Ont.)
James Paxton (Ladner, BC)
Mike Soroka (Calgary, Alta.)
Rowan Wick (North Vancouver, BC)
Rob Zastryzny (Edmonton, Alta.)
Zach Pop (Brampton, Ont.)
Jordan Romano (Markham, Ont)
Okay, okay, there’s issues with the pitching listed above. Injuries will likely prevent Soroka and Paxton from participating. Romano has already committed to playing for Italy like he did in 2017. Jameson Taillon is a free agent this offseason and contract negotiations could get in the way of his participation. But you never know, right?
Even missing a few of those names it’s an impressive crop of pitchers with big league experience. In addition, youngsters Jordan Balazovic (Mississauga, Ont.), Indigo Diaz (North Vancouver, BC), RHP Cade Smith (Abbotsford, BC), LHP Ben Onyshko (Winnipeg, Man.), and RHP Trevor Brigden (North York, Ont.) all bring significant minor league experience to potentially round out the staff.
So, put all together, what does a Game 1 lineup look like for Team Canada?
Well, if the stars align:
1) Charles Leblanc - 2B
2) Josh Naylor - RF
3) Vladimir Guerrero Jr. - 3B
4) Freddie Freeman - 1B
5) Joey Votto - DH
6) Tyler O’Neill - CF
7) Bo Naylor - C
8) Abraham Toro - SS
9) Jared Young - LF
SP: Cal Quantrill
And if they don’t:
1) Charles Leblanc - 3B
2) Josh Naylor - RF
3) Freddie Freeman - 1B
4) Joey Votto - DH
5) Tyler O’Neill - CF
6) Abraham Toro - 2B
7) Bo Naylor - C
8) Jared Young - LF
9) Otto Lopez - SS
SP: Cal Quantrill
Predictions are fun to make, but they’re simply that. It will certainly be interesting to see what the actual Team Canada lineup looks like come March.
Canada opens the 2023 World Baseball Classic against a yet to be determined qualifier on March 12, before taking on USA on March 13, Colombia March 14 and Mexico March 15.