Baltimore Orioles Players We May See in the World Baseball Classic

Team USA- Outfielder Cedric Mullins and Relief Pitcher Dillon Tate

This year’s World Baseball Classic looks to be the most stacked in history in terms of talent and Team USA is a good representation of that. They already have commitments from current superstars and former MVPs such as Paul Goldschmidt, Mookie Betts, and Mike Trout. The O’s have added talented players of their own in Cedric Mullins and Dillon Tate who look to give the United States their second consecutive championship.

Because of the sheer depth of talent, Mullins may not see the field every game but he does provide depth to the outfield. Cedric is the best defensive outfielder committed to Team USA thus far and he has shown a unique power-speed combination with the 30-30 season in 2021 that saw him represent the Baltimore Orioles as their lone All-Star. The speed and defense will be Mullins’ biggest assets that he will provide for Team USA and could likely be seen as a defensive replacement or pinch runner in late-game situations for the team.

Tate is coming off a career-best season that saw him steer a bullpen that helped the O’s to a 31-win improvement between 2021 and 2022. In 2022, Tate pitched to a 3.05 ERA in 67 relief appearances. He also pitched to a 132 ERA+ and 3.48 FIP so he was a legitimate threat in the back end of the Orioles bullpen. Dillon is not an overpowering reliever as he only struck out 7.3 batters per 9 innings but he also improved his control to a career-best 2.0 walks per 9.

Baltimore Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins and reliever Dillon Tate both will represent the United States.

The only other relief pitchers who have committed to Team USA have been David Bednar of the Pirates and Devin Williams of the Brewers.  If the team does not add much more, Tate could be a key member of the bullpen and may play a role for the team in late-game situations. Because of this, it is reasonable to expect that Mullins and Tate could play a role for Team USA in close games and they could both be on the field at the end of some wins.

Team Dominican Republic- Shortstop Jorge Mateo and Closer Felix Bautista

It does not appear that either player has committed to Team Dominican Republic but each player would be eligible as they were both born in the DR and both players were successful enough this season that they should be given the opportunity to represent their home country. The Dominican has a history of success in the WBC as they won the classic in 2013 and made a deep run behind then-Orioles third baseman Manny Machado. The DR has plenty of talent available as Machado should return to the team and young phenoms such as Sandy Alcantara and Julio Rodriguez may represent the country.

Similar to Mullins, Mateo may not have the opportunity to start for the Dominican should he choose to play, but he should provide the team with valuable defense and baserunning in late-game situations. Mateo was the everyday shortstop for the Orioles this season and continued to play because of his elite defense and baserunning abilities. Offensively, he struggled to an 81 OPS+ with a .221/.267/.379 slash line. However, he did lead the American League with 35 stolen bases which did help his offensive output.

Bautista was the closer for the Orioles after Jorge Lopez was traded to the Twins and provided a spark to the bullpen with his velocity and strikeout ability.  Felix could easily be the DR closer if he chooses to join the team and should overpower opposing hitters from any country. If the DR wants to repeat their 2013 success then having a lockdown closer like Bautista is critical.

Team Mexico- Infielder Ramon Urias

Ramon, along with his brother Luis, could anchor a solid Mexican infield. Typically, Mexico has a talented team but is not as stacked with talent as countries like the United States, Japan, and the Dominican Republic. Ramon had a solid season for the Orioles and solidified himself as the best defensive third baseman in the American League with a Gold Glove win. His offense was fine as he had a barely better than league average 103 OPS+ with a .248/.305/.414 slash line. For the Orioles, the emergence of Gunnar Henderson makes Urias’ future prospects a bit murky for the Orioles but he should have a starting spot next season that will be his to lose.

For Mexico, they already have commitments from Dodgers starting pitcher Julio Urias, as well as Rays hitters in Randy Arozarena and Isaac Paredes. Paredes is an infielder who surpassed rookie eligibility in 2022 so he would likely start along with the Urias brothers should they choose to represent Mexico in the WBC. Ramon has shown an ability to play all three infield positions left of first base so he could potentially be the Shortstop for the Mexican team. Regardless, Urias does provide defensive value to an infield that should be stacked with big-league talent.

Team Israel- Starting Pitcher Dean Kremer

Kremer committed to Team Israel prior to the end of the 2022 season and will pitch for a potential sleeper in the WBC. Because of Dean’s Jewish faith, he is eligible to pitch for Israel as is any other Jewish Major League Baseball player. Kremer has pitched for Israel in several other tournaments in years past but this is an opportunity for him to show out on a national stage. Kremer has emerged as the centerpiece for the Orioles in the 2018 trade deadline deal that sent Manny Machado to the Los Angeles Dodgers. After struggling mightily in 2021, Dean turned the corner in 2022 and became a top-of-the-rotation weapon for the O’s

After injuries kept him out for the first several months of the season, Kremer pitched to a 3.23 ERA and 3.80 FIP. His ability to keep the ball in the ballpark was the most notable improvement he made between ’21 and ’22 as he gave up 17 long balls in only 53.2 innings in 2021 compared to only 11 in 125.1 innings in 2022. This success will allow Kremer the opportunity to be a top rotation option for Israel come March and he should be a solid rotation piece for the O’s next season as well.

Team Venezuela- Outfielder Anthony Santander

Of the countries that have not won a World Baseball Classic, Venezuela seems to be the most likely to win its first in 2023. Venezuela has a strong talent pool led by Braves superstar Ronald Acuna and former MVP Jose Altuve. While well past his prime, former MVP Miguel Cabrera has represented Venezuela in the past and will have an opportunity to do so again. In the outfield, should Acuna choose to represent Venezuela he will be the clear star and should help lead the team out of pool play. Since Acuna and Santander are both right fielders, Anthony will likely have to move to left field with David Peralta or Odubel Herrera in center. Again, this is all dependent on who decides to play but there should be a path for Anthony to start many games in the WBC for Venezuela because of his offensive success over the past few seasons for the O’s.

Anthony led the O’s with 33 homers last season and has proven power from both sides of the plate. Defense is a bit of a liability for Santander as he has dealt with a lingering ankle injury over the past few seasons that has slowed him down.

All in all, this should be an exciting World Baseball Classic for baseball fans as this should be the most talented Classic yet. For O’s fans, many of the most talented teams should have at least one Orioles representative who could make a meaningful impact.