The first baseman of the New York Mets, Pete Alonso, will play for Team USA in the upcoming 2023 World Baseball Classic.
The athlete has expressed interest in playing for Team USA since 2020, saying that it would be “an honor” in 2020. Three years later, Alonso will have the opportunity to represent the United States for the event alongside big MLB names such as Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, Trevor Story, J.T. Realmuto, Paul Goldschmidt, and Nolan Arenado.
While these are the players that are committing to the team, the roster is still not yet finalized nor officially announced.
“I’m really excited and it’s an honor to be part of Team USA. There’s a lot of really amazing guys on the team so far. It’s a great opportunity and I feel lucky to be a part of it,” Alonso said.
Alonso’s current season stats are .886 OPS with 97 RBI and 29 home runs. He set the Mets’ single-season home run record back in his debut year as a rookie and earned the nickname ‘Polar Bear’ for his power.
“[The World Baseball Classic] looked like an incredible environment. And it’s an incredibly fun event and I’ve always wanted to play in it. It’s an honor to play for the stars and stripes,” Alonso added.
About the World Baseball Classic
The last World Baseball Classic was hosted in 2017 as the 2021 event was canceled due to COVID-19. This year’s iteration will have 20 teams participating instead of the usual 16.
The United States is the defending champion of the event after dethroning Puerto Rico in 2017. Marcus Stroman was crowned Most Valuable Player of the event after making three starts in the championship game.
Team USA plays in Pool C against Canada, Mexico, Colombia, and an undetermined team from the 2022 qualifiers on March 11 – 15. The Pool matches for Group C will take place in Chase Field, Phoenix, Arizona, which is home to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
After the Pools, the two top teams from each Pool will advance to the quarterfinals, taking place in loanDepot park, Miami on March 17 – 18 for the C and D Pools. The semifinals and finals will conclude on March 19 – 21 at the same place.
This year’s World Baseball Classic is shaping up to be an exciting event as big names from all around the world will be competing to represent their country. Puerto Rico will be looking to reclaim its championship title after their last defeat at the previous event while four new teams will be looking to make their name on the global stage.
Below is a list of all the teams known to be participating in the event.
Pool A
– Chinese Taipei
– Cuba
– Italy
– The Kingdom of the Netherlands
– Qualifier Team #1
Pool B
– China
– Australia
– Japan
– Korea
– Qualifier Team #2
Pool C
– United States
– Colombia
– Canada
– Mexico
– Qualifier Team #3
Pool D
– Puerto Rico
– Venezuela
– Israel
– Dominican Republic
– Qualifier Team #4
Qualifier Pool A
– Great Britain
– France
– South Africa
– Czech Republic
– Germany
– Spain
Qualifier Pool B
– Brazil
– Argentina
– New Zealand
– Nicaragua
– Pakistan
– Panama