Mexico, Panama WBC Qualifier Rosters

The World Baseball Classic on Friday unveiled rosters for the next set of qualifiers, set for March 17-20 in Mexicali, Mexico, and Panama City, Panama. Australia last month won its qualifier to advance to the 2017 WBC.

Qualifier No. 2:  Mexicali, Mexico
Teams: Czech Republic, Germany, Mexico, Nicaragua
Schedule:
March 17 (All Times EST)
Germany vs. Nicaragua, 3:30 p.m.
Czech Republic vs. Mexico, 7:30 p.m.
March 18
Czech Republic vs. TBD, 3:30 p.m.
Mexico vs. TBD, 10:30 p.m.
March 19
TBD vs. TBD, 9 p.m.
March 20
Finalist vs. finalist, 10 p.m.

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GERMANY
First	Last	Pos.	MLB Org.	Current Club
Max	Boldt	INF	FA	–
Eric	Brenk	SS	FA	–
Martin	Dewald	RHP	FA	–
Lucas	Dickman	RHP	FA	–
Ludwig	Glaser	INF	FA	–
Simon	Gühring	C	FA	–
Daniel	Hinz	RHP	FA	–
Christopher	Howard	C	FA	–
Lukas	Jahn	SS	FA	–
Sascha	Koch	RHP	FA	–
Kevin	Kotowski	OF	FA	–
Nadir	Ljatifi	SS	Reds	AZL (R)
Donald	Lutz	OF	Reds	Pensacola (AA)
Sascha	Lutz	OF	FA	–
Enorbel	Marquez	LHP	FA	–
Kent	Matthes	OF	FA	–
Bruce	Maxwell III	C	Athletics	Nashville (AAA)
Will	Ohman	LHP	FA	–
Sven	Schüller	RHP	Dodgers	Ogden (R)
Markus	Solbach	RHP	Diamondbacks	Mobile (AA)
Luke	Sommer	LHP	FA	–
Lukas	Steinlein	RHP	FA	–
Jan-Niclas	Stöcklin	RHP	FA	–
Dominique	Taylor	OF	Royals	Wilmington (HiA)
Daniel	Thieben	RHP	FA	–
Kevin	Trisl	RHP	FA	–
Maurice	Wilhelm	RHP	FA	–
Christoph	Ziegler	INF	FA	–

Most of the German players are currently playing in the German Baseball-Bundesliga. Additionally a couple of MLB-affiliated players have made the team. Max Kepler, who is competing for a spot on the opening day roster of the Twins, is not on the roster. Also newly signed Pascal Amon (Dodgers) isn’t on the squad.

However, Donald Lutz (Reds), Markus Solbach (Diamondbacks), Sven Schueller (Dodgers) and Nadir Ljatifi (Reds) are on the roster. Lutz re-signed with the Reds in February after a terrific stay in the Australian Baseball League; Solbach was born in Germany and his family relocated to Detroit when he was six when his father—a longtime Ford employee in Germany—was moved to the company’s main plant. Solbach returned to Germany, played baseball there, went to the Australian Baseball League where the Twins found him. They released him after three seasons and he caught on with Windy City of the independent Frontier League. The Diamondbacks—known for their deft indy league scouting— pounced and he was solid at low Class A before struggling with a promotion; Schuller is a product of the Regensburg academy, which has produced Lutz, among others who signed pro contracts; Ljatifi was a member of the German Junior National team.

Catcher Bruce Maxwell (Athletics) and outfielders Dominique Taylor (Kansas City Royals) and Ken Matthes (Lancaster Barnstormers) will make their German national team debut. Maxwell and Taylor were born in Germany to U.S. military parents. Former big league reliever Will Ohman returns for a second time after debuting at the WBC Qualifier 2012 in Regensburg.

Germany’s new manager is former big league infielder Garth Iorg. He will be supported by fellow ex-big leaguers Willie Upshaw and Dennis Cook, as well as Martin Helmig and Troy Williams from Germany. Cook is well known in European Baseball after coaching the Swedish National Team a couple of years ago.

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CZECH REPUBLIC
First	Last	Pos.	MLB Org.	Current Club
Jan	Blazek	RHP	FA	–
Boris	Bokaj	RHP	FA	–
Petr	Cech	C	FA	–
Mike	Cervenak	3B	FA	–
Marek	Cervenka	RHP	FA	–
Martin	Cervenka	C	Indians	Akron (AA)
Premek	Chroust	UTI	FA	–
Tomas	Duffek	LHP	FA	–
Adam	Hajtmar	INF	FA	–
Jakub	Hajtmar	INF	FA	–
Matej	Hejma	OF	FA	–
Tomas	Junec	1B	FA	–
Jakub	Malik	OF	FA	–
Marek	Minarik	RHP	FA	–
Petr	Minarik	RHP	FA	–
Daniel	Mraz	RHP	FA	–
Jan	Novak	LHP	FA	–
Michal	Ondracek	OF	FA	–
Tomas	Polansky	RHP	FA	–
Martin	Schneider	RHP	FA	–
Petr	Sila	OF	FA	–
Jakub	Sladek	INF	FA	–
Michal	Sobotka	RHP	FA	–
Alex	Sogard	LHP	FA	–
John	Straka	RHP	FA	–
Jan	Tomek	RHP	FA	–
Petr	Vojak	INF	FA	–
Petr	Zyma	INF	FA	–

As in 2012, the majority of the Czech national team’s players are active in the Czech Republic or are players affiliated with MLB organizations. Mike Cervenak and Alex Sogard return for a second stint with the Czech team after 2012. Additionally they hope John Straka can be on the team, but MLB is still checking his eligibility. If he doesn’t make the cut, Lukas Ercoli will take his spot. The players with U.S. ties include: Indians farmhand Martin Cervenka, a catcher; lefthander Thomas Duffek, who pitched at Division II Missouri-St. Louis; former Twins farmhands Jakub Hajtmar and Matej Hejma; 2015 pros righthander Marek Minarik (Pirates, released in November) and lefthander Jan Novak (Orioles); and shortstop Petr Zyma, who played at Creighton for one season at at Southwestern Oklahoma State for another.

Manager Mike Griffin’s coaching staff features 2004 World Series winner Trot Nixon as bench coach. The team already traveled to Arizona for a short training camp. They will play five exhibition games against the Milwaukee Brewers, a team from Japan, France, the Chicago Cubs and the San Francisco Giants.

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MEXICO
First	Last	Pos.	MLB Org.	Current Club
Armando	Aguilar	LHP	FA	–
Andres	Avila	RHP	Athletics	Nashville (AAA)
Arturo	Barradas	LHP	FA	–
Carlos	Bustamonte	RHP	FA	–
Xorge	Carrillo	C	Mets	Las Vegas (AAA)
Sebastian	Elizalde	OF	Reds	Dayton (A)
Carlos	Fisher	RHP	Rangers	Frisco (AA)
Giovanni	Gallegos	RHP	Yankees	Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (AAA)
Jesus	Garcia	RHP	FA	–
Adrian	Gonzalez	1B	Dodgers	Majors
Leonardo	Heras	OF	Astros	Corpus Christi (AA)
Walter	Ibarra	INF	FA	–
Stephen	Landazuri	RHP	Mariners	Jackson (AA)
Alejandro	Mejia	SS	Cardinals	Memphis (AAA)
Agustin	Murillo	3B	FA	–
Efren	Navarro	1B	Mariners	Tacoma (AAA)
Juan	Perez	OF	Reds	Louisville (AAA)
Oliver	Perez	LHP	Nationals	Majors
Esteban	Quiroz	INF	FA	–
Hector	Rodriguez	LHP	Orioles	Bowie (AA)
Francisco Issmael	Salas	INF	FA	–
Jake	Sanchez	RHP	Athletics	Midland (AA)
Mark	Serrano	RHP	FA	–
Javier	Solano	RHP	FA	–
Humberto	Sosa	C	FA	–
Jesus	Soto	LHP	Padres	DSL Padres (R)
Sebastian	Valle	C	Yankees	Trenton (AA)
Jorge	Vazquez	1B	FA	–

Host team Mexico will be led by former major league infielder Edgar Gonzalez, who was a member of Team Mexico during the 2009 and 2013 installments of the WBC. In the three previous editions of the event, Mexico has gone 6-8 while advancing to the second round in both 2006 and 2009. The 28-man roster features 16 players in pro ball, including Edgar’s brother and five-time All-Star Adrian Gonzalez of the Dodgers. Others include solid receiving catcher Xorge Carrillo of the Mets, who rose as high as Triple-A but has played at Double-A the past two seasons; Sebastian Elizalde (Reds), who was among leaders in team-adjusted OPS+ in the Florida State League; Leo Heras, the compact Mexican League star who has struggled in pro ball with the Astros; Sebastian Valle, once the top defensive catcher in the Phillies’ organization but now looking to catch on with the Yankees, and veteran lefthander Oliver Perez, who signed with the Nationals in the offseason; Giovanni Gallegos signed with the Yankees ($100,000) along with Luis Niebla ($75,000) in a package deal from the Mexico City Red Devils in January 2011; The Orioles purchased first baseman/corner outfielder Efren Navarro from the Angels in January. The lefthanded batter has hit .246/.303/.324 in parts of four seasons in the big leagues and is known best for his defense at first base.

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NICARAGUA
First	Last	Pos.	MLB Org.	Current Club
Jairo	Beras	OF	Rangers	Hickory (LoA)
Alex	Blandino	SS	Reds	Daytona (A)
Dwight	Britton	OF	FA	–
Darrel	Campbell	3B	FA	–
Ofilio	Castro	SS	FA	–
Leonardo	Crawford	LHP	Dodgers	AZL (R)
Berman	Espinoza	RHP	FA	–
Samuel	Estrada	RHP	FA	–
Fidencio	Flores	RHP	FA	–
Juan Ramon	Flores	OF	FA	–
Kevin	Gadea	RHP	Mariners	DSL Mariners 2 (R)
Ronald	Garth	2B	FA	–
Carlos	Gonzalez	RHP	Reds	Pensacola (AA)
Sandor	Guido	1B	FA	–
Osman	Gutierrez	RHP	Blue Jays	Buffalo (AAA)
Jonathan	Loaisiga	RHP	Yankees	DSL (R)
Diomar	Lopez	RHP	Padres	AZL (R)
Gustavo	Martinez	RHP	FA	–
Janior	Montes	C	FA	–
Renato	Morales	OF	FA	–
Melvin	Novoa	C	Rangers	AZL (R)
Omar	Obregon	SS	Braves	Rome (A)
Jhonny	Polanco	RHP	Red Sox	Pawtucket (AAA)
Elmer	Reyes	SS	FA	–
Jose	Saenz	RHP	FA	–
Carlos	Teller	LHP	FA	–
Junior	Tellez	RHP	FA	–
Wuillians	Vasquez	UTI	FA	–

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Qualifier No. 3:  Panama City, Panama
Teams: Spain, France, Panama, Colombia
Schedule:
March 17 (All Times EST)
Colombia vs. Spain, 2 p.m.
France vs. Panama, 9 p.m.
March 18
France vs. TBD, 2 p.m.
Panama vs. TBD, 9 p.m.
March 19
TBD vs. TBD, 9 p.m.
March 20
Finalist vs. finalist, 7 p.m.

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PANAMA
First	Last	Pos.	MLB Org.	Current Club
Alberto	Acosta	RHP	FA	–
Dario	Agrazal	RHP	Pirates	West Virginia (LoA)
Anthony	Amaya	OF	FA	–
Harold	Arauz	RHP	Phillies	Lakewood (HiA)
Alberto	Baldonado	LHP	Mets	St. Lucie (HiA)
Euclides	Bethancourt	RHP	FA	–
Jorge	Bishop	SS	FA	–
Jose	Camarena	C	FA	–
Luis	Castillo	OF	FA	–
Ramon	Castillo	C/1B	FA	–
Gerald	Chin	2B	FA	–
Manny	Corpas	RHP	FA	–
Angel	Cuan	LHP	FA	–
Paolo	Espino	RHP	Nationals	Syracuse (AAA)
Saul	Gonzalez	RHP	FA	–
Javier	Guerra	SS	Padres	Lake Elsinore (HiA)
Ariel	Jurado	RHP	Rangers	Hickory (LoA)
Humberto	Mejia	RHP	Marlins	GCL (R)
Jorge	Miranda	OF	FA	–
Edgard	Munoz	SS	FA	–
Eliecer	Navarro	LHP	FA	–
Andy	Otero	LHP	Braves	Mississippi (AA)
Carlos	Quiroz	1B	FA	–
Davis	Romero	LHP	FA	–
Carlos	Ruiz	C	Phillies	Majors
Edmundo	Sosa	SS	Cardinals	Peoria (LoA)
Eduardo	Thomas	INF	FA	–
Isaias	Velasquez	OF	FA	–

The host team Panama will be led by former big league slugger Carlos Lee, who hit 358 home runs during his 14-year career and played for Panama during the 2013 Qualifier. Overall, Panama is 2-7 in WBC play, including 0-5 during the main tournament. Panama has 10 players on the roster in affiliated ball, including Carlos Ruiz of the Phillies and the Padres’ No. 1 prospect Javier Guerra, acquired from Boston in the Craig Kimbrel deal. Others are Harold Arauz, acquired by the Phillies in the Ken Giles deal. Signed in 2011 out of Panama for $300,000, Arauz is a 6-foot-2 righthander who is a strike-thrower who throws a ton of cutters that get up to the low-90s. He has a clean delivery with some feel for his secondary stuff; Righthander Dario Agrazal is a control artist who doesn’t miss many bats; Ariel Jurado ranked No. 11 in the South Atlantic League’s Top 20 Prospects. Jurado mixes a plus sinker with a four-seamer that he can run up to 95 mph, and he also has above-average control to both sides of the plate. Edmundo Sosa ranked No. 9 in the Appalachian League. Sosa has made steady progress since signing as a 16-year-old out of Panama in July 2012 and had an outstanding season at Johnson City. He grew into more power and made steady progress and he appears poised for the jump to a full-season league in 2016.

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FRANCE
Name		Post	MLB Org	Current Club
Jacques	Boucheron	OF	FA	–
Felix	Brown	INF	FA	–
Dan	Camou	RHP	FA	–
Leonel	Cespedes	RHP	FA	–
Gregory	Cros	RHP	FA	–
Bastien	Dagneau	OF	FA	–
Jonathan	Duforest	UTI	FA	–
Dylan	Gleeson	C	FA	–
Frederic	Hanvi	OF	FA	–
Jorge	Hereaud	INF	FA	–
Norbert	Jongerius	OF	FA	–
Pierrick	Le Mestre	RHP	FA	–
Maxime	Lefevre	INF	FA	–
Rene	Leveret	1B	FA	–
Ernesto	Martinez	C	FA	–
Ernesto Wilson	Martinez	LHP	FA	–
Samuel	Meurant	RHP	FA	–
Jonathan	Mottay	RHP	FA	–
Owen	Ozanich	RHP	FA	–
Andy	Paz	C	Athletics	Beloit (LoA)
Keino	Perez	RHP	FA	–
Anthony	Piquet	RHP	FA	–
Esteban	Prioul	LHP	FA	–
Douglas	Rodriguez	UTI	FA	–
Lucas	Serafin	RHP	FA	–
Yoann	Vaugelade	RHP	FA	–
Antoine	Villard	RHP	FA	–
Frederic	Walter	INF	FA	–

France’s team is managed by former Dodgers all-star closer Eric Gagne and has one player in affiliated ball, Andy Paz of the A’s, a catcher of Cuban descent who signed for a reporter $95,000 as an international free agent in 2011. Others who spent time in pro ball are Dan Camou, Lucas Serafin and Rene Leveret. Camou and Leveret played for France’s WBC Qualifier in 2012.

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SPAIN
First	Last	Pos.	MLB Org.	Current Club
Oscar	Angulo	INF	FA	–
Rogelio	Armenteros	RHP	Astros	Quad Cities (LoA)
Jorge	Balboa	RHP	FA	–
Engel	Beltre	OF	FA	–
Richard	Castillo	RHP	FA	–
Jose	Cruz	RHP	FA	–
Rhiner	Cruz	RHP	FA	–
Iker	Franco	C	FA	–
Lesther	Galvan	CF	FA	–
Jesus	Golindano	3B	FA	–
Yasser	Gomez	OF	FA	–
Ivan	Granados	LHP	FA	–
Luis	Guillorme	SS	Mets	Columbia (LoA)
Ricardo	Hernandez	LHP	FA	–
Lazaro	Leyva	RHP	Orioles	Aberdeen (SS)
Daniel	Martinez	OF	FA	–
Jesus	Merchan	INF	FA	–
Rolando	Merino	C	FA	–
Leslie	Nacar	RHP	FA	–
Antonio	Noguera	LHP	FA	–
Blake	Ochoa	C	FA	–
Andres	Perez	RHP	FA	–
Sergio	Perez	RHP	FA	–
Richard	Salazar	LHP	FA	–
Yunesky	Sanchez	INF	FA	–
Carlos	Sierra	RHP	Astros	GCL  (R)
Gabriel	Suarez	C	FA	–
Jesus	Ustariz	INF	FA	–

Spain has five players affiliated with big league clubs, most notably shortstop Luis Guillorme, the Mets’ No. 12 prospect and MVP of the South Atlantic League. Others are Rogelio Armenteros (Astros), Richard Castillo (Rockies), Lazaro Leyva (Orioles’ No. 20 prospect) and Carlos Sierra (Astros). Armenteros, who landed in Spain after defecting from Cuba, in 2009 pitched Cuba to a third-place finish in the World Youth Baseball Championship; The Venezuelan Castillo got as high as No. 17 in the Cardinals system after signing in 2007 but was released in 2013 and signed with the Rockies. He was granted free agency last November and has yet to find a new organization; Leyva, signed in 2014 out of Cuba for $750,000, has a fastball that has touched 100 mph and he struck out 8.3 batters per nine innings in 2015; Sierra signed with the Astros in February; because his grandfather has roots in Spain, Sierra, who made 26 relief appearances in two seasons in Serie Nacional, was able to establish residency outside of Cuba in order to leave the island legally. Others on the roster are former Astro, Met and Tiger Rhiner Cruz, now with Rakuten of Nippon Professional Baseball and Engel Beltre, who signed with the Red Sox for $600,000 when the 2006 international signing period opened only to be traded to Texas a year later for Gagne, France’s manager in this tournament.  Yunesky Sanchez a Cuban national, had the game-winning, two-run single in the 10th inning of the qualifier championship game in 2012. Spain beat Israel in the finale to win the ’12 qualifier, played in Jupiter, Fla., and advanced to the 16-team WBC for 2013.

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COLOMBIA
First	Last	Pos.	MLB Org.	Current Club
Horacio	Acosta	RHP	FA	–
Kendy	Batista	RHP	FA	–
Steve	Brown	OF	FA	–
Randy	Consuegra	RHP	FA	–
Nabil	Crismatt	RHP	Mets	Las Vegas (AAA)
William	Cuevas	RHP	Red Sox	Pawtucket (AAA)
Carlos	Diaz	LHP	Giants	Richmond (AA)
Kevin	Escorcia	LHP	White Sox	DSL (R)
Jhonatan	Escudero	RHP	Cardinals	Johnson City (R)
Dilson	Herrera	INF	Mets	Majors
Ronald	Luna	SS	FA	–
Yeizer	Marrugo	RHP	Orioles	DSL (R)
Luis	Martinez	C	FA	–
Charlie	Mirabal	INF	FA	–
Arismendy	Mota	RHP	FA	–
Gregory	Nappo	LHP	Marlins	New Orleans (AAA)
Dewin	Perez	LHP	Cardinals	Peoria (LoA)
Tito	Polo	CF	Pirates	West Virginia (LoA)
Jesus	Posso	C	Phillies	Williamsport (SS)
Harold	Ramirez	CF	Pirates	Majors
Mauricio	Ramos	SS	Royals	Northwest Arkansas (AA)
Reynaldo	Rodriguez	OF	Twins	Rochester (AAA)
Yesid	Salazar	RHP	FA	–
Adrian	Sanchez	2B	Nationals	Harrisburg (AA)
Karl Lewis	Triana	RHP	FA	–
Jesus	Valdez	OF	FA	–
Carlos	Vidal	CF	Yankees	Pulaski (R)
Angel	Vilchez	RHP	FA	–

Colombia will be managed by Luis Urueta, who served as the team’s first base coach during the 2013 Qualifier.  Urueta, the short-season field coordinator for the Diamondbacks, has been a coach or coordinator in the D-backs organization since 2007.  Colombia went 1-2 in its WBC debut during the 2013 Qualifier, with its lone victory coming in an 8-1 defeat of Nicaragua.  The team features 16 players in affiliated ball, including Dilson Herrera, the likely Mets’ second baseman of the future; Nabil Crismatt, a Mets righthander who exhibited tremendous control at Rookie-level Kingsport; Jhonatan Escudero, a thin righthander signed by the Cardinals in 2009 who struck out 9.6 batters per nine innings at Rookie-level Johnson City in 2015. Kevin Escorcia, a lefthander with the White Sox who in 2014 had a 33 percent strikeout rate against a 5.4 percent walk rate before sliding back in 2015; Outfielder Harold Ramirez of the Pirates, No. 95 on the Top 100 Prospects.