Willis to pitch for U.S. in WBC

Left-hander one of three Marlins to play in the tournament

By Joe Frisaro / MLB.com

 

DALLAS -- In his short Major League career, Dontrelle Willis has received his share of national notoriety.

Now the D-Train is ready to roll along on the international stage.

 

The energetic left-handed pitcher has committed to represent the United States in the 2006 World Baseball Classic.

 

Willis, who led the Majors with 22 wins in 2005, was among the U.S. players announced Monday afternoon.

 

The 23-year-old Alameda, Calif., resident has said that he would be honored to represent his country in the WBC. A two-time All-Star and 2003 National League Rookie of the Year, Willis finished second to St. Louis' Chris Carpenter in the NL Cy Young Award race.

 

Willis is one of three Marlins who have been cleared to play in the WBC. Center fielder Juan Pierre also will compete for the U.S., while recently signed free agent infielder Alfredo Amezaga has committed his services to Mexico.

 

Miguel Cabrera has yet to formally commit to represent Venezuela. But just because the 22-year-old slugger wasn't mentioned on Monday doesn't mean he won't compete for his native country. One of the most popular players in Venezuela, Cabrera likely will be added.

 

Sixty-man rosters must be submitted by Jan. 17, and 30-man rosters must be finalized 24 hours before the start of the tournament. The final rosters must include a minimum of 13 pitchers and three catchers. MLB has committed to using 60 percent of Major League-affiliated players. All the players announced on Monday have the blessings of the Players Association and the MLB owners, who have collectively spent months in the initial culling process.

 

Three free agents who played for the Marlins in 2005 also were included in Monday's announcement. Reliever Todd Jones is on the U.S. list, while starter Ismael Valdez wants to pitch for Mexico and reliever Paul Quantrill is in line to pitch for Canada.

 

First-round action will be played at four sites. Pool A, consisting of Japan, Korea, Chinese Taipei and China, will meet at the Tokyo Dome, March 3-5. Pool B, featuring USA, Canada, Mexico and South Africa will play at Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks, and Scottsdale Stadium, Spring Training home of the San Francisco Giants, March 7-10.

 

Pool C is Puerto Rico, Cuba, Panama and the Netherlands, and will play at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico, March 7-10. Pool D, featuring the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Australia and Italy will play at the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Fla., March 7-10.

 

The top two teams from each pool will advance to the second round, which takes place March 12-15 at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in Puerto Rico and Angel Stadium in Anaheim. The semifinals and finals will be held at San Diego's PETCO Park, March 18-20.

 

Tickets go on sale Dec. 10 for games in Puerto Rico and Dec. 12 for games in the United States. For more information, go to www.worldbaseballclassic.com.

 

Joe Frisaro is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

 

 

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Am I the only one not really excited for this WBC?? All I can think of when I hear about guys like Dontrelle, Barry Bonds, Omar Vizquel, Miguel Cabrera, etc... playing in this thing, is that they risk getting hurt playing for some other team....

 

I don't know.. maybe it's just me.. But I would have preferred to have them play for their own teams in Spring Training and play for the team they're really commited to.

From what I've read the pitchers will throw about the same amount and generally on the same schedule as they would if they were with their own team. The same goes with the position players.

 

Realizing this will be more competitive than a typical ST game we'll have to see just how well this is controlled.....since there will clearly be a temptation to over-use certain players.

Am I the only one not really excited for this WBC?? All I can think of when I hear about guys like Dontrelle, Barry Bonds, Omar Vizquel, Miguel Cabrera, etc... playing in this thing, is that they risk getting hurt playing for some other team....

 

I don't know.. maybe it's just me.. But I would have preferred to have them play for their own teams in Spring Training and play for the team they're really commited to.

 

 

Did you really just include Omar Vizquel in a group with Barry Bonds, Miguel Cabrera, and D-Train? Vizquel probably gets into the HOF based on his defensive prowess, but he's past his prime. I agree on the injury front, as players aren't used to competiting at this level this early in the season.