Open Thread: Putting together the USA WBC team
By
Back after a three year hiatus, the World Baseball Classic returns next spring to what seems like less fanfare than the 2006 installment. Implemented essentially to replace Olympic baseball (which was voted off the island by the IOC), the ’09 WBC will start in four countries in early March, and wrap up with a one-game, winner-take-all Championship Game two weeks later at Dodger Stadium.
Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Johnny Damon and then-Yankee Al Leiter suited up for the USA in the inauguaral WBC, while Bernie Williams played for Puerto Rico. You may recall the Yanks forbid Jorge Posada from joining Bernie with Puerto Rico, while Mariano Rivera chose not to play for Panama. King George let it be known that he didn’t like his players taking an unnecessary risk, but when the dust settled the only player to suffer a serious injury was Luis Ayala, who blew out his elbow and needed Tommy John surgery.
Jeter & A-Rod have already expressed their desire to participate in the ’09 WBC, but otherwise the news is mum on the rosters, save for a few pissed off Venezuelans. So that’s where we come in. Who would you like to see suit up for the USA? Teams will work with a 30-man roster, but you don’t have to go that deep (unless, of course, you want to), perhaps just a 9 man starting lineup and some semblence of a pitching staff.
Play Bob Watson for a few minutes and stick your USA WBC team in the comments. Play nice.
110 Comments»
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Lineup
Joe Mauer, C
Adrian Gonzalez, 1BJames Loney, 1BLance Berkman, 1BChase Utley, 2B
Derek Jeter, SS
Evan Longoria, 3B
Ryan Braun, LF
Grady Sizemore, CF
BJ Upton, RF
Lance Berkman, DHJason Giambi, DHRotation
Roy Halladay, RHP
Tim Lincecum RHP
Cole Hamels,
RHPLHPDanny Haren,
LHPRHPMatt Garza, RHP – yes, this is based almost entirely on the ALCS
Bullpen
Heath Bell, RHP
Jon Broxton, RHP
Joba Chamberlain, RHP
JP Howell, LHP
Ryan Madson, RHP
Joe Nathan, RHP
Jon Papelbon, LHP
David Price, LHP
Matt Thornton, LHP
Kerry Wood, RHP
Bench
Mark DeRosa, IF/OF
Andre Ethier, OF
JJ Hardy, IF
Kelly Johnson, IF/OF
Nick Markakis, OF
Brian McCann, C
Gritty vets and hungry youngsters FTW.
nice lineup/roster
I love the WBC
I get a kick out of it too. I know its just a big exhibition, and many of the guys aren’t even up to speed yet, but to see such a collection of talent representing their home countries is kinda cool.
Didn’t A-Rod play for the U.S. last time? No love for him, Mike?
He’s unclutch.
cant argue with this too much, but what about a-rod, i mean cant really leave him off i say kick out the giambino, and install arod at DH
Gutsy move having Hamels and Haren throw with their off-hands
D’oh. I mean … it’s part of my master plan to trick the opponent. Plus then the Phils and D-Backs can’t complain I’m abusing their pitching arms.
Hamels and Haren = Inigo Montoya
Also, swap Lowrie in for Jeter and Masterson in for Joba. Let them take the risk while the Yanks prepare for the games that matter.
One issure, i would take Joba off the team. We don’t want him wasting his inning limit in that.
Yeah, I’m going to go out on a limb and say they Yankees will find some cockamamie excuse to force MLB to leave him off the team, like, say, claiming that it wouldn’t be appropriate for him to represent his country on the heels of an embarrassing DUI arrest or something. Now, all they’d have to do is make up some bullshit backstory to make the claim sound believable…
*cough*
I agree, No Jouiba, he’ll hog the champagne when the USA celebrates!
Championship !
Adrian Gonzalez played team mexico in 2006
Bah, he was born in San Diego, so I figured he would go USA.
Rightfield for Team USA: Ichiro. MAKE IT HAPPEN, BOB WATSON!!!
move berkman to first..and giambi will probably want to play so hes your dh
That’s a damn good idea.
I’m I the only person who think that the WBC is worthless exercise? I don’t understand the commitment, and it takes away from what is supposed to be your final product (the regular season) in baseball. I personally have never bought into the excitment this supposedly creates.
You have a bunch of players who are forced to produce in critical games while they work themselves into playing shape and are not ready for full season play. You have pitchers throw less innings, and risk adrenaline forcing injury to a player while he’s not in a team’s control. I mean seriously, if ARod or Johan were to get hurt playing for coaches that have no affliation to the organizations paying these athletes millions, what happens?
I just never got it. It doesn’t mean I’m unpatriotic, just confused as to what this actually brings to the table.
Eh, I enjoy it. From what I understand it’s a much bigger deal overseas, in Japan and Latin America and stuff.
Just like women’s basketball.
“We’re huge in Japan”
Isn’t that what Spinal Tap used to say?
Listening to WEEI right now. Very disappointing. Very few wrongheaded accusations, blaming of the manager, missing Manny and very little free flowing pain and anguish.
They really are fat and happy up there.
OK, now its getting good. Some guy just called and blamed the series loss on putting Mike Timlin on the roster.
PREACH ON BROTHA!!!!
When will they blame all four starting pitchers for getting their asses handed to them at least once?
That would require them to actually watch the games and have some idea what they’re looking at. They’re usually busy drinking and screaming at fans of other teams.
Yup. There’s a lot of sad Bostoners crying in their Schmitt’s Gay right now…
I live up near Boston so I tend to listen to WEEI everyday. Today the knuckleheads up here were whining and moaning about how it’s all Mike Lowell’s fault that the offense couldn’t do a thing against TB. You know it’s a pathetic situation when they spend all afternoon blaming the loss on a guy who was too hurt to play.
Ugh, the link for the “Alex and Jeter want to play for Team USA” article in the DN said at the bottom that “The Yankees could be in the mix to acquire Colorado LHP Brian Fuentes, and according to The Associated Press, a scout from the Rockies was at the game and watched [Humberto] Sanchez pitch.”
I would claw my eyes out if we flipped the young, good, cheap, South Bronx native Hummer H2 for the old, overrated, overpaid washed up Fuentes. Thankfully, Mark Feinsand, CashMoney isn’t as dumb as you are to not dismiss that idiocy out of hand.
Huh? Fuentes is a free agent. Maybe thats an old article from the 8/31 trade deadline. I remember reading stuff like that back then.
Okay, thank god, you’re right. Dated from July this year. My blood pressure levels are normalizing, thanks.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/10.....134355.htm
“The Yankees will have a clearer idea of who their third base coach will be later this week.
That’s when Larry Bowa will meet with Dodgers brass to discuss his future. Bowa, who is the Yankees’ No. 1 choice to replace Bobby Meacham, recently finished the first of a two-year deal to coach third for the Dodgers. Nevertheless, Bowa has an out in the contract.
Bowa, the best third base coach in baseball, was with the Yankees in 2006 and 2007 but not retained when manager Joe Torre didn’t return for the 2008 season. Instead, Bowa joined Torre in Los Angeles.
If Bowa decides to stay with the Dodgers, the Yankees might turn to Mike Gallego or Dale Sveum. “
Mike “Let go of my Eggo” Gallego. hahahahah, boy do I really HATE Chris Berman.
It’s good to know that Larry Bowa is officially “The Best Third Base Coach In Baseball.”
I’ll never forget where I was when Bud Selig proudly handed him the Brian Snitker Trophy for his amazing 2008 third-base-coaching season, where he lead the league with 247 greenlights and a butt-pat average of .893 (breaking “Slappy” Dutch Alston’s 70-year old record of .884). He was a beast, and it was great to see him finally hoist the Snitker.
When Bowa told that story of how he had to give the stop sign to Tim Salmon back in Anaheim in 1998, I got chills.
You know what that’s really all about. Its not so much about his fabulous ability to coach 3B, its about having somebody around to get on Cano’s ass.
I wonder how Girardi will take it. No one on his current staff is a real threat to take his job, Bowa would be. If the Yanks come out of the gate and are 10 games under-.500 in mid-May is per recent tradition, it could get a little awkward.
I think Bowa knows that ship has sailed. Plus, he wouldn’t even be high on the Yanks list of replacements. Replace a fiery guy with and even MORE fiery guy? Its usually the other way around, replace the fiery guy with a calm one.
Also, don’t forget he already has a former manager on his staff at 1B. One that interviewed for his job the same time he did.
Right now I’m watching the way-over-the-top intros and interstitials for RSPN’s Monday Night Countdown, where the camera pans underneath the field (!?) to the CGI random industrial steel factory “set” where iron chains and molten liquid metal flares and bubbles and the “crew” emerges from the fog to walk into frame in slow motion… sheesh.
Is there anything sadder than Chris Berman, Chris Mortensen, and assorted 40-year old former wide recievers and quarterbacks trying to scowl and look menacing as they get you pumped up to listen to them talk on television?
STFU.
I just flipped over and Berman said he was disgusted about the way Mike Nolan was fired. I clicked away before You’re With Me, Leather could go on.
From MLBTR
“Joel Sherman suggests Russell Martin could hit the block; the price would be very steep.”
http://www.nypost.com/seven/10.....htm?page=2
Damn, there’s a name I didn’t expect to hear available. Sox have plenty to deal, but I suspect they’ll resign Varitek when they weigh all the options.
According to FSN, the Yankees have been talking to the Cards about a package that would send Ian Kennedy, Phil Hughes, and a third prospect for Ankiel and Bryan Anderson.
Says a Cards’ message board. That rumor is so stupid, I fear it may be true.
http://www.stltoday.com/forums.....p?t=579671
OMG, LMAO. You gotta be fuckin kidding me. Why don’t the third prospect be A-Jax or Montero.
Joba is a toss in player to be named
That’s so redic…Cervelli is not much off as far the bigs then Anderson, and I’m not show how much of an upgrade he would be. Surely not enough of a margin…And Hughes and Kennedy for Ankiel…Sounds like Ankiel will Pitch, Hit and be a part time coach/every now and then concession worker in the stands to warrant that.
I cant take that seriously at all, it wasn’t even linked.
Post subject: Re: Latest – Ankiel to Yankees?
Posted: 20 Oct 2008 13:02 pm
This is just to placate the Rasmus lovers who want to give him a shot he didn’t earn.
The Cards would be getting hosed big time in this deal
Really?
Yeah, because centerfielders that are mediocre defensively and allergic to walks are so hard to find.
Lineup
Joe Mauer, C
1B Lance Berkman, 1B
Chase Utley, 2B
Derek Jeter, SS
A-Rod, 3B
Ryan Braun, LF
Grady Sizemore, CF
Josh Hamilton, RF
Ryan HowardDH
Rotation
Roy Halladay, RHP
Tim Lincecum, RHP
Cole Hamels, LHP
Danny Haren, RHP
Mke Mussina, RHP –
Bullpen
Heath Bell, RHP
Jon Broxton, RHP
Chamberlain, RHP
JP Howell, LHP
Ryan Madson, RHP
Joe Nathan, RHP
Jon Papelbon, LHP
David Price, LHP
Matt Thornton, LHP
Kerry Wood, RHP
Bench
Evan Longoria IF
Jermaine Dye OF
Dustin Pedroia IF (If He’s eligibile and wants too)
David Wright, IF
Nick Markakis, OF
Brian McCann, C
Ooo I forgot about Hamilton.
Dont worry, I’ll forgive you for that this time…Don’t let it happen again. Now eat your peas and cues!
I know Joba expressed a desire to play for the WBC last season.
But I’m thinking he’s one guy (like Posada a couple of years back) that I’d bet the Yanks will forbid Joba from participating.
If they won’t let him play in the AFL to get his innings up, I can’t imagine they’d let him throw some innings for the WBC.
I’m tellin you, dude…
Best. DUI. Ever.
How the hell does FOX make a World Series commercial and not put a single Yankees’ moment in the montage?
The Yankees were in the original cut, but George Bush vetoed it.
The Bush White House has full veto power over all Fox productions.
It went down basically like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGuT97v4pv0
There is absolutely no recovering from the that. I’m not an advocate for suicide, but man if there was ever a reason.
Yeah no kidding. That’s as bad as it gets.
That was fuckin hilarious. I mean there’s no coming back from that. I that the Lidge pick was impossible to laugh, this is even better.
I sent that to Ben yesterday, saying it deserved its own post. Next time, you get the goodies.
Pujols going to play for Dominican Republic?
MLBTR
“Cards Not Likely To Acquire Peavy
By Tim Dierkes [October 20 at 4:14pm CST]
According to Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Cardinals are not a serious player for Jake Peavy. Miklasz’s Cardinals sources downplayed the idea and noted that they’ve only had one conversation with the Padres.”
Hmmm, lets see who’s left. Braves are in a holding pattern. Astros aren’t interested and Towers says they’re not a match, which is a nice way of saying ‘your farm system blows’. He’s not going to the Dodgers for obvious reasons, and there are reports he hates NY.
Braves bidding against themselves?
Brew Crew
Willie is said to be one of the leading candidates to manage there.
Good for him, hope he gets it and does well.
C – Mauer – L
1B – Berkman – S
2B – Utley – L
SS – Rollins – s
3B – Arod – R
RF – Hamilton – L
CF – Sizemore – L
LF – Holliday -R
DH – Braun – R
SP – Lincecum – R
SP – Sabathia – L
SP – Halladay – R
SP – Webb – R
SP – Peavy – R
Bullpen
Papelbon – R
Nathan -R
Broxton – R
Price – L
Howell – L
Ziegler – R
Wood – R
Thorton – L
Chamberlain – R
Bench
C – McCann – L
1B – Howard – L
2B – Pedroia – R
3B – Longoria – R
SS – Jeter – R
OF – Vernon Wells – R
OF – BJ Upton – R
Why does Puerto Rico get their own team? They’re part of the US.
I promise I can answer this because my political theory professor once briefed us on the whole u.s./PR technicalities…but it’s so extensive…In short P.R. is apart of us but because we give them local law, they are theoretically their own entity which is a nice way of saying they’re a modern day colony of the U.S.
I only have a problem with it, because they always consider Andruw Jones as Dutch when he is from Curacao, which I assume is a similar situation. However, I could be wrong.
PR is its own nation, its just not 100% sovereign because it makes sense to have US defense and such
Curacuo has never gained independence from the Dutch, thats why its considered
Interesting. Thank you.
No, baseball nation is more correct. Puerto Rico is not a nation. It’s an unincorporated territory, which is a fancy constitutional way of saying it’s a colony. Puerto Rico belongs to the U.S. and is U.S. soil, but it’s not a state (nor technically on any path to statehood), but it’s not it’s own nation.
Basically, international sporting isn’t very hard and fast regarding what subnational entities can field their own teams if they wish to, provided that the main nation doesn’t object. So, since PR, the USVI, etc. started their own Olympic committees and wished to compete independently, and the US didn’t object, they’re allowed to go to the Olympics on their own. Or, how England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland have their own World Cup teams despite competing together as Great Britain in the Olympics…
But PR is not legally it’s own country.
C-Olivo
1b-Pujols
2b-Reyes
Ss-Ramirez
3b-Ramirez
Lf-Soriano
Cf-Gomez
Rf-Guerrero-Guillen
Dh-Ortiz-Guerrero
Sp-E.Santana
Sp-Liriano
Sp-Volquez
Sp-Carmona
Sp-W.Rodriguez
Rp-Marmol
Rp-Marte
Rp-Valverde
Rp-Cordero
Rp-R.Perez
Rp-U. Jiemenez
Rp-Dotel
Rp-Del Carmen?
Rp-F.Francisco
Bn-Tejada
Bn-Polanco
Bn-Cano
Bn-Taveraz
Bn-Paulino
Bn-Melky
Bn-Beltre
Bn-Feliz
You forgot RP – Maelvin Croussett.
How about roger clemens? lol since he isnt “retired”
I thought about Bonds, I figured he’d be more worthwhile than Clemens.
Jose Canseco?
Can the Broncos really be this helpless?
And without Laurence Maroney, to boot.
The Patriots are activating a dude named BenJarvus Green-Ellis. That’s awesome.
Especially since they already have a Ben (Watson) Jarvis Green and Ellis (Hobbs)
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/.....id=3640553
Just finished this article on Joe Maddon. I highly recommend it. Its smart, well written and really gets you inside his Baseball mind and his world view. Great stuff.
BTW-I’ve never heard of Howard Bryant, but after this article I’m a fan of his as well.
Why can’t Girardi be more like that?
You mean winning 97 games or buying expensive T-shirts for his team?
In all seriousness, Girardi has his strengths as well. Just in different areas. Maddon’s magic might work with a young team like the Rays and not here. I like Girardi’s approach, he’s very well prepared and ‘all business’, which is very Yankee-like. I also don’t think he’s had a team with his types of players yet, he inherited an aging Torre team that needs to be reworked.
Yeah, you’re right on Bryant. Great writer. It’s so refreshing to read a sports story and not want to claw your eyes out to avoid the stupidity within the first two paragraphs…
Here’s a good one.
5 turnovers. I’m going to laugh when the friggin Raiders win the AFC West.
C-Joe Mauer -L-
1B-Lance Berkman -R-
2B- Chase Utley -L-
3B- Alex Rodriguez -R-
SS- Jimmy Rollins -R-
LF- Ryan Braun -R-
CF- Grady Sizemore -S-
RF- Josh Hamilton -R-
DH- Chipper Jones -S-
SP- Brandon Webb -R-
SP- Jake Peavy -R-
SP- Tim Lincecum -R-
SP- Roy Halladay -R-
SP- Cole Hamels -L-
LRP/Starter- Dan Haren -R-
RP- Jonathan Bronxton -R-
RP- Joba Chamberlain -R-
RP- David Price -L-
RP- Kerry Wood -R-
RP- Joe Nathan -R-
RP- JP Howell -L-
CP- Jonathan Paplebon -R-
Bench-
OF Jermain Dye -R-
OF Carl Crawford -L-
SS/IF Derek Jeter -R-
3B- Evan Longroia -R-
C- Brian McCann -R-
1B- Ryan Howard -L-
IF- Chone Figgins -S-
I guess I need a few more relief pitchers but I didn’t feel like thinking about it anymore.
Check that, I’ll replace Haren with Lester. Get another lefty in there.
Say what you want about maddon, but the whole spring training, running into the catcher thing still doesnt sit right with me. That punk bitch elliot johnson tried to make a name for himself and francisco cervelli pretty much missed a whole year of development because maddon wanted his team to be “tough”.
Chamberlain is to appear in court on Dec. 17. His blood-alcohol-content level was cited to be 0.134 at the time of his arrest. The legal limit in Nebraska is 0.08.
Holy shit!!!
obviously any amount over the limit is too much but .134 isnt that much.
and the whole open container in the vehicle thing is just pure idiocy
Yeah, I’m 39 and old enough to remember when they just started passing many of these laws. When they were first passed, up to .10 was DUI and .15 was DWI. I think in some states DWI was actually .20. Then they kept lowering the limit and raising the penalties.
I’m not at all attempting to condone what he did, but, having grown up as a minority kid in Lincoln, NE, like Joba, living in that boring-ass backwoods state induces one to drink heavily. (Ironically, I was drinking heavily myself within a 40 block radius of where he was pulled over the night it went down, I traveled home to visit family myself this weekend.)
Frankly, I’m shocked that it wasn’t higher.
So my friend (who’s a Tigers fan) had as his facebook status “What do the Cowboys and Yankees have in common? A sales marketing partnership and an alcohol problem.”
I lol’d.
Wouldn’t that be l’dol?
Kind of like R’sBI instead of RBI’s?
Just curious
Nomaas has a nice article on why Cano for Cain is a good deall.. I like it but then I dont they are both studs but this would be sick
CC
Wang
Cain
Joba
Hughes
all under 30
Yeah, but who plays second base?
Sign Orlando Hudson? Good, one step closer to having an entire lineup of players over 30.
I know but Cain is enticing but Id probably sign CC and AJ and be done with it
Except for the whole fact that we have, like, 5-10 guys in the minors who could someday become as good an SP as Matt Cain and that we have zero guys who could someday be as good a 2B as Robinson Cano.
Dealing a young, projectable 2B for a young, projectable SP doesn’t make much sense unless we’ve got another young, projectable 2B waiting in the wings (we don’t) or that young, projectable SP is the final piece of the championship puzzle (Cain isn’t) or the deal is so much of a slam dunk and the player we’re losing is so much worse than the player we’d be getting that we’d be foolish not to do it (it’s not.)
Of course it’s a good deal. It’s such a good deal for the Yanks that the Giants wouldn’t do it because they operate in the real world and not some fantasy land.
Would anyone do Hughes for Cano straight up? No. And Cain’s better than Hughes.
And Cain’s better than Hughes.
For now he is. Just wait a year or two that could change.
I think this deal is more likely to happen than your acting like it is.. We could throw in something small and get him like a B prospect
Peavy would look even nicer. still under 30 and just that much filthyer.
That trade is pretty solid but it won’t happen and it’s wishful thinking by No Mass part.
Every lineup posted has Lance Berkman as the first baseman. No love for Mark Teixeira?
Nah, I went ultimately for James Loney. Talented but with more to gain for a dominant performance. It’s like going for a JV cheerleader, just as nimble, but with something to prove.
That’s a reasonable enough argument. It just surprised me to see his name not mentioned by anyone. I mean, the guy is solid all around.
I was assuming the Yanks would sign Texeira and Hank would forbid him from playing….
Cano X Cain……holly cow!! :S
Jeter shouldn’t play as he got hit on the wrist at he end of the season
AROD has some Kaballah to study
Joba had some shoulder and handcuff problems
Cano was pulled from Winter ball by the Yankees
Damon came back from the WBC “cranky” as Girardi would put it
and (a player who is not ours now…or ever??)
Sabathia threw 1000 innings at the end of year
Yeah a Yankee on the WBC team is really neat for fans and baseball…but the front office should say look we need to focus on winning in in the Spring and Summer and into October and move some pride into the new stadium and new year…too often now players are saying they wouldn’t like to play in New York, when less than half a decade ago…97% of players would die to don the pinstripes…Pinstripes vs. Stars and Stripes or whatever flag…GO YANKEES…THE 2009 WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS!!!
Hi there!
I’m new to the forum so I just wanted to say hi to everyone!