With the highly-anticipated World Baseball Classic starting up just last night, players have started to pack their bags and leave Spring Training. Though only two of them will probably be on the Opening Day roster, ten Phillies players will be playing for six different teams. The two most notable names, Jimmy Rollins and Phillippe Aumont, will play for the United States and Canada, respectively. The rest of the Phils shake out like this (don't worry if you don't recognize a few):
Canada: Tyson Gillies (OF), Jay Johnson (LHP), Pete Orr (IF)
Venezuela: Cesar Jimenez (LHP)
Australia: Tim Kennelly (C)
Mexico: Rodrigo Lopez (RHP), Sebastian Valle (C)
Brazil: Lucas Rojo (IF)
Juan Samuel, who's already making the move from third base to first base coach for the Phillies, will be the third base coach of the Dominican Republic. And in case you thought you recognized who Canada's manager was, his name is Ernie Whitt, the catching coordinator for the Phillie's minor league organization.
Enjoy the exciting worldwide baseball showdown, and be sure to keep an eye out for one of our Fightins!
