Ten members of Mets' 40-man roster to play in World Baseball Classic
Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor and Jeff McNeil of the Mets celebrate after defeating the Reds at Citi Field on Aug. 8, 2022. Credit: Jim McIsaac
One-quarter of the Mets’ 40-man roster will leave spring training temporarily to play in the World Baseball Classic next month.
Here is the breakdown of that group of 10, following the official roster announcement Thursday night:
* The whole starting infield: Pete Alonso (United States), Jeff McNeil (United States), Francisco Lindor (Puerto Rico) and Eduardo Escobar (Venezuela).
* A primary catcher: Omar Narvaez (Venezuela).
* A starting pitcher: Jose Quintana (Colombia).
* Three high-leverage relievers: Edwin Diaz (Puerto Rico), Adam Ottavino (United States) and Brooks Raley (United States).
* Another pitcher: Elieser Hernandez (Venezuela).
Hernandez has a chance to win one of the Mets’ open bullpen jobs during camp. The rest are regulars.
The tournament runs from March 8-21, with the first round for the Mets’ players taking place in Phoenix and Miami.
Additionally, five Mets minor-leaguers will participate.
Headlining that group is Dominic Hamel, whom the organization named its minor-league pitcher of the year in 2022. He will suit up for Puerto Rico days after turning 24. He had a 3.25 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 145 strikeouts in 119 innings across two Class A levels in his first full professional season.
The Mets also will be represented on the squads of Britain (Camrin Opp), Italy (Claudio Scotti) and Panama (Jonathan Arauz and Humberto Mejia).
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
