Astros Will Feature Many Players In World Baseball Classic

The Houston Astros will have 14 players representing their country in the upcoming 2023 World Baseball Classic.

The Houston Astros had 14 players representing seven different countries named to the 2023 World Baseball Classic on Thursday.

Six Astros were named on the Dominican Republic's roster: pitchers Bryan Abreu, Ronel Blanco, Cristian Javier, Rafael Montero and Hector Neris along with shortstop Jeremy Peña. Blanco is in the designated pitcher pool and could be added to the Dominican's active roster in one or more consecutive rounds.

The Astros will have two players compete for the United States -- pitcherRyan Pressly and right fielder Kyle Tucker. Second baseman Jose Altuve and pitcher Luis Garcia will play for Team Venezuela. The two other Astros Major Leaguers scheduled to play in the WBC are pitcher José Urquidy (Mexico) and catcher Martín Maldonado (Puerto Rico).

In addition, two Astros Minor Leaguers will participate in the WBC – pitcher Colton Gordon (Israel) and Derek West (Netherlands).

According to a press release issued by the Astros, they will also be represented in the coaching ranks at the WBC with Omar López managing Team Venezuela. He’ll be joined on his staff by Javier Bracamonte, who'll serve as a bullpen coach. Alex Cintrón will serve as a hitting coach for Team Puerto Rico, while Michael Collins will coach for Team Australia. Astros Strength and Conditioning Coach Hazael Wessin will serve in that came capacity for the Dominican Republic.

The WBC will be played from March 8-21 and will feature 20 teams. There are four pools which each include five teams. 

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