Team USA 2020 Olympic Baseball Qualifying Roster

Image credit: (Photo by Alex Trautwig/Getty Images)

USA Baseball announced its 28-man roster for WBSC Premier12 on Thursday morning.

Premier12 serves as the qualifying tournament for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and will take place Nov. 2-17, concluding with a championship game in Tokyo. The U.S begins opening round play against the Netherlands in Jalisco, Mexico on Nov. 2.

Only non-40 man roster players were eligible to be selected for Team USA. Any player added to a 40-man roster at a later date will have to be replaced by Team USA.

USA Baseball selected the roster in conjunction with a committee of scouts employed by major league teams.

Below is the full roster with analysis. Players are listed in alphabetical order.

Jo Adell, OF, Angels

Age: 20
Hometown: Louisville
Team: Triple-A Salt Lake

Background: The 10th overall pick in the 2017 draft, Adell has quickly asserted himself as one of baseball’s best prospects. He currently ranks No. 2 on the BA Top 100 and is a power/speed threat expected to be a linchpin of the Angels’ future.

Clayton Andrews, LHP, Brewers

Age: 22
Hometown: Petaluma, Calif.
Team: Double-A Biloxi

Background: The 5-foot-6 Andrews starred both ways at Long Beach State as the Dirtbags’ top starting pitcher and leadoff-hitting center fielder. He converted 11 of his 14 save opportunities in his first full season while advancing to Double-A and earned a spot in the Arizona Fall League, where he has resumed playing both ways.

Alec Bohm, 3B, Phillies

Age: 22
Hometown: Omaha
Team: Double-A Reading

Background: The Phillies made Bohm the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 draft. The physical 6-foot-5, 225-pound masher hit .305 with 21 home runs and 80 RBIs in his first full season and is the No. 32 prospect on the BA Top 100.

C.J. Chatham, SS, Red Sox

Age: 24
Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Team: Triple-A Pawtucket

Background: A second-round pick in 2016, Chatham is a steady defensive shortstop with a knack for putting the barrel on the ball. He hit .298/.333/.408 between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Pawtucket and ranks as the Red Sox’s No. 10 prospect.

Jake Cronenworth, SS/RHP, Rays

Age: 25
Hometown: St. Clair, Mich.
Team: Triple-A Durham

Background: Cronenworth hit . 334 to win the International League batting title this season and also led the league with a .429 on-base percentage. He is a smart, savvy defender who can move around the diamond and also moonlighted as a pitcher this year, making seven scoreless appearances while reaching the mid-90s with his fastball.

Bobby Dalbec, 3B, Red Sox

Age: 24
Hometown: Seattle
Team: Triple- A Pawtucket

Background: A fourth-round pick in 2016, Dalbec combines massive raw power with Gold Glove-level defense at third base. He hit 32 home runs in 2018 and 27 homers in 2019 and ranks as the No. 83 prospect on the BA Top 100. His arm is one of the strongest in the minors.

Brandon Dickson, RHP, Orix Buffalos (NPB)

Age: 34
Hometown: Montgomery, Ala.
Team: Orix

Background: Dickson made eight appearances for the Cardinals in 2011-12 before leaving for Japan. He has been one of the top pitchers in Nippon Professional Baseball the last seven seasons with Orix. He logged a 3.33 ERA in six years as a starter and recorded 18 saves this season after moving to the bullpen.

Parker Dunshee, RHP, Athletics

Age: 24
Hometown: Zionsville, Ind.
Team: Triple-A Las Vegas

Background: Dunshee holds Wake Forest’s career strikeout record and soared through the low minors after the A’s drafted him in the seventh round in 2017. He owns a 2.94 ERA in three minor league seasons on the strength of a diverse, four-pitch arsenal he can mix and match.

Xavier Edwards, 2B, Padres

Age: 20
Hometown: Mineola, N.Y.
Team: High Class A Lake Elsinore

Background: The 38th overall pick in 2018, Edwards led the low Class A Midwest League in batting his first full season before he received a promotion to Lake Elsinore. The speedy, diminutive Edwards lacks power, but he consistently puts the ball in play and wreaks havoc on the bases with his plus-plus speed.

J.P Feyereisen, RHP, Brewers

Age: 26
Hometown: River Falls, Wis.
Team: Triple-A San Antonio

Background: Feyereisen went 10-2, 2.49 as a reliever for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in the Yankees’ system this season and was traded to the Brewers on Sept. 1. He brings a mid-90s fastball and swing-and-miss slider and is capable of pitching multiple innings in relief.

Brian Flynn, LHP, Free Agent

Age: 29
Hometown: Tulsa
Team: N/A

Background: The 6-foot-7 Flynn appeared in the majors for the Marlins in 2013-14 and the Royals from 2016-19. He spent most of 2019 at Triple-A Omaha and elected free agency after the season. Flynn is a ground ball pitcher who brings a low-90s sinker and low-80s slider in relief, and he is particularly effective against lefties.

Taylor Gushue, C, Nationals

Age: 25
Hometown: Boca Raton, Fla.
Team: Triple-A Fresno

Background: A fourth-round pick in 2014, Gushue has steadily climbed the minors and hit .312 with 11 home runs in 74 games at Triple-A Fresno this season. He is primarily known for his defense as a good receiver with soft hands, a strong lower half and an above-average arm.

Tanner Houck, RHP, Red Sox

Age: 23
Hometown: Collinsville, Ill.
Team: Triple-A Pawtucket

Background: The 24th overall pick in 2017, Houck began this season as a starter at Double-A Portland and finished it as a reliever at Triple-A Pawtucket. He is an aggressive righthander with a mid-90s fastball and a wipeout slider who can work as either a starter or reliever as needed.

Spencer Howard, RHP, Phillies

Age: 23
Hometown: San Luis Obispo, Calif.
Team: Double-A Reading

Background: Howard quickly emerged as one of baseball’s top pitching prospects after the Phillies drafted him in the second round in 2017. He currently ranks No. 55 on the BA Top 100. Howard blows hitters away with a lively, mid-90s fastball that reaches triple digits, and he backs it up with a deep-breaking slider that is a put-away pitch.

Tyler Johnson, RHP, White Sox

Age: 24
Hometown: Midlothian, Va.
Team: Double-A Birmingham

Background: Johnson was one of college baseball’s top closers at South Carolina and was drafted in the fifth round by the White Sox in 2017. He has 169 strikeouts in 115 career professional innings and has limited opponents to .197 batting average, overpowering them with a lively, 95-98 mph fastball that reaches triple digits.

Erik Kratz, C, Yankees

Age: 39
Hometown: Telford, Pa.
Team: Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes/Barre

Background: The 10-year major league veteran played 21 games for the Rays and Giants in 2019 before he signed a minor league deal with the Yankees and finished the year in Triple-A. Kratz is a strong defender and veteran leader with a breadth of experience behind the plate. He is a career .205 hitter and offers little offensively.

Wyatt Mills, RHP, Mariners

Age: 24
Hometown: Spokane, Wash.
Team: Double-A Arkansas

Background: Mills ranked second in Gonzaga history with 21 career saves and was drafted in the third round by the Mariners in 2017. The sidearmer has primarily been a late-game reliever or closer at every pro stop and has 25 career saves.

Mark Payton, OF, Athletics

Age: 27
Hometown: Orchard Park, Ill.
Team: Triple-A Las Vegas

Background: Payton hit .334 with 30 home runs and 97 RBIs at Triple-A this year and ranked second in the Pacific Coast League with a 1.053 OPS. Though undersized at 5-foot-8, he’s a good athlete capable of playing all three outfield positions and can hit for both average and power.

Brooks Pounders, RHP, Free Agent

Age: 29
Hometown: Riverside, Calif.
Team: N/A

Background: Pounders spent parts of the last four seasons in the majors as a reliever, including making seven appearances for the Mets this year. He elected free agency at the end of the season. Pounders is massive at 6-foot-5, 265 pounds and works off his mid-80s slider to generate ground balls.

Clayton Richard, LHP, Free Agent

Age: 36
Hometown: Lafayette, Ind.
Team: N/A

Background: Richard owns a 69-84 record and 4.51 ERA in his 11-year major league career. He made 10 starts for the Blue Jays this year and was released in September. Richard is no longer the pitcher of his prime, but he’s a veteran who keeps the ball on the ground and can eat innings as a starter.

Brent Rooker, 1B/OF, Twins

Age: 24
Hometown: Germantown, Tenn.
Team: Triple-A Rochester

Background: Rooker won the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year award in 2017 at Mississippi State and was drafted 35th overall by the Twins. He is physical masher who posts high exit velocities and has long been among the top home run hitters of his peers. He hit 14 home runs in only 65 games at Triple-A this year and is the Twins’ No. 13 prospect.

Connor Seabold, RHP, Phillies

Age: 23
Hometown: Laguna Hills, Calif.
Team: Double-A Reading

Background: Seabold dissected hitters with pinpoint command over three years as a starter at Cal State Fullerton and was drafted by the Phillies in the third round in 2017. He posted a 2.25 ERA this year at Double-A in an injury-abbreviated season. None of Seabold’s offerings stand out on their own, but he effectively mixes his fastball, curveball and changeup and fills up the strike zone to keep hitters on the defensive.

Noah Song, RHP, Red Sox

Age: 22
Hometown: Pomona, Calif.
Team: Short-season Lowell

Background: The Red Sox drafted Song in the fourth round out of Navy this year, and he would have gone higher if not for his two-year military service requirement. Song led college baseball with 15.41 strikeouts per nine innings this season and was a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award. His fastball reaches the upper 90s, and he can back it up with a plus curveball.

Caleb Thielbar, LHP, Braves

Age: 32
Hometown: Northfield, Minn.
Team: Triple-A Gwinnett

Background: Thielbar spent three seasons as a Twins reliever from 2013-15 and has bounced around independent ball and the minors ever since. He logged a 3.32 ERA with 94 strikeouts and 16 walks in 78.1 innings at Triple-A this year and is effective against both lefties and righties out of the bullpen.

Daniel Tillo, LHP, Royals

Age: 23
Hometown: Sioux City, Iowa
Team: Double-A Northwest Arkansas

Background: Tillo was Iowa’s Mr. Basketball his senior year of high school but pursued baseball instead. He is a durable, 6-foot-5 lefthander who gets good action on his 90-94 mph fastball and flashes a promising slider. He can work as either a starter or reliever as needed.

Daulton Varsho, C/DH, Diamondbacks

Age: 23
Hometown: Chili, Wisc.
Team: Double-A Jackson

Background: Varsho is the son of former major league outfielder Gary Varsho. He led the Double-A Southern League with an .898 OPS this year and won playoff MVP honors after leading Jackson to the league championship. Varsho can hit, hit for power and is uniquely athletic for a catcher as an above-average runner. He ranks No. 86 on the BA Top 100.

Andrew Vaughn, 1B, White Sox

Age: 21
Hometown: Santa Rosa, Calif.
Team: High Class A Winston-Salem

Background: Vaughn won the Golden Spikes Award as college’s baseball’s best player in 2018 and was drafted by the White Sox third overall this season. He is a supreme hitter with massive power who evaluators expect will hit .300 with 30-plus home runs per season at his peak. He ranks No. 25 on the BA Top 100.

Drew Waters, OF, Braves

Age: 20
Hometown: Woodstock, Ga.
Team: Triple-A Gwinnett

Background: Waters won MVP of the Double-A Southern League this season at 20 years old and finished the year at Triple-A. The sweet-swinging switch-hitter has hit nearly .300 in his minor league career, including winning the Southern League batting title this season. He is the No. 27 prospect on the BA Top 100.