Another White Sox player has committed to the upcoming World Baseball Classic.
Starting pitcher Lance Lynn announced his intentions to pitch for Team USA on Wednesday, per a tweet from Major League Baseball. He joins shortstop Tim Anderson (USA), third baseman Yoan Moncada (Cuba), outfielder Luis Robert (Cuba), outfielder Eloy Jimenez (Dominican Republic), and reliever Reynaldo Lopez (Dominican Republic) in representing his home country.
Lynn, 35, was limited to 21 starts in 2022 after missing the first two-plus months with a knee injury sustained in spring training. During the first half of the season, he went 1-3 with a 7.50 ERA (30 ER/36.0 IP) and 35 strikeouts over seven starts. He eventually rounded into form after the All-Star break, going 7-4 with a 2.52 ERA (24 ER/85.2 IP) and 89 strikeouts over 14 starts. He will look to carry over that strong second-half performance into the early spring when play begins.
With many high-profile names having already committed to Team USA, Lynn is just the latest along with starter Nathan Eovaldi. The roster currently includes the following players:
Catcher
- J.T. Realmuto – Phillies
- Will Smith – Dodgers
Infield
- Paul Goldschmidt (1B) – Cardinals
- Pete Alonso (1B) – Mets
- Trevor Story (2B) – Red Sox
- Trea Turner (SS) – Phillies
- Tim Anderson (SS) – White Sox
- Bobby Witt (SS) – Royals
- Nelson Arenado (3B) – Cardinals
Outfield
- Mike Trout – Angels
- Bryce Harper – Phillies
- Kyle Schwarber – Phillies
- Mookie Betts – Dodgers
- Kyle Tucker – Astros
- Cedric Mullins – Orioles
Starting Pitchers
- Adam Wainwright – Cardinals
- Nestor Cortes – Yankees
- Kyle Freeland – Rockies
- Brady Singer – Royals
- Lance Lynn – White Sox
- Nathan Eovaldi – Red Sox
Relief Pitchers
- Devin Williams – Brewers
- David Bednar – Pirates
- Dillon Tate – Orioles
- Merrill Kelly – Diamondbacks
For the first time ever, the World Baseball Classic is expanding to 20 teams with pool play beginning this March in four cities around the globe: Phoenix, Miami, Tokyo, Japan, and Taichung, Taiwan. The quarterfinal games will take place in Tokyo and Miami, and the semifinals and championship game will be played in Miami.
The United States are the reigning champions after shutting out Puerto Rico 8-0 in 2017 for their first title. They are set to play in Pool C in Phoenix, along with Canada, Colombia, Mexico, and Great Britain.
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Featured Photo: © Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
