[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by thehef

Haha! But no. I never bet real money. $50 per year for the football pick'em pool, $10 for my cousin's annual March Madness pool, and I'll buy a few squares this Sunday... That's about it

Good fellow.

Hey, Westheim! Your interest may perk up a bit once informed, or reminded, that your idol Pete Alonso is likely to be a member of Team USA. According to this as yet unofficial list, he may be joining these other familiar names in the tournament:

Which MLB players are in the 2023 World Baseball Classic?

There will be plenty of familiar names and faces playing in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. That includes two of baseball’s biggest stars, who are teammates in MLB but opponents in the WBC.

The Los Angeles Angels duo of Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani will participate. Ohtani, a two-way sensation on the mound and at the plate, will play for Japan in his WBC debut. Trout, a three-time MVP, will serve as captain of the United States.

Team USA, the defending WBC champs, have plenty of star power on the roster. That includes Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts, St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso and many more. Philadelphia Phillies star outfielder Bryce Harper had committed to play for the U.S. but will miss the tournament after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

Team USA will be managed by former major leaguer Mark DeRosa. Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. will serve as hitting coach and five-time World Series winner Andy Pettitte as pitching coach.

The Dominican Republic has a star-studded team featuring Julio Rodriguez (Seattle Mariners), Jose Ramirez (Cleveland Guardians), Juan Soto (San Diego Padres), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Toronto Blue Jays), Sandy Alcantara (Miami Marlins), Manny Machado (San Diego Padres), Rafael Devers (Boston Red Sox) and others.

Puerto Rico features Carlos Correa (Minnesota Twins), Francisco Lindor (New York Mets), Edwin Diaz (New York Mets), Marcus Stroman (Chicago Cubs) and other MLB players.

Trey Mancini of the Chicago Cubs and Brandon Nimmo of the New York Mets will play for Italy, which is being managed by former MLB star Mike Piazza.

The Chicago White Sox duo of Luis Robert and Yoan Moncada will play for Cuba, St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Tommy Edman will take the field for Korea, San Francisco Giants outfielder Joc Pederson joins Israel and San Diego Padres pitcher Yu Darvish teams up with Ohtani for Japan.

Final rosters to be announced on Thursday.