United States manager Davey Johnson wants to win the 2009 World Baseball Classic after the Americans failed to advance out of the second round at the 2006 WBC. And Johnson has upgraded his roster as well as his coaching staff.
Canada And Venezuela In Opening Round
The United States cannot afford to start the competition slow as they face Canada, Venezuela and Italy in the first round of the World Baseball Classic from March 7-11 in Toronto. The top two in the group will advance to a second round of eliminators against two teams from the San Juan, Puerto Rico group consisting of powerhouses Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Netherlands and Panama.
Loads Of Experience Among Coaches
Manager Davey Johnson was the bench coach for the U.S. at the 2006 Classic. And he managed the team in the last five major international tournaments, leading the U.S. to the 2007 Baseball World Cup title and the bronze medal at the 2008 Olympics. He played from 1965 to 1978 fore the Orioles, Braves, Phillies and Cubs and went on to manage the Mets, Reds, Orioles and Dodgers, winning the World Series in 1986 with the Mets. Johnson's fine staff of assistants includes Mike Schmidt, Barry Larkin, Mel Stottlemyre Sr. and Reggie Smith.
Out With Old From 2006
Johnson and Co. went out and made the U.S. team younger and more powerful than the group from 2006, which despite a home country advantage could not survive the second round and was eliminated with a 3-3 record. Gone are the likes of Jason Varitek, Roger Clemens and Ken Griffey Jr. while Alex Rodriguez decided to play for the Dominican Republic this time around.
2009 Squad Younger And More Powerful
New in the mix for Johnson are young star offensive talents such as Grady Sizemore, David Wright, Ryan Braun, Curtis Granderson, Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, Jimmy Rollins, Evan Longoria and Shane Victorino. And those young players also have a trio of upstanding veterans to look to in shortstop and captain Derek Jeter, third baseman Chipper Jones and first baseman Derrek Lee, who are all back from the 2006 squad.
Plenty Of Pitching
Also returning to represent the United States in 2009 are pitchers like starting ace Jake Peavy and top notch relievers Joe Nathan and Brian Fuentes. But Johnson will also have plenty of pitching to choose from when he has to trim his 45-man preliminary roster to 28 players - including a mandatory 13 pitchers - by February 24. Other starters are Roy Oswalt, Joe Saunders, Scott Kazmir, Jeremy Guthrie and Justin Verlander. And the bullpen also now includes the likes of Jonathan Broxton, J.J. Putz, Chad Qualls, B.J. Ryan, George Sherrill, and Brad Ziegler.
United States's 24-Man Roster
Name, Bats/Throws, Height, Weight, Birth Date
PITCHERS
Jonathan Broxton, R/R, 6'4" (193cm), 290lbs (132kg), 06/16/1984
Brian Fuentes, L/L, 6'4" (193cm), 230lbs (104kg), 08/09/1975
Jeremy Guthrie, R/R, 6'1" (185cm), 195lbs (88kg), 04/08/1979
J.P. Howell, L/L, 6'0" (183cm), 175lbs (79kg), 04/25/1983
Ted Lilly, L/L, 6'1" (185cm), 190lbs (86kg), 01/04/1976
Matt Lindstrom, R/R, 6'4" (193cm), 210lbs (95kg), 02/11/1980
Joe Nathan, R/R, 6'4" (193cm), 225lbs (102kg), 11/22/1974
Roy Oswalt, R/R, 6'0" (183cm), 185lbs (84kg), 08/29/1977
Jake Peavy, R/R, 6'1" (185cm), 195lbs (88kg), 05/31/1981
J.J. Putz, R/R, 6'5" (196cm), 250lbs (113kg), 02/22/1977
B.J. Ryan, L/L, 6'6" (198cm), 260lbs (118kg), 12/28/1975
Scot Shields, R/R, 6'1" (185cm), 180lbs (82kg), 07/22/1975
Matt Thornton, L/L, 6'5" (196cm), 245lbs (111kg), 09/15/1976
Brad Ziegler, R/R, 6'4" (193cm), 200lbs (91kg), 10/10/1979
CATCHERS
Chris Iannetta, R/R, 6'0" (183cm), 225lbs (102kg), 04/08/1983
Brian McCann, L/R, 6'3" (191cm), 230lbs (104kg), 02/20/1984
INFIELDERS
Mark DeRosa, R/R, 6'1" (185cm), 205lbs (93kg), 02/26/1975
Derek Jeter, R/R, 6'3" (191cm), 195lbs (88kg), 06/26/1974
Chipper Jones, S/R, 6'4" (193cm), 210lbs (95kg), 04/24/1972
Dustin Pedroia, R/R, 5'9" (175cm), 180lbs (82kg), 08/17/1983
Jimmy Rollins, S/R, 5'8" (173cm), 175lbs (79kg), 11/27/1978
David Wright, R/R, 6'0" (183cm), 215lbs (98kg), 12/20/1982
Kevin Youkilis, R/R, 6'1" (185cm), 220lbs (100kg), 03/15/1979
OUTFIELDERS
Ryan Braun, R/R, 6'1" (185cm), 200lbs (91kg), 11/17/1983
Curtis Granderson, L/R, 6'1" (185cm), 185lbs (84kg), 03/16/1981
Brad Hawpe, L/L, 6'3" (191cm), 205lbs (93kg), 06/22/1979
Grady Sizemore, L/L, 6'2" (188cm), 200lbs (91kg), 08/02/1982
