World Baseball Classic: Fantasy Relevant Players (2023)
Lars Nootbaar will be the first non-citizen to play for Japan in the WBC.
What are the two greatest things about the World Baseball Classic? In this writer’s humble opinion, it is the worldwide attention paid to the game and the diversity of MLB players who rally to a home flag before returning to play in the U.S. for the regular season.
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World Baseball Classic: Fantasy Relevant Players
Do You Know?
The long-time Red Sox shortstop who signed with the Padres in the offseason, Xander Bogaerts, is Aruban. As a Dutch-born outfielder, he will play for the Netherlands this year. Lars Nootbaar’s mother, Kumi Enokida, is Japanese. This is enough to qualify him to play for the Samurai Japan National Team. He will be the first non-citizen to play for Japan. Another Cardinals player, Tommy Edman, is on the Korea National Team. His mother is Korean.
Meet Masataka Yoshida
For many baseball fans, the WBC will be the first time that they see the 29-year-old Japanese outfielder Masataka Yoshida, who signed a 5-year, $90 million contract in December with Boston. By comparison, Seiya Suzuki signed a 5-year $85 million deal last year for the Cubs. Yoshida’s stat line after seven years in Nippon Professional Baseball is .327/.421/.539, and last year the left-hander beat his own career line by batting .335/.447/.561. Yoshida doesn’t have prodigious power, but he regularly manages to reach 20 homers in a season. He doesn’t steal bases. But he walks a lot (15.7%) and strikes out very little (8.1%). That is his calling card: extreme plate discipline. His profile reminds me of Hall-of-Famer Robin Yount in the early ’80s. This is a top-of-the-order hitter, and it should be fun to watch him play for Japan in March before heading over to Fenway for his first season in Boston.
Top Fantasy Relevant Players in the WBC
First, here are the top fantasy-relevant players participating in the World Baseball Classic by position.
Top Catchers – J.T. Realmuto (PHI), Salvador Perez (KC), Alejandro Kirk (TOR), and Will Smith (LAD)
Top 1B – Freddie Freeman (LAD), Vlad Guerrero (TOR), Pete Alonso (NYM), Paul Goldschmidt (STL), Vinnie Pasquantino (KC)
Top 2B – Jose Altuve (HOU), Tommy Edman (STL), Andres Gimenez (CLE), Gleyber Torres (NYY)
Top 3B – Jose Ramirez (CLE), Manny Machado (SD), Rafael Devers (BOS), Nolan Arenado (STL)
Top SS – Trea Turner (PHI), Bobby Witt Jr. (KC), Francisco Lindor (NYM), Xander Bogaerts (SD)
Top OF – Juan Soto (SD), Ronald Acuna Jr. (ATL), Kyle Tucker (HOU), Julio Rodriguez (SEA), Mookie Betts (LAD), Mike Trout (LAA), Kyle Schwarber (PHI), Randy Arozarena (TB), Cedric Mullins (BAL), Luis Robert (CWS), Eloy Jimenez (CHW), Anthony Santander (BAL), Tyler O’Neill (STL), Masataka Yoshida (BOS)
Top UT – Shohei Ohtani (LAA)
Top SP – Sandy Alcantara (MIA), Shohei Ohtani (LAA), Julio Urias (LAD), Framber Valdez (HOU), Cristian Javier (SP), Yu Darvish (SD), Nestor Cortes Jr. (NYY), Clayton Kershaw (LAD), Lance Lynn (CWS), Freddy Peralta (MIL), Pablo Lopez (MIN), Jesus Luzardo (MIA), Brady Singer (KC), Patrick Sandoval (LAA), Ranger Suarez (PHI)
Top RP – Edwin Diaz (NYM), Emmanuel Clase (CLE), Devin Williams (MIL), Ryan Pressly (HOU), Felix Bautista (BAL), Camilo Doval (SF), David Bednar (PIT), Daniel Bard (COL), Andres Munoz (SEA)
The Complete List
Pointing out the fantasy-relevant players from each team is quite an undertaking. First, we have to decide what makes a player relevant. Of course, most of the players on the U.S. roster in March will be useful on any fake team, but to cover as much as possible, I’ve included three tables below:
- Table 1: Fantasy Relevant Players on an International Team
- Table 2: Fantasy Relevant Players on the U.S. Team
- Table 3: Top Prospects in the WBC
Table 1: Fantasy Relevant Players on an International Team
| Player | Position | Country |
| Xander Bogaerts (SD) | SS | Netherlands |
| Yoan Moncada (CWS) | 3B | Cuba |
| Luis Robert (CWS) | OF | Cuba |
| Vinnie Pasquantino (KC) | 1B | Italy |
| Yu Darvish (SD) | SP | Japan |
| Shohei Ohtani (LAA) | SP/UT | Japan |
| Seiya Suzuki (CHC) | OF | Japan |
| Lars Nootbaar (STL) | OF | Japan |
| Masataka Yoshida (BOS) | OF | Japan |
| Tommy Edman (STL) | 2B | South Korea |
| Ha-Seong Kim (SD) | 2B/SS | South Korea |
| Julio Urias (LAD) | SP | Mexico |
| Jose Urquidy (HOU) | SP | Mexico |
| Taijuan Walker (PHI) | SP | Mexico |
| Patrick Sandoval (LAA) | SP | Mexico |
| Andres Munoz (SEA) | RP | Mexico |
| Giovanny Gallegos (STL) | RP | Mexico |
| Alejandro Kirk (TOR) | C | Mexico |
| Luis Urias (MIL) | 2B/3B/SS | Mexico |
| Rowdy Tellez (MIL) | 1B | Mexico |
| Isaac Paredes (TB) | 1B/2B/3B | Mexico |
| Randy Arozarena (TB) | OF | Mexico |
| Alex Verdugo (BOS) | OF | Mexico |
| Joey Meneses (WSH) | 1B/OF | Mexico |
| Jose Quintana (NYM) | SP | Colombia |
| Cal Quantrill (CLE) | SP | Canada |
| Freddie Freeman (LAD) | 1B | Canada |
| Tyler O’Neill (STL) | OF | Canada |
| Jose Berrios (TOR) | SP | Puerto Rico |
| Edwin Diaz (NYM) | RP | Puerto Rico |
| Marcus Stroman (CHC) | SP | Puerto Rico |
| Javier Baez (DET) | SS | Puerto Rico |
| Francisco Lindor (NYM) | SS | Puerto Rico |
| Jose Miranda (MIN) | 1B/3B | Puerto Rico |
| MJ Melendez (KC) | C | Puerto Rico |
| Salvador Perez (KC) | C | Venezuela |
| Luis Arraez (MIA) | 1B/2B | Venezuela |
| Jose Altuve (HOU) | 2B | Venezuela |
| Gleyber Torres (NYY) | 2B/SS | Venezuela |
| Eugenio Suarez (SEA) | 3B | Venezuela |
| Andres Gimenez (CLE) | 2B/SS | Venezuela |
| Ronald Acuna (ATL) | OF | Venezuela |
| Avisail Garcia (MIA) | OF | Venezuela |
| Anthony Santander (BAL) | OF | Venezuela |
| Martin Perez (TEX) | SP | Venezuela |
| Pablo Lopez (MIN) | SP | Venezuela |
| Ranger Suarez (PHI) | SP | Venezuela |
| Jesus Luzardo (MIA) | SP | Venezuela |
| Luis Garcia (HOU) | SP | Venezuela |
| Brusdar Graterol (LAD) | RP | Venezuela |
| Julio Rodriguez (SEA) | OF | Dominican Republic |
| Jose Ramirez (CLE) | 3B | Dominican Republic |
| Juan Soto (SD) | OF | Dominican Republic |
| Vlad Guerrero (TOR) | 1B | Dominican Republic |
| Rafael Devers (BOS) | 3B | Dominican Republic |
| Manny Machado (SD) | 3B | Dominican Republic |
| Jeremy Pena (HOU) | SS | Dominican Republic |
| Framber Valdez (HOU) | SP | Dominican Republic |
| Sandy Alcantara (MIA) | SP | Dominican Republic |
| Cristian Javier (HOU) | SP | Dominican Republic |
| Freddy Peralta (MIL) | SP | Dominican Republic |
| Johnny Cueto (MIA) | SP | Dominican Republic |
| Emmanuel Clase (CLE) | RP | Dominican Republic |
| Bryan Abreu (HOU) | RP | Dominican Republic |
| Camilo Doval (SF) | RP | Dominican Republic |
| Diego Castillo (SEA) | RP | Dominican Republic |
| Felix Bautista (BAL) | RP | Dominican Republic |
| Genesis Cabrera (STL) | RP | Dominican Republic |
| Gregory Soto (PHI) | RP | Dominican Republic |
| Hector Neris (HOU) | RP | Dominican Republic |
| Seranthony Dominguez (PHI) | RP | Dominican Republic |
| Yimi Garcia (TOR) | RP | Dominican Republic |
| Amed Rosario (CLE) | SS/OF | Dominican Republic |
| Eloy Jimenez (CHW) | OF | Dominican Republic |
| Jean Segura (MIA) | 2B | Dominican Republic |
| Jorge Polanco (MIN) | 2B | Dominican Republic |
| Ketel Marte (ARI) | 2B | Dominican Republic |
| Marcell Ozuna (ATL) | OF | Dominican Republic |
| Joc Pederson (SF) | OF | Israel |
| Eli Morgan (CLE) | RP | Israel |
| Jonathan Loaisiga (NYY) | RP | Nicaragua |
Table 2: Fantasy Relevant Players on the U.S. Team
| Player | Position |
| Pete Alonso (NYM) | 1B |
| Tim Anderson (CWS) | SS |
| Nolan Arenado (STL) | 3B |
| Mookie Betts (LAD) | OF |
| Paul Goldschmidt (STL) | 1B |
| Jeff McNeil (NYM) | 2B |
| Cedric Mullins (BAL) | OF |
| J.T. Realmuto (PHI) | C |
| Kyle Schwarber (PHI) | OF |
| Will Smith (LAD) | C |
| Mike Trout (LAA) | OF |
| Kyle Tucker (HOU) | OF |
| Trea Turner (PHI) | SS |
| Bobby Witt Jr. (KC) | OF |
| Nestor Cortes Jr. (NYY) | SP |
| Clayton Kershaw (LAD) | SP |
| Lance Lynn (CHW) | SP |
| Miles Mikolas (STL) | SP |
| Brady Singer (KC) | SP |
| Adam Wainwright (STL) | SP |
| Devin Williams (MIL) | RP |
| David Bednar (PIT) | RP |
| Jason Adam (TB) | RP |
| Ryan Pressly (HOU) | RP |
Table 3: Top Prospects in the WBC
| Player | Team Prospect Rank | Position | Country |
| Sal Frelick (MIL) | Brewers No. 2 | OF | Italy |
| Dominic Fletcher (ARI) | D-Back No 13 | OF | Italy |
| Ivan Herrera (STL) | Cardinals No. 7 | C | Panama |
| Jose Ramos (LAD) | Dodgers No. 8 | OF | Panama |
| Bo Naylor (CLE) | Guardians No. 5 | C | Canada |
| Edouard Julien (MIN) | Twins No. 15 | 2B | Canada |
| Owen Caissie (CHC) | Cubs No. 10 | OF | Canada |
| Denzel Clarke (OAK) | Athletics No. 13 | OF | Canada |
| Mitch Bratt (TEX) | Rangers No. 17 | P | Canada |
| Otto Lopez (TOR) | Blue Jays No. 18 | SS | Canada |
| Milkar Perez (SEA) | Mariners No. 18 | 3B | Nicaragua |
| Carlos Rodriguez (MIL) | Brewers No. 19 | P | Nicaragua |
| Harry Ford (SEA) | Mariners No. 1 | C | Great Britain |
| Dominic Hamel (NYM) | Mets No. 4 | P | Puerto Rico |
| Spencer Horwitz (TOR) | Blue Jays No. 13 | 1B | Israel |
| Zack Gelof (OAK) | Athletics No. 3 | 2B/3B | Israel |
| Matt Mervis (CHC) | Cubs No. 21 | 1B | Israel |
| Colton Gordon (HOU) | Astros No. 24 | P | Israel |
| Jordan Diaz (OAK) | Athletics No. 9 | 3B | Colombia |
| Luis De Avila (ATL) | Braves unranked | P | Colombia |
| Jaydenn Estanista (PHI) | Phillies No. 26 | P | Netherlands |
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