World Baseball Classic rosters confirmed; include Premier12, Olympic stars and 67 MLB All Stars

The rosters of the 20 teams participating in the fifth World Baseball Classic include 67 Major League Baseball (MLB) All-Stars, more than 20 Premier12 stars and Olympic heroes from Japan, Dominican Republic and Korea.

Seven former MLB MVPs will also participate - Paul Goldschmidt, Mike Trout, Mookie Betts (all USA), Freddie Freeman (Canada), Jose Altuve, Miguel Cabrera, who has appeared in every World Baseball Classic (both Venezuela), and Shohei Ohtani (Japan). Superstar pitcher Clayton Kershaw (USA) committed initially but was later scratched from the roster

.Reigning Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) MVP Munetaka Murakami and Korea Baseball Organization MVP Jung-Hoo Lee, and CPBL reigning MVP Li Lin will also join the tournament.

Group A will see action from 8 to 12 March in Taichung, Taiwan. World No. 2 Chinese Taipei will host No. 7 Netherlands, No. 8 Cuba, No. 12 Panama and No. 16 Italy.

Chinese Taipei's strength will be the lineup. Li Lin and the CPBL home run leader Kungkuan Giljegiljaw are the players to watch. Yu Cheng Chang has MLB experience.

Cuba will count for the first time on MLB stars such as Luis Robert, Yoan Moncada (Chicago White Sox) and Andy Ibanez (Detroit Tigers). Manager Armando Johnson also selected six NPB veterans, including star slugger Alfredo Despaigne. Cuba will also showcase rising stars of the National League, such as catcher Andrys Perez and left-handed pitcher Naykel Cruz.

The Netherlands rely on MLB stars such as shortstop Xander Bogaerts, third baseman Jonathan Schoop and catcher Chadwick Tromp. Veteran pitchers Kenley Jansen and Jair Jurriens will eventually join the team in the second round.

Italy's star will be the Kansas City Royals slugger Vinnie Pasquantino, know by MLB fans as The Italian Nightmare. Andre Pallante is a starter for the St Louis Cardinals. Former New York Mets ace Matt Harvey joined the pitching staff.

Panama has a strong pitching staff. Jaime Barria of the Los Angeles Angels is the ace. Justin Lawrence and Javy Guerra also have MLB experience. Jose Ramos, a Los Angeles Dodgers prospect, hit two key home runs during the 2023 qualifier.

Group B is scheduled from 9 to 13 March in Tokyo, Japan. World No. 1 Japan will host No. 4 Korea, No. 10 Australia, No. 15 Czechia and No. 30 China.

Shohei Ohtani shines in a Samurai Japan roster packed with stars. He is one of five MLB players. Right-hander Yu Darvish is the only player on the roster who helped Japan win the 2009 World Baseball Classic. WBSC Premier12 2019 MVP Seyia Suzuki is one of nine Tokyo 2020 gold medalists, including Murakami.

Gold glove-winning second baseman Tommy Edman (St. Louis Cardinals) will partner with WBSC Premier12 2019 star shortstop Ha-Seong Kim (San Diego Padres) to give Korea a formidable middle infield. Slugger Ji-Man Choi, a WBSC U-12 and U-18 World Cup alum, also plays at the MLB level. Pitcher Hwang-Hyun Kim, a WBSC Premier12 alum, is the only player who contributed to a Korean gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Australia lost star pitcher Liam Hendricks, undergoing treatment for non-Hodkins lymphoma, while outfielder Aaron Whitefield (Los Angeles Angels) is the most experienced player having played in the World Baseball Classic 2017 and the Premier12 2019. Right-handed pitcher Warwick Saupold also has MLB experience. Most of the roster competed in the Australian Baseball League. Middle-infield prospect Robbie Glendinning looks like the player to watch.

China's shortstop Ray Chang will appear in his fourth World Baseball Classic. Alan Carter plays for the Los Angeles Angels at the minor league level, and reliever Kwon Ju plays for KBO's KT Wiz. Outfielder Yusuke Masago plays for the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks of NPB.

Eric Sogard, who has appeared in 815 MLB games from 2010 to 2021, is the only player on Czechia's roster who doesn't play in the local Extra Liga.

Phoenix, Arizona, USA, will host Group C from 11 to 15 March. No. 3 USA will face No. 5 Mexico, No. 11 Colombia, No. 14 Canada and No. 22 Great Britain.

The defending champions USA have, as MLB.com puts it, "more All-Stars than there are available positions to play them". Stars of the calibre of Nolan Arenado, J.T. Realmuto, Lance Lynn, and Adam Wainwright add to former MVPs Goldschmidt, Trout, Betts, and Kershaw.

Mexico will have a strong pitching rotation led by LA Dodgers star Julio Urias and completed by José Urquidy, Patrick Sandoval and Taijuan Walker. Catcher Alejandro Kirk, outfielders Alex Verdugo, and Randy Arozarena and infielder Luis Urias also starred at MLB level.

Colombia will also count on solid pitching, with Mets' José Quintana and Padres' Mabil Quintana representing the aces. Oakland A's Rookie Jordan Diaz is one of the young stars to watch.

Canada's marquee player is former MVP Freeman. Stars Josh Naylor, who participated in three WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cups, and Joey Votto are unavailable due to injuries. Outfielder Tyler O'Neill represented Canada in the inaugural WBSC Premier12. Nick Pivetta of the Boston Red Sox is the ace of the rotation.

The Seattle Mariners' No. 1 prospect Harry Ford is the star on Great Britain's roster. Trayce Thompson, Ian Gibaut and Vance Worley have MLB experience.

Miami, Florida, USA, will welcome Group D and No. 6 Venezuela, No. 9 Dominican Republic, No. 13 Puerto Rico, No. 17 Nicaragua and No. 20 Israel.

Puerto Rico finished second in 2013 and 2017. This time they will count on starting pitcher Marcus Stroman, who represented the US in 2017 and beat them in the final. They will also rely on superstars such as Javier Baez and Francisco Lindor in the infield, with Edwin Diaz taking over the closer's role.

Catcher Salvador Perez will add power to a Venezuelan lineup that already counts on former MVPs Altuve and Cabrera. Eduardo Rodriguez, Pablo Lopez and Ranger Suarez make a prime rotation.

The Dominican Republic may need creativity to find a lineup spot for either Rafael Devers or Manny Machado, two All-Star third baseman. Tokyo 2020 bronze-medal winner Julio Rodriguez is part of a sensational outfield with Eloy Jimenez and Juan Soto. Vlad Guerrero Junior adds a gold glove and power.

Israel surprised the world in 2017 and even more when they eliminated Netherlands and Italy and qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Games. Veterans like Ryan Lavarnway and Ty Kelly are back, but the roster counts on two-time All-Star outfielder Joc Pedersen and pitchers like starter Dean Kremer and reliever Richard Bleier.

Nicaragua has veterans like Jonathan Loasiga and Erasmo Ramirez to lead a pitching staff that is also counting on prospect Carlos Rodriguez. Osman Gutierrez starred in the qualifier.

The World Baseball Classic winner will earn the WBSC Baseball World Champion title. The top two finishers of each group will advance to the quarter-finals, scheduled on 15 and 16 March in Tokyo and on 17 and 18 March in Miami. The winners will compete in Miami's semifinals on March 19 and 20. The World Championship game is scheduled on 21 March in Miami.

The 16 participants in the World Baseball Classic 2017 were all invited back. Four National Teams - Great Britain, Czech Republic, Panama and Nicaragua - clinched a spot through the qualifiers. Nicaragua, Czechia and Great Britain participate in the tournament for the first time.