SEVERAL TINCAPS “WORLD CLASSIC” FORMER TO PLAY IN BASEBALL

FORT WAYNE – Rosters for the 2023 World Baseball Classic were revealed Thursday night on MLB Network, featuring 16 former TinCaps players. Fort Wayne’s alumni can be found on 10 of the 20 international squads, including three players set to play for USA Baseball: infielder Trea Turner (2014) along with pitchers David Bednar (2016-17) and Miles Mikolas (2010).

Recent TinCaps will be representing not only the United States, but also Australia; Canada; Colombia; Cuba; Czech Republic; Dominican Republic; Mexico; Netherlands; and Venezuela. See below for full list. Fort Wayne’s representatives in the WBC range from 22-year-old infielder Jarryd Dale, who just played for the TinCaps in 2022, to 41-yearold Major League Baseball veteran pitcher Oliver Pérez, who suited up for the Fort Wayne Wizards in 2001 (before the franchise rebranded in ’09). “We’re not exaggerating when we talk about having the privilege to host world-class talent at Parkview Field,” said TinCaps President Mike Nutter. “Baseball is a global game and we love the diversity this sport helps bring to our city. We can’t wait to watch so many of our former guys represent their home countries around the world.”

The 2023 WBC begins on March 8. The 20 teams are divided into four pools. The first round will be played at four different sites: Miami, Phoenix, Tokyo (Japan), and Taichung (Taiwan). From there, quarterfinals will be hosted in Miami and Tokyo, with the semifinals and championship in Miami, culminating on March 21. This is the fifth installment of the WBC, and the first since 2017 (since the 2021 edition was postponed by the COVID-19 pandemic). USA Baseball won the last tournament, while Japan was victorious the first two times (2006, ’09) and the Dominican Republic earned the other title (2013). Each team has 30 players on its roster.

Games will be broadcast on FOX, FS1, FS2, FOX Deportes, Tubi, and the FOX Sports app. Click here to learn more about the World Baseball Classic.