1. David Price, LHP, TAM
2. Matt Wieters, C, BAL
3. Jason Heyward, OF, ATL
4. Travis Snider, OF, TOR
5. Cameron Maybin, OF, FLA
6. Colby Rasmus, OF, STL
7. Rick Porcello, RHP, DET
8. Madison Baumgartner, LHP, SF
9. Mike Moustakas, 3B, KC
10. Tommy Hanson, RHP, ATL
11. Brett Anderson, LHP, OAK
12. Neftali Feliz, RHP, TEX
13. Trevor Cahill, RHP, OAK
14. Brian Matusz, LHP, BAL
15. Buster Posey, C, SF
16. Alcides Escobar, SS, MIL
17. Jarrod Parker, RHP, ARI
18. Dexter Fowler, OF, COL
19. Lars Anderson, 1B, BOS
20. Chris Tillman, RHP, BAL
21. Matt LaPorta, OF, CLE
22. Tim Beckham, SS, TAM
23. Wade Davis, RHP, TAM
24. Austin Jackson, OF, NYY
25. Jesus Montero, C, NYY
26. Fernando Martinez, OF, NYM
27. Eric Hosmer, 1B, KC
28. Pedro Alvarez, 3B, PIT
29. Mike Stanton, OF, FLA
30. Angel Villalona, 1B, SF
31. Mat Gamel, 3B, MIL
32. Derek Holland, LHP, TEX
33. Andrew McCutchen, OF, PIT
34. Brett Wallace, 3B, STL
35. Yonder Alonso, 1B, CIN
36. Elvis Andrus, SS, TEX
37. Carlos Santana, C, CLE
38. Justin Smoak, 1B, TEX
39. Carlos Carrasco, RHP, PHI
40. Kyle Blanks, 1B, SD
41. Nick Adenhart, RHP, LAA
42. Josh Vitters, 3B, CHC
43. Carlos Triunfel, SS, SEA
44. Wilmer Flores, SS, NYM
45. James McDonald, RHP, LAD
46. Logan Morrison, 1B, FLA
47. Gordon Beckham, SS, CHW
48. Adam Miller, RHP, CLE
49. Tim Alderson, RHP, SF
50. Jordan Walden, RHP, LAA
51. Aaron Hicks, OF, MIN
52. Jordan Zimmerman, RHP, WAS J
53. ake Arrieta, RHP, BAL
54. Michael Inoa, RHP, OAK
55. Jeff Samardzija, RHP, CHC
56. Ben Revere, OF, MIN
57. Jhoulys Chacin, RHP, COL
58. Jeremy Hellickson, RHP, TAM
59. JP Arencibia, C, TOR
60. Jason Castro, C, HOU
61. Lou Marson, C, PHI
62. Jose Tabata, OF, PIT
63. Freddie Freeman, 1B, ATL
64. Julio Teheran, RHP, ATL
65. Phillippe Aumont, RHP, SEA
66. Matt Dominguez, 3B, FLA
67. Aaron Poreda, LHP, CHW
68. Yorman Rodriguez, OF, CIN
69. Wes Hodges, 3B, CLE
70. Michael Bowden, RHP, BOS
71. Greg Halman, OF, SEA
72. Jordan Schafer, OF, ATL
73. Jeff Decker, OF, SD
74. Gio Gonzalez, LHP, OAK
75. Austin Romine, C, NYY
76. Scott Elbert, LHP, LAD
77. Brett Cecil, LHP, TOR
78. Gerardo Parra, OF, ARI
79. Jeremy Jeffress, RHP, MIL
80. Ivan De Jesus, SS, LAD
81. Chris Carter, 1B, OAK
82. Todd Frazier, SS, CIN
83. Dellin Betances, RHP, NYY
84. Adrian Cardenas, SS, OAK
85. Daniel Cortes, RHP, KC
86. Cedric Hunter, OF, SD
87. Daniel Bard, RHP, BOS
88. Hank Conger, C, LAA
89. Chris Marrero, 1B, WAS
90. Cole Rohrbough, LHP, ATL
91. Reid Brignac, SS, TAM
92. Wilkin Ramirez, OF, DET
93. Gorkys Hernandez, OF, ATL
94. Mat Latos, RHP, SD
95. Michael Burgess, OF, WAS
96. Wilson Ramos, C, MIN
97. Bryan Anderson, C, STL
98. Christian Friedrich, LHP, COL
99. Desmond Jennings, OF, TAM
100. Michael Main, RHP, TEX

If you love baseball, the World Baseball Classic offers something the MLB does not.  At the MLB level, the game is so dominated by guys who draw walks, strike out and blast three run homers that even teams who play more small ball do this only to a certain extent.  When you see the Dutch and the Koreans use pitching, defense and smart hitting to slay giants,  you see a style of play that is not on display in this form in Major League Baseball.

Then there is the exotic talent.  The Cubans and Japanese show you players who you may never see again in their primes in any other format.   21 year old Cuban lefty Aroldis Chapman is a specimen throwing near 100 MPH and dominating hitters, causing former GM Steve Phillips to say that he would throw millions and millions of dollars at him as a GM were Chapman available.  Japanese ace Yu Darvish stands tall among his peers, five years from when he’d normally be posted for MLB teams to bid, showing the arsenal that has him called the best pitcher outside of the Major Leagues.  Third baseman Yulieski Gourriel, one of the few stars of the ‘06 WBC to return and outfielders Frederich Cepeda and Alfredo Despaigne led a virile Cuban attack.   There are also standouts who may never see the major leagues, but have made their mark.  Gift Ngoepe, an electrifyingly speedy shortstop from South Africa, hit two triples in a game.  The Dutch and Italian teams featured European-born players that made a serious impact.

With Round 2 underway, the upsets are not going to match the magnitude of the Netherlands over the Dominican Republic (unless the Dutch slay the USA later today).   Seven of the eight teams in Round 2 were there last time around.  It’s not as impressive when major leaguers from Puerto Rico beat major leaguers from the USA, or Venezuela.  The Cubans have established themselves as a team to beat in any form of international play, and the Koreans are coming off an Olympic gold.  The Japanese won it last time out.  The Mexicans feature fewer major leaguers and with the Dutch are the only true underdogs left in the proceedings.

The best part of the 2009 WBC has no doubt passed and hopefully the next edition, scheduled for 2013 unless the Cubans get there way and it becomes bi-annual.  Hopefully in 2013, we’ll see a qualifying round or an expanded Round 1, where more countries feature.  The best of the WBC comes out when the opportunity for real upsets like the Dutch over the Dominicans, the Aussies over the Mexicans, the Italians over the Canadians and the Chinese over the Taiwanese are in the offing.  Bring on 2013, and perhaps the Israelis, Irish, British, Germans, Spanish, Croatians, Czechs, Colombians, Nicaraguans, Ghanaians,  Greeks, Belgians, Filipinos, French, Russians … the more minnows the merrier.

China may have a larger population than any other country on the face of the Earth, but when he comes to developed baseball talent, it is one of the weakest teams on paper in the WBC.  It is light years behind Japan and South Korea, and well behind Taiwan.  That China leaves the tournament in third place in its pool, having shocked Taiwan behind the heroics of second generation Chinese-American Raymond Chang, is a massive accomplishment.

Aside from the American-born Chang,  China sported only two other players in MLB systems.  Kai Liu, a lefty pitcher, and catcher Zhenwang Zhang, play in the lower reaches of the New York Yankees farm.  Righty pitcher Dawei Zhu is in the Seibu Lions system in the Japanese League.  Apart from that, the Chinese roster consists of players who ply their trade in the domestic China Baseball League, which has only been around since 2002.  Compare that with Taiwan, who have had their own domestic league since 1989 and sport a roster with 10 players in MLB systems.  That’s a vast difference in experience and developed talent for the Chinese to have overcome.

While China’s 4-1 victory over Taiwan will be overshadowed by the Dutch’s amazing win over the Dominican Republic which was a greater upset in this WBC, one can only hope that the result spurs on the development of the game in both rival nations.   For China, the win should inspire national pride in the sport, hopefully help get more support for the domestic league and attract more young players to the game.  For Taiwan, hopefully the lose and the shame of being the first team eliminated from their group will cause them to take the next WBC more seriously, to make sure that their best players like Chien-Ming Wang and Hong-Chih Kuo play for national pride.

Shocking upsets like China’s win over Taiwan and the Dutch defeating the Dominican Republic are great for the game of baseball.  The World Baseball Classic’s purpose is to serve as baseball’s true World Cup and give the game greater exposure internationally in countries that normally don’t pay attention.  Results like these only help the fledgling WBC nations gain more interest in the sport domestically, and show young baseball players in nations outside the WBC group that anything is possible with hard work, disciplined play and determination.

When you look back to the 16 team era, the MLB pulled from a much smaller pool of talent: White Americans.  When Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier, an immediate pool of MLB-ready talent was waiting to join from the Negro Leagues.  Sadly, that integration did not come fast enough for some of the greatest ballplayers ever like Josh Gibson, Oscar Charleston and Satchel Paige (though Paige of course had a brief MLB career in his 40s).  Transportation advances made a league of teams across the 48 contiguous states viable. Expansion was not only possible but necessary to maintain a similar level of talent and to reach a wider audience.

Baseball is the most popular sport in countries like Japan, Taiwan, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico and Panama.  Latin America is providing the MLB with an incredible number of players these days, with the Dominican and Venezuela leading the way.  There is a league filled with quality players in Japan and an AAA level league in Mexico.

Within the next five years or so, Major League Baseball will be ripe for expansion again.  Before 1998, the gap between expansions was 16 years (1977 to 1993). We’re getting coming into our 11th year now.   There are plenty of cities in AAA worthy of examination for an MLB team with Portland, Las Vegas, Charlotte, Indianapolis and the Tennessee cities of Nashville and Memphis worth a look.  Canada deserves consideration again, with Vancouver growing and Montreal, yes Montreal, the largest city in North America without a baseball team, worthy of re-consideration contingent on a properly committed ownership group sometime in the future.

Economic times may be hard right now but the baseball industry is growing strong, opening up new markets of talent and markets in which to sell products.  The business of baseball is stronger than ever.  The talent pool available is bigger than ever.  The equation leads to one answer, and that is further expansion of Major League Baseball sometime in the next 5 years or so.  Which cities are the best candidates?  That’s a debate for another day, but the trends show it will be a debate whose time will come.

Here is the Australian depth chart:

Catcher: Australia’s most famous major leaguer may have been a catcher, Dave Nilsson, but since he’s long since retired there’s no real solid Aussie backstop candidate.  Justin Huber used to play there, but since Huber’s bat will play anywhere in the Aussie lineup it is likely they will go for another catcher.  Angels prospect Michael Collins is another possibility here, but he has also moved to first base.   Joel Naughton, who played half a season for the Phillies’ Sally League team the Lakewood BlueClaws, and participated in the Olympic qualifiers for Australia, may feature behind the plate.  Andrew Utting and Mat Kent are other catchers who appeared on the Olympic roster.

First Base: Justin Huber will be the likely starter at first base for the Aussies.  While Huber has yet to win himself a consistent MLB job, he has excelled in his minor league career and should cause plenty of problems for the Cuban, Mexican and South African pitchers.  If Huber goes to the outfield, then Michael Collins could play here.

Second Base:  Luke Hughes played in the Twins organization in 2008, spending time at AA and AAA.  He was outstanding in 285 AA at bats, hitting 15 home runs and posting .319 BA/ .385 OBP / .551 SLG, numbers anyone would love to have from a second baseman.

Third Base: Adam Morrisey played second base and third base for the Arkansas Travelers (AA, Angels) and Salt Lake Bees (AAA, Angels) in 2008.  The 27 year-old hit .280 and .299 with some power in AA and AAA respectively.

Shortstop:  Brad Harman had a cup of coffee with the World Champion Philadelphia Phillies this year when Jimmy Rollins was out hurt and has done well at the A-ball level in the USA.  He has also competed for Australia internationally before, including in the 2006 Classic. He primarily plays second base but he spent plenty of time at short.

Outfield: Chris Snelling is a former top prospect who spent time this season with the Phillies AAA squad, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.  Trent Oeltjen is another AAA player, he was in the Diamondbacks system in 2008, who should feature for the Aussies.  Oeltjen hit .317 in a full season for the Tuscon Sidewinders.  James Linger (Braves, A ball) and Daniel Berg (Twins, A ball) could feature.

Pitchers:  Major League hurlers like Grant Balfour (Rays) and Ryan Rowland-Smith (Mariners) could be the aces of the staff and standout on the mound for the Aussies.  Peter Molyan (Braves) probably will not play because of the Tommy John surgery he had less than a year before the tourney, but he would join those two if he did somehow.  The rest of the Australian staff should consist of former major leaguers and current minor leaguers like John Stephens, Travis Blackley, Adam Blackley, Brad Thomas and Brendan Wise.

Outlook:  The Aussies have a real chance to surprise some people.  Their roster will mostly be made up of bush league players but against the likes of Cuba, Mexico and South Africa that may not be such a bad thing.  While I wouldn’t expect them to advance to the second round, I would not be surprised if they did.

I am all for players representing the nation of their choice in the WBC — however, once a player picks a side he should be locked in.  A-Rod chose the USA as his international team, and that choice should be made to stick.

Two main examples of International sport that we can look at here are the Olympics and international soccer.  In the Olympics a player is free to represent any country he is eligible for and can switch sides from one Games to another.  This would be the example that favors A-Rod’s move.  However, in international soccer, once you have played a game with your senior international team, you are locked into that team for life.

The soccer model offers a superior option because it brings a sense of continuity over time, and forces players to think hard before they choose to represent a country on the international stage.  Nick Markakis, for example, may not have represented Greece at the 2004 Athens Games if he knew it would lock him in to Greece as his international team for the rest of his career.   There would be a price for the exposure gained by performing on the international stage in the weaker squad of a WBC minnow like Italy, for example.

The Olympic model would allow players like A-Rod to switch sides at their whim.  Maybe an aging Derek Jeter could one day represent Ireland under A-Rod’s type of logic, since he’s got some Irish on his mom’s side.  Maybe a spurned Roger Clemens could come back and pitch for the Dutch.  The problem is, however, that this type of swapping makes a joke out of the competition.  A-Rod may feel both American and Dominican, but for the sake of treating the WBC like a real attempt at a Baseball World Cup, baseball should look to the sport with the most success at spreading its profile through an international competition.

One day I hope the Cubans get their wish of a WBC every two years.  If that day comes, this rule would be all the more important.  Major League Baseball ought to look at the World Baseball Classic as their single most powerful tool for spread the game into new international markets (and thus tapping new sources of revenue).   Locking players into one international team is an important step towards making sure the contest can be taken as seriously as the great international soccer tournaments.

Here is the Panamanian depth chart, including current and recent MLB players, regardless of their likeliness to participate:

Catcher:  Carlos Ruiz is the only Panamanian who starts at catcher for an MLB team, and thusly would be a lock to start for Panama in the WBC should he change his mind about participating.  Despite winning the World Series, Ruiz is concerned about holding down his job with the Phillies and thinks he could lose his starting spot if he leaves the Philadelphia camp for the tournament.  Panamanian officials would do well to convince him to get back in.  Einar Diaz hasn’t played in the majors since 2006 but could be a secondary choice here, but he retired and is currently a coach with the Orioles.

First base:   Olmedo Saenz could come out retirement to represent Panama at first base.  He tried out with the Mets in Spring Training in 2008 but ended up taking a job as the hitting coach for the Great Falls Voyagers of the Pioneer League.

Second base/Third base:  Jose Macias, a veteran utility man, can play all infield positions and the outfield.  He spent last season with the Mexico City Red Devils in the Mexican League.

Shortstop: Angel Chavez, a minor league veteran who played in the MLB in 2005 and spent last season with the Las Vegas 51s in the Pacific Coast League would appear to be the top candidate here.

Outfielders:  Carlos Lee is the only star player the Panamanians have to offer with Mariano Rivera unavailable.  If Panama can’t get Lee to play, it really invites the question of why they are in the competition to begin with.  Ruben Rivera last played in a Major League organization in 2006, for the AAA Charlotte Knights, and I could not find whether he is retired or just playing in some third rate league. Freddy Herrera was the MVP of the local Panama baseball league and figures to show off his talents in the WBC.

Pitchers:  Mariano Rivera is the legend here, but sadly he probably will miss the chance to play for Panama again.  Manny Corpas is in.  Manny Acosta is another Panamanian pitcher who saw time in the big leagues in 2008.  Ramiro Mendoza is reportedly trying to make a comeback — he pitched in the Winter Leagues — and the WBC would be the perfect showcase for his talents if he isn’t already hooked up with a team by then.  Bruce Chen, who did not pitch in the MLB in 2008, is not listed as retired in Wikipedia.  With Panama’s lack of depth, Chen could probably walk into the team.  Lefty reliever Davis Romero pitched for the Blue Jays in 2006, and missed the 2007 season after surgery.

Outlook:  With the lack of Major League talent available, Panama will likely draw upon minor league players and local players to represent their nation in the WBC.  They face the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and the Netherlands in Pool D.  Without Rivera and  Lee, Panama will probably finish in last place in this pool, since the Netherlands Antilles has been producing more MLB talent in recent years than Panama.  With Lee, Panama may have a shot at third place if a lot goes right for them. The weak turnout for the Panamanian team is a great example of why the tournament should have a qualifying round, where borderline WBC nations like Panama have to earn their place in the final 16.

Southpaw Rinku Singh and righthander Dinesh Patel hit 84 MPH and 90 MPH on the radar gun, despite limited experience throwing a baseball.  India and baseball might seem an outrageous pairing, especially considering Rajai Davis only recently became the only player with predominantly Asian Subcontinent Indian heritage in MLB history.  The gamble the sports marketing company behind “Million Dollar Arm” took was that in a country of a billion people, there would be a few men who could bring the heat.  Singh and Patel are experienced javellin throwers.

The signing of the pair is being derided in many quarters as a publicility stunt by the Pirates.  It may be that, but it is also a very clever idea.  In India, there is only one sport that matters: cricket.  Cricket also happens to be a bat-and-ball sport, like baseball.  Cricket-mad, heavily populated countries like India and Pakistan could be a nice source of cheap talent.  India is particularly appealing, because it is politically stable.  Major League teams are feeling the importance of that factor thanks to Hugo Chavez in Venezuela.

Baseball teams currently tap into a very small percentage of the world population in their search for talent.  Look no further than the English Premier League to see the result of scouring the globe for world class talent.  Credit to the Pittsburgh Pirates for having the balls to sign a couple of 20 year old kids from a non-baseball playing country on the other side of the world.  Whether or not they did it for the headlines — and it is doubtful they would waste time, money and energy on this if these kids did not have potential — the Pirates opened the door to a new market of baseball talent, even if just a crack.

Here is a potential depth chart of USA-based players who Italy may call on:

Catcher:  Mike Napoli and Paul Lo Duca are starting catchers who are unlikely to feature in the USA squad.  The Italians should do no worse than Sal Fasano, a long time veteran backup catcher who could add some experience to the team.

First base:  Jason Giambi could fill the high profile position that Piazza filled for the 2006 team.  Giambi is in a similar position to Piazza in 2006, he’s a former superstar with no shot at making the USA squad, but with plenty in the tank to really help the Italian team a lot.  Jamie D’Antona is another possibility here.

Second base:  Mark DeRosa would be the ideal candidate from an Italian perspective.  San Diego Padres younster Matt Antonelli would be a good backup candidate.

Third base:  Vinny Rotino is a major leaguer who could fill this spot, but there would be a special level of authenticity that would come from letting Alex Liddi start for the Azzurri at the hot corner.

Shortstop:  Andy Cannizaro is a longtime major league journeyman who could fill this role for the Italians.

Outfield:  Frank Catalanotto could return here, with Rocco Baldelli and Justin Ruggiano among other possibilities among major league players.  Vince Sinisi and Val Pascucci could return to the team as well.

Pitching:  Barry Zito is the big name pitcher who Italy could target.  He’s got no shot at pitching for the USA.  Matt Garza could be targeted but he could have a role to play for the USA in the future, so it would be a very long shot.  Jason Grilli, Lenny DiNardo and Dan Miceli could come back.  Ron Villone is another possibility as is Carmen Pignatiello.  Alex Maestri is a lock for the team.

Outlook:   The Italians have almost no chance of qualifying for Round 2 of the tournament.  They are the weakest team in the toughest pool that Round 1 has to offer, with the USA, Canada and Venezuela squaring against them.  They could play a spoiler role as they did in 2006, but for them to qualify for Round 2 is almost beyond comprehension.

Mussina could have locked up his case for the Hall Of Fame by sticking around three more seasons and collecting wins to reach the magic 300 number, along the way snaring the credential boosting 3000 strikeout tally.  On the very subject of statistical accumulation, Mussina himself indicated he is either a Hall Of Famer already, or not, based on what he’s done to date.  Compiling numbers through longevity should not matter, thinks Moose.  That idealistic sentiment would be correct if all Hall Of Fame voters had the analytical abilities of a Stanford University economics graduate.  But everyone is not as smart as Mike Mussina.

Curt Schilling is universally considered a lock for the Hall Of Fame.  Mussina, however, has had the superior regular season career.  In many ways, Schilling and Mussina are excellent contrasts.  Schilling was a pure power pitcher, while Mussina was a craftier pitcher.  Schilling’s career is marked by moments of dramatic brilliance, while Mussina performed far more consistently at a high level.

Schilling’s career ERA compared to league average is better (127-123), but Mussina pitched his entire career in the American League East facing tougher teams more consistently.  Mussina pitched for better teams in general, with the Orioles of the 1990s and then the Yankees this decade, accounting for some of his serious edge in wins (270-216) and win percentage (.638 to .597).  In fact, Schilling only has seven fewer losses than Mussina despite the gulf in wins.  However, Schilling has three World Series rings to Mussina’s none.  Schilling also has the edge in All-Star appearances (6-5).  Neither won a Cy Young Award, but Schilling finished second a few times more (3-1) while Mussina finished in the top 10 more (9-4).  Mussina has the edge in innings pitched (3562.2 to 3261) despite appearing in fewer seasons, due in part because Schilling was used as a relief pitcher in his early years.  Schilling had more 20 win seasons (3-1), though that is a bit unfair to Mussina since two of his best years were the strike shortened 1994 (16 wins in 24 starts) and 1995 (19 wins in 32 starts) when he would have almost certainly won 20.  Baseball-Reference.com has 3 of the 10 most similiar pitchers to Schilling as Hall of Famers; Mussina has 5 of 10 with HoF lock Schilling himself not counting in that number.

Schilling’s media friendly personality dwarfs Mussina’s bland-when-not-crotchety media persona.  These things tend make a difference to some writers who vote for the Hall of Fame — just ask Jim Rice.

Whether or not you agree that Mike Mussina’s regular season record is more Hall Of Fame worthy than Curt Schilling’s regular season record does not really matter.  We all know that Curt Schilling punched his ticket to the Hall Of Fame in 2004 with the bloody sock and being the player most associated with the first Red Sox World Series win in 86 years.   The point is that a fair comparison to Schilling shows that Mussina did enough in his career to earn his way to the Hall Of Fame.  It’s unlikely that he will actually get elected, as Hall of Fame voters tend to like players who hit the magic numbers or players with shorter careers that have outstanding peaks of brilliance.

In Mussina’s era, with five man rotations, juiced baseballs and juiced baseball players, as well the other hitter friendly trappings of the game, 270 wins with a track record like Moose’s should be enough to get you into the Hall Of Fame.  More likely, the Moose will find his place along side Bert Blyleven, Jim Kaat and Tommy John, on the outside looking in.  And that seems to be just fine with him, or he wouldn’t be going back to Montoursville, PA just yet.