Andy's 2013 WBC USA Roster

So as I sit here watching Pawn Stars on this fine Minnesotan Christmas Eve, the 2013 World Baseball Classic crossed my mind.  Only Joe Mauer and David Wright have confirmed they will participate in the third-ever WBC.

I put myself in Joe Torre's shoes and tried to think, who would I want on my 25-man roster?  I went back and looked at the roster from 2009 and tried to base my roster on that.



The way the tournament is set up, only a four-man rotation is necessary and a very deep bullpen as the starters are very limited due to pitchers still building up stamina for the regular season.

For those who know me, I am a velocity whore.  The harder you throw, the more I love you and the more I want you on my team.  All my starters average 93+ MPH and are among the best in the league.

In the bullpen, many of the righties are hard-throwing or strikeout guys.  The exception to this is Brad Ziegler.  The reason he has made this roster is because he has the ability to keep the ball on the ground and he could induce a double play against a tough right-handed hitter.

I took three lefties for situations in which I want them to face a teams best lefty late in the game.  Both Glen Perkins and Jeremy Affeldt have the ability to pitch a complete inning and finish a game off.  Boone Logan is more of a LOOGY, plus he brings heat.

The lineup is rather simple but very right-handed heavy.  The reason I don't worry about this is because these guys are among the best hitters in the world.  They didn't get to this level because they can only hit left-handed pitching.

The good thing about the bench is I have a backup at every position for the infield and can get even playing time for the guys as this serves as their spring training.  Don't think of Bryce Harper as a bench guy either.  He can play all three spots and hit with power so he will most likely find his way into most games.

No guarantee all of these players would like to participate but it would be fun to see how it compares to the actual USA roster.

And now may I present to you, Andy's 2013 World Baseball Classic USA Roster:

Rotation

1. Justin Verlander

2. Stephen Strasburg

3. Matt Cain

4. David Price

Pen

1. Craig Kimbrel

2. Jason Motte

3. Joe Nathan

4. Sergio Romo

5. Brad Ziegler

6. Jonathan Papelbon

7. Joel Hanrahan

8. Huston Street

9. Glen Perkins

10. Jeremy Affeldt

11. Boone Logan

Lineup

C  Buster Posey

1B  Prince Fielder

2B  Aaron Hill

3B  David Wright

SS Derek Jeter

LF  Ryan Braun

CF  Matt Kemp

RF  Mike Trout

Bench

C  Joe Mauer

UT  Ben Zobrist

2B  Brandon Phillips

3B  Chase Headley

SS  Ian Desmond

OF  Bryce Harper