Jair Jurrjens and Brian Matusz' Future

The Orioles have signed former Braves pitcher Jair Jurrjens, who becomes the tenth realistic candidate for the Orioles' starting rotation. This depth is especially good news for one candidate, Brian Matusz. After a rapid rise to the major leagues and a promising debut, Matusz has struggled during the past two seasons. The Orioles' starting pitching depth may give Matusz a chance to get back on track without the pressure of being in a contending team's starting rotation.

To review, Matusz reached the major leagues in 2009, his first professional season. In 2010 he was in the Orioles' rotation the whole season, and pitched well, given that he was a pitcher in his second professional season and that the Orioles were a bad team. However, he missed the first two months of the 2011 season after he being injured in spring training. When he returned, he had one of the worst seasons ever by a pitcher — 12 starts, 49 2/3 innings, 1-9 record, and a 10.69 ERA. The Orioles hoped that his off-season was due to his injury, and he began 2012 in the Orioles' starting rotation. While his 2012 ERA was less than half of his 2011 ERA, that still wasn't very good, and he was sent down to Norfolk. Toward the end of the season, the addition of Joe Saunders settled the starting rotation somewhat. Matusz pitched out of the bullpen because the Orioles were hoping that he could help them as a left-handed spot relief pitcher.

Matusz has pitched for Norfolk in both 2011 and 2012 — he bypassed AAA on his initial surge to the big leagues — and I actually haven't seen Matusz pitch very often. I saw him make two starts at Norfolk in 2011, one during his rehab from the spring-training injury and one later in the season when he was trying to recapture his form. By chance, I didn't see him make a start at Norfolk in 2012, and I saw him make only two relief appearances.
The first 2011 game in which I saw Matusz pitch was his rehab start on May 27, against Columbus. Matusz pitched five innings plus two batters, giving up one run on four hits and one walk, with seven strikeouts. Although his line resulted in a game score of 61, he didn't pass the eye test. He fell behind eleven of the nineteen batters he faced and of his 84 pitches 28 were fouled off.

The second 2011 game in which I saw Matusz pitch was August 6, against Rochester, after he had struggled in Baltimore. Given a 7-0 lead after two innings, Matusz went seven, giving up one run on five hits and two walks, striking out 6. His game score was 67. Matusz pitched well, although it's hard to tell how much was Matusz and how much was Rochester giving up. When Norfolk took a 9-1 lead after the fifth inning, Matusz retired six straight Rochester batters in the sixth and seventh, using only 23 pitches.

The first 2012 game in which I saw Matusz pitch was August 15, against Gwinnett. Gwinnett's starting pitcher in that game was the newly-signed Oriole Jair Jurrjens, who left in the third inning with an injury. Matusz entered the game in the top of the seventh with a 5-0 lead. In the seventh, he struck out the side while allowing a run on a walk and two singles. In the eighth, he walked the leadoff batter on five pitches before retiring the next three batters on six pitches. In the ninth, he retired the first two batters, gave up a run on two singles and a double, and finally getting the third out on a fly ball to the warning track. By pitching three innings and preserving a lead, Matusz earned a save, becoming one of the fifteen Tides' pitchers to earn a save.

The second and final 2012 game in which I saw Matusz pitch was August 19, against Charlotte. Matusz entered the game with two out in the top of the seventh. The Orioles had a 4-2 lead, but Charlotte had runners on first and second. Matusz retired Jordan Danks on a fly ball. Matusz stayed in to pitch the eighth and surrendered the lead, on a walk, single, balk, wild pitch, and single. Zach Phillips relieved him with the score 4-4. Phillips got the last out of the eighth and then was credited with the win when Ryan Flaherty homered in the bottom of the inning.

Although he has been regarded as a top prospect, I haven't been very impressed with the games I've seen him pitch. Even when he's pitched well, he didn't have an overpowering fastball and his command was far from perfect. I still can't write Brian Matusz off; here's an example of where limited observations may be misleading. He was so good a prospect, and so promising in his first season-and-a-third, that I think there's still a good pitcher there. I am confident in saying that if he'll be a significant pitcher, it will be as a starting pitcher, and not as a closer. He's got starting pitcher stuff, not relief ace stuff.

And this is where Jair Jurrjens — and the rest of the Orioles starting pitchers — come in. With ten realistic candidates for the starting rotation, the Orioles will have the luxury of starting Matusz in the bullpen or in the Norfolk rotation. If Matusz does, in fact, have the ability to be a good pitcher, he'll have the chance to rebuild his confidence in low-pressure environments. If he does earn a spot in the Orioles bullpen, he can still mature into a good starting pitcher. There have been many successful starting pitchers, especially left-handed pitchers, who pitched in the bullpen for a time at the start of his career; Jimmy Key, Kenny Rogers, David Wells, and Darren Oliver are all examples. If Matusz is to have a successful pitching career, and the Orioles are to get something out of him, I think Matusz should pitch a season in the bullpen and get another shot at the rotation in 2014, or start the season in the Norfolk rotation.

Arrivals and Departures (2/8/2013)

A short primer on options was provided in an earlier post found here.  If you have any further questions about this issue or other baseball related issues, feel free to email us at CamdenDepot@gmail.com.

40 Man Transactions since 2/5/2013:

February 8, 2013 - Right-handed minor league pitcher Todd Redmond was claimed off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds.  In a corresponding move, outfielder Trayvon Robinson was designated for assignment. 

Throughout his career, Todd Redmond has been a starting pitcher 200 times and a reliever 7.  However, his future most likely lies as a relief pitcher.  As a starter, he has a 90 mph fastball and an above average curve.  His change works well enough in the minors as a show me pitch, but likely is not good enough for him to work through lefties at the Major League level.  What gives some hope for his utility is that as a draft and follow in 2005, he had shown the ability to work up into the mid 90s.  That velocity decreased quickly with that, perhaps, due to shortened time between starts.  As a reliever, he may see his velocity return and he could be effective when placed in situations where he would face right handed batters.

Another benefit is that I am pretty sure he has an option remaining and can be moved back and forth between Baltimore and Norfolk (options were used in 2009 and 2012; an option was used in 2010, but Redmond was outrighted after 10 days which should negate the option).  You may remember that I bring up shuttling quite frequently.  I don't think it is necessarily a great strategy.  Having players with excellent, unquestionable talent is preferable.  However, if you are filling out the fringes of your roster then it can be quite useful to employ players who can be moved back and forth based on the needs of the need and the aptitude of the player.  Someone with any options, like Trayvon Robinson, locks the team down into a situation where they have a marginal talent with little leverage in dealing the player due to being unable to send the player down and a reduced market of teams in need of an extra outfielder at the end of Spring Training.

Daniel Moroz brought up Trayvon Robinson earlier in the off season.  Basically, Robert Andino was a pretty bad second baseman in 2012 and he was not going to be on the team in 2013.  The Orioles acquiring Alexi Casilla made that intention relatively clear.  The team could really only manage dealing for another player who had little value as well.  Robinson can probably be best summed up as Xavier Avery with a little more power and no more options.  That simply is not a very valuable player, but one that is similar in value to Robert Andino.

	Options Remaining
	*	3	2	1
Pitchers
Jake Arrieta		7/6/2012	O	O
Luis Ayala		X	X	X
Mike Belfiore		O	O	O
Zach Britton		7/9/2011	6/6/2012	O
Dylan Bundy	3/11/2012	O	O	O
Wei-Yin Chen		|	|	|
Zach Clark		O	O	O
Miguel Gonzalez		O	O	O
Jason Hammel		X	X	X
Tommy Hunter		8/16/2008	4/1/2009	5/7/2012
Jim Johnson		6/3/2006	3/12/2007	5/1/2010
Steve Johnson		6/3/2012	O	O
Brian Matusz	3/14/2009	6/30/2011	7/1/2012	O
TJ McFarland		1/5/1900	1/5/1900	5
Darren O'Day		5/13/2008	O	O
Troy Patton		3/14/2009	3/15/2010	3/11/2011
Todd Redmond		3/16/2009	3/18/2012	O
Pedro Strop		3/10/2008	3/24/2010	5/4/2011
Chris Tillman		3/30/2010	5/29/2011	3/31/2012
Tsuyoshi Wada		X	X	X
Catchers
Luis Exposito		3/17/2011	3/23/2012	O
Taylor Teagarden		7/21/2008	4/27/2010	3/29/2011
Matt Wieters		O	O	O
Infielders
Wilson Betemit		X	X	X
Russ Canzler		3/30/2012	O	O
Alexi Casilla		3/23/2007	3/14/2008	5/6/2009
Chris Davis		7/6/2009	4/23/2010	3/29/2011
Ryan Flaherty		O	O	O
J.J. Hardy		X	X	X
Manny Machado		O	O	O
Yamaico Navarro		3/17/2011	5/29/2012	O
Brian Roberts		X	X	X
Jonathan Schoop		O	O	O
Danny Valencia		3/19/2010	5/9/2012	O
Outfielders
Xavier Avery		5/29/2012	O	O
L.J. Hoes		O	O	O
Adam Jones		X	X	X
Nick Markakis		X	X	X
Nate McLouth		X	X	X
Nolan Reimold		3/20/2009	5/12/2010	3/28/2011

A "|" denotes an understanding that the player must agree to being sent to the minors.

"Rule 5" denotes that the player cannot be sent down without being offered back to his previous parent club.

2013 World Baseball Classic: USA

This is the second in a series to introduce everyone to teams participating in 2013's World Baseball Classic.  As this series progress, you will find all of the articles under this key world: 2013 World Baseball Classic.  Previously, we reviewed Previously, we reviewed Australia, Canada, Cuba, and Puerto Rico.

The body of the United States article was written by Jeremy Strain.

United States
IBAF Ranking (out of 74)	2nd
2013 Pool	Mexico
	Italy
	Canada
2013 Players of Note	R.A. Dickey, SP
	Ryan Vogelsong, SP
	Joe Mauer, C
	Adam Jones, OF
	Giancarlo Stanton, OF
2009 Record	4 - 4, 4th
2009 All WBC	Jimmy Rollins, SS
2006 Record	3 - 3, 2nd Round
2006 All WBC	Derek Jeter, SS
	Ken Griffey, Jr.

Baseball has often been referred to as “America’s Pastime” for generations, which makes sense because ball and bats games have had an impact in many communities.  As far back as 1791, there were local ordinances in the Northeast banning the game within 80 yards of the town meeting house was made.  Much of the early history of baseball was discussed on Camden Depot's book club over a year ago. Briefly, the game bounced around in various forms over the next hundred years.  The first team to play under modern rules were the New York Knickerbockers, which was a social club founded in 1845. By 1857, the New York area had grown to 16 clubs and founded an organization, the National Association of Base Ball Players to govern the sport and introduce a championship. With help from the Civil War, players all over the country were soon adopting these rules and ways as they were exposed to players from various states, who would then take them back to their home states and spread the game.

The next 50 years saw the end of open ball parks and the rise of the home run.  The American and National Leagues established themselves as the premier leagues with hundreds of minor teams in dozens of leagues at any one time playing across the country.  This includes Negro Leagues, whose members were barred from joining the American or National Leagues or any league aspiring as a feeder league or competitor.

The great innovator, Branch Rickey, truly brought baseball into the modern era.  He led the slow charge to develop better ways to measure talent in players.  He championed the use of on base percentage and isolated power.  He hired a statistician to be part of his front office.  He saw the benefit in an organization owning minor league teams to raise their own talent.  Rickey also saw utility in harmonizing the teaching in his system in what some fans around Baltimore call the Oriole Way.  Rickey also was the first to put money into developing a permanent Spring Training facility.  More importantly, he saved baseball from itself by forcing through desegregation by giving Jackie Robinson the opportunity to show that he belonged in Major League Baseball.  

Over the years, the American professional game has remained the strongest in the world.  Major League teams have aggressively set up academies in other countries to spread the game in hopes of finding elite players.  As of 2012, 71.6% of MLB rosters were American-born, while 52% of all minor league players were born in the US. While this number moves around a bit year to year, it has stayed within 3% for the past 4 years.

MLB is a game dominated by the US, however international competition has been more uneven with professional players preferring not to play for the national teams.  In Olympic play, minor league talent led the US to a gold in 2000 and a bronze in 2008.  The International Olympic Committee decided after China to drop the game altogether from Olympic play.

For the WBC, the United States saw participation from many major stars from the Major Leagues.  They did not place.  In 2009 a younger group of largely less accomplished finished 4^th. USA also won a silver medal in the Pan American games in 2011 with a team full of minor league talent. The 2013 team features an interesting mix of youth and veteran leadership with the strength of the team in a mashing OF of Adam Jones, Ryan Braun and Giancarlo Stanton. Other standouts such as David Wright, Mark Teixeira, and Joe Mauer join a pitching staff with some great relievers such as Craig Kimbrel, Luke Gregerson, and Chris Perez, but the weakness of the team for this season has to be the starting pitching. R.A. Dickey leads the staff, but young potential star Kris Medlen dropped out of the WBC leaving only Derek Holland as the other sound starter. Rumors have swirled this past week that Justin Verlander may consider playing for the USA which would be a HUGE gain to this squad’s chances this year.

USA will always continue to dominate the population of the sport housed within it’s borders, but part of that success has been the draw of foreign born players that would like to compete in the best league in the world. Players from various countries have been defecting or placing themselves for sale in order to get to the ML and compete against the best. With little league teams transitioning to travel teams, to high school teams and on to college before getting to the minor league systems, there is a pipeline of US talent constantly flowing, with only the cream of the crop ever making it to the Major Leagues. Players are being groomed for ML play from the first time they can hit off of a tee in the US, and while the sport has taken a hit in popularity over the years, it still produces thousands of ML hopefuls every year. With young talent showing an interest in representing the team, such as Stanton, Medlen, Jones, Braun, Kimbrel etc. it bodes well for other young talented players wanting to represent the country and keep the USA in contention each competition. Players such as Stephen Strasburg, Bryce Harper, Mike Moustakas and others lend a bright future to team USA potential, if they are willing to play.

Earl Weaver and Batting Lineups: Weaver on Strategy

Previously on the Camden Depot Book Club, I remarked on a few items that Weaver addressed in his second chapter of the book, Weaver on Strategy.  That chapter addressed his thoughts on various aspects of offensive play.  This entry will address the next chapter.

Chapter 2 - The Lineup
Pushing the Right Buttons

A Perfect Order
Earl Weaver was a bit of a master clock maker.  He saw his role in setting his team up before each game and then letting them go.  A significant part of his determination of who to set out on the field came from his understanding of various metrics.  The following is his idea of who should slot in where in the line up:

Leadoff - "someone with a high on-base percentage...70 walks and a high batting average"
Second and Third - "have as many guys on base as possible when the number four hitter comes to bat"
Fourth - has enough power "to do some damage with men on base"
Fifth - "should have some power...so opposition cannot pitch around the number four hitter"

And he derides the use of the second hitter being a high contact bunt or hit-and-run player.  The concept of the first five players and how not to use a second hitter is actually very forward thinking.  It reemerged with the Oakland A's teams from the 2000s and has progressively made its way through a significant portion of Major League Baseball.

However, as much of a visionary Weaver was with the lineup, even the good people of Baltimore forget his lessons.  Last year with Nick Markakis going down, much was to be argued about the proper lineup order.  J.J. Hardy and his sub-300 OBP batting second 150 times last year.  That has to be one of the most anti-Weaverian displays last year.  Hardy is an old school perspective on second batters.

As interesting aside, I do not think I ever printed this before as I cannot seem to find it, but I once ran a regression on batting lineups of all 30 teams over a ten year period expanding from OBP and SLG value to include an improvised speed score based on Speed Score.  What I found amazing by the regression analysis was that speed came out as a negative trait for a lead off hitter.  This does not make intuitive sense at first look.  However, thinking more about it, the reason why speed was considered a hindrance according to the regression analysis was because managers tended to use speedy players at the top of the lineup while largely ignoring how well they actually get on base.  Speed is excellent, but not when the other tools overwhelm the utility of speed.

Numerical Narcosis
I think numbers can be a wonderful thing.  Ideas and concept sometimes become so elegant and lucid in their place when events are measured in the right ways.  It is what brought chemistry out of alchemy and advanced medicine away from barbers.  To understand how something works, why something works, it can be quite empowering.  However, it can lead one to overlook where current processes do not measure things as well as they measure other things.  I call this numerical narcosis or, more simply, being drunk on numbers.

Such perspectives run rampant in baseball circles where a little knowledge can make someone dangerous.  The Verducci Effect has evaporated into nothingness and likely will be forgotten in time.  That hypothesis came forward by squinting hard and seeing patterns where there really were none or at least none that could be so easily pinned to a change in innings.  Likewise, number crunching amateur players has eroded from the meager footholds that they held in Oakland and Toronto.  Psychological evaluations petered out in Baltimore.  Everyone looks for an in, everyone wants to believe that they can explain and measures things, which can lead to ignoring times where the approach fails.

This brings me back to Earl Weaver and his focus on a player's record against a pitcher.  He goes over sitting down and looking at a sheet of paper that yields information that ranges on 2 to 35 plate appearances with most below 20.  Somehow he thinks this is sufficient data to make decisions on who should play over general handedness data.  I would suggest that having one or two seasons of data points on handedness would be a much better predictor of future success than a few seasons of numbers against specific pitchers.  Although pitcher have some degree of unique value, the sheer difference in volume between the two datasets will likely leave handedness more useful than performance against specific pitchers.

The Extra 3% Lineup
On average, a team send a batter up to the plate 34 times in a game.  An idea Earl Weaver had was to sometimes write in outfielder Royle Stillman or first baseman Tom Chism at shortstop when the Orioles were the visitors.  After the top half of the inning, Mark Belanger would then come in and play the rest of the game.  This happened in 1978 and 1979 when Belanger hit 36 and 48 OPS+.  Weaver would only do this in September after the roster increased in size for fear that during the regular season a pinch hitter would be needed.

Last year, Robert Andino played in 127 games.  Let us assume that he started 60 of those on the road.  Just how many runs would replacing Andino with a bench player for that first at bat earn the Orioles?  If Steve Pearce and his 92 wRC+ batted leadoff in place of Robert Andino and his 61 wRC+ for those 60 at bats, the Orioles would have gained 2.3 runs over those 60 plate appearances.  That is roughly a quarter of a win.  If such a situation was carried out over 81 road games, that would be worth maybe a third of a win.  Trade in Steve Pearce for Nick Markakis and you would see a gain of about three quarters of a win for those 81 games.

Needless to say, I could understand doing this in situations where a player must sit, such as when Matt Wieters needs a day off.  If you have a player as poor at hitting as Andino in the lineup then, sure, as long as it does not mess with Andino's head too much...let Wieters lead off.  However, I assume these situations are few and far between.  They probably really frustrate the players, too.

---

Next Chapter:
Pitching - The Game Within the Game

2013 World Baseball Classic: Canada

This is the second in a series to introduce everyone to teams participating in 2013's World Baseball Classic.  As this series progress, you will find all of the articles under this key world: 2013 World Baseball Classic.  Previously, we reviewed Previously, we reviewed Australia, Cuba, and Puerto Rico.

The body of the Canada article was written by Chris Lindsay.

Canada
IBAF Ranking (out of 74)	6th
2013 Pool	USA
	Mexico
	Italy
2013 Players of Note	Russell Martin, C
	Joey Votto, 1B
	Justin Morneau, 1B
	Brett Lawrie, 3B
	Adam Loewen, OF
2009 Record	0 - 2, Round 1
2006 Record	1 - 2 2 - 1, Round 1

As everyone knows, in Canada ice hockey is king. But Canadians, like Americans and Australians, are an extremely sporting people, and play all sorts of sports. Baseball is very popular there and Canada has a long history with the game. 

In fact, baseball seems to have evolved almost in parallel in Canada and the US. Because both countries shared the British colonial heritage, traditional bat and ball games like rounders were played on both sides of the border. Although modern baseball as we know it evolved out of the games played around New York City in the early nineteenth century, it was very similar to games being played in Canada at the same time. The first documented playing of a game called 'baseball' was in Beachville, Ontario, in 1838, although as was usual for the era, the rules were quite different from the modern game. (The game featured five bases and eleven-man lineups, raising the question of whether they used a fourth outfielder or two shortstops along with a fourth baseman!) As the game evolved into the modern form we know today, Canadians quickly adopted it. Throughout the nineteenth century, baseball was played all over Canada and Canadians often played against US teams. 

For geographic, economic, and cultural reasons, Canada is closely linked with the US, and so Canadian baseball has always been closely linked with US baseball. Various amateur, independent, and minor league teams have always existed in Canada. The only major league teams based outside of the US have been the Montreal Expos (1969-2004) and the Toronto Blue Jays (1977-present). Surprisingly, there is currently only one minor league team, the Vancouver Canadians, the Short-Season A affiliate of the Blue Jays. But there are other independent and semi-professional leagues, so most Canadians can see adult baseball games in person without making the trek to Toronto or Vancouver. Also, a second Canadian team is in the mix as the Birmingham Binghamton Mets have been slated to move to Ottawa for the 2014 season.

Professional teams in Canada have historically suffered from two challenges. The first is climactic - even the southernmost cities in Canada can suffer from cold Aprils and Octobers, making a dome (and artificial turf) a necessity for a major league team. Through scheduling or endurance, minor and independent leagues make do with open fields. The second challenge has been financial, as the Canadian dollar was weaker than the US dollar for many years, making it difficult for the Expos and Blue Jays to compete with rising MLB payrolls. The Canadian dollar now trades at parity with the US, however, and at least for the moment the Blue Jays are once again a big payroll team after an offseason of big signings and trades.

In any event, regardless of the fortunes of professional teams, Canadians continue to follow and play baseball. Children all play baseball or softball in school and many play in youth leagues and amateur leagues. Thus there is a constant, though minor, presence of Canadians in MLB. Canada has produced a number of great players, including historic greats Tip O'Neill and Hall of Famer Ferguson Jenkins. More recently, Canadian stars have included Larry Walker, Matt Stairs, Jason Bay, Ryan Dempster, Justin Morneau, and Joey Votto. 

International Play History

Canada has seen some modest success in international baseball competitions. They won a bronze medal at the 2009 amateur Baseball World Cup, and placed fourth in the 2004 Olympics. 

Canada played in the first two World Baseball Classics, and its performance was disappointing, failing to advance out of the initial round in both tournaments. In 2006, the team went 1-2, with the lone victory coming against South Africa, and failed to advance to the second round. Then in 2009, Canada went 0-2.

I saw the 2009 team play in Toronto, which was a great experience. The first game of the pool was Canada against the US, and the Rogers Centre was nearly full for the event. There was clearly a large crowd of Americans who had made the trip up, but the majority of the crowd was Canadians, and very enthusiastic. Canada played decently. Joey Votto and Russell Martin had great days, and Jason Bay walked three times but couldn't get a hit, but Justin Morneau and the rest of the lineup were mostly ineffective. The crowd roared whenever Matt Stairs came to the plate, but in this game his trademark all-or-nothing swing produced nothing. In the end the Canadians kept it close the whole game but fell just short, losing 6-5. On the whole it was a very good game, as the Canadians had made a good showing against a superior team, but the crowd was clearly disappointed as it shuffled out of the Rogers Centre.

And they never shuffled back. For the rest of the week the stadium felt empty. Less than 13,000 showed up to see Canada play Italy, and the rest of the home crowd were probably wise to stay away. Morneau and Bay hit well, but the rest of the lineup went down in order inning after inning, baffled by Italian-American hurlers Chris Cooper and Jason Grilli. Meanwhile six Canadian pitchers combined to make Chris Denorfia look unstoppable, and every one of the Italian starting lineup reached base. Italy waltzed out with a 6-2 victory, and Canada was eliminated from the tournament with a whimper. 

Because they failed to win a game in 2009, Canada was forced to qualify for this year's tournament. In the qualifying round, played without major league players since it was held in September of last year, Canada easily trounced Germany and Britain to win their pool and qualify for the tournament.

Current Players 

The roster for this year's tournament, like in previous years, possesses a few bona fide major league stars, backed up by a host of journeymen and minor leaguers. 

Canada has no apparent ace starter. There is no word yet on whether Ryan Dempster will be available - he is apparently still weighing whether he wants to participate, but he did not play in 2006 or 2009. Former Oriole Erik Bedard is evidently unavailable because he will be competing for a roster spot in the Astros' spring training camp. Rich Harden appears to be in a similar position with a minor league contract with the Twins. If they fail to secure the services of any of those pitchers, Team Canada's most experienced major league starting pitcher will be Shawn Hill, who has made 44 starts in parts of seven seasons, most recently for the Blue Jays, with a career ERA of 4.69, WHIP of 1.44, and unremarkable strikeout and walk rates. They may also use minor leaguer starters Chris Leroux and Andrew Albers.

The Canadian bullpen should be quite effective, however, with several quality major league relievers including Phillippe Aumont, John Axford, Jesse Crain, and Jim Henderson.

The heart of the lineup is the trio of Justin Morneau, Joey Votto, and Russell Martin. After his disappointing 2012, Jason Bay is not participating.  Other major leaguers in the lineup include Brett Lawrie, Michael Saunders, and Pete Orr.

Morneau is famous as a great hitter, but in fact has not had a great season since his 2010 was cut short by concussion. Returning in 2011, he was plagued by neck and shoulder injuries and continued concussion symptoms. Last season he returned to everyday play, posting respectable numbers slightly below his career averages. 

Joey Votto is probably the greatest active Canadian hitter, but is not yet on the team's roster. He returned from knee surgery to play in September, but has not yet been cleared to play in the WBC. Votto and team officials maintain that his passing of an insurance physical should be a routine matter. Obviously if caution requires Votto to sit out the tournament it will be a big blow to Canada's prospects.

Russell Martin, though he is not the hitter he was in his early years with the Dodgers, has remained a productive player, compensating for a steady decline in OBP with increased slugging during his years in New York.

Brett Lawrie had an excellent debut as the Blue Jays' third baseman at the end of the 2011 season. Playing his first full season last year, Lawrie's numbers were respectable but not impressive. He just turned 23 last month, so he has plenty of potential left and should be an exciting player to watch.

Canada will compete in Pool D with the USA, Mexico, and Italy. On the whole, this year's team looks a lot like the 2009 team, and Canada's manager Ernie Whitt says that's a good thing. "The familiarity our players have with one another, and the coaching staff, will be beneficial in a short tournament like the World Baseball Classic."  Who knows: there's always a chance that this year it won't be so short for them.