New York Mets shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera is going to play in the upcoming World Baseball Classic for Team Venezuela according to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com.
Cabrera, 31, played for Venezuela back in the 2013 WBC when they went a disappointing 1-2 and were eliminated in the first round of pool play. Team Venezuela is under turmoil right now after replacing manager Omar Vizquel with Eduardo Perez, causing some of the veteran Venezuelan players to say they won’t play unless Vizquel is the manager come March.
Cabrera had one of his best career offensive seasons in 2016 with the Mets hitting .280/.336/.474 with 30 doubles, 23 home runs and 62 RBI in 141 games.
The WBC starts on March 6 in four different countries with 16 teams participating. The opening round will take place in Tokyo (Japan), Jalisco (Mexico), Seoul (Korea) and Miami at Marlins Park.
Jose Reyes and Jeurys Familia are listed on the 50 player provisional roster for the Dominican Republic. The 25-man roster doesn’t have to be finalized until February.
Team Israel is hoping that they can get Mets utility guy Ty Kelly to play for them in the WBC. He was on their initial roster for the qualifier in September, but was with the Mets at the time.
