The Chicago White Sox will have eight players representing the organization in the World Baseball Classic. This will be the first WBC since 2017 due to the COVID pandemic pushing the quadrennial event back two years. Here are the representatives for the White Sox:

White Sox

Tim Anderson
Kendall Graveman
Eloy Jimenez
Lance Lynn
Yoan Moncada
Luis Robert
Jose Ruiz

Team USA

Tim Anderson, Lance Lynn, and Kendall Graveman will represent team USA. The United States is trying to defend its 2017 World Baseball Classic title, which it won after a thrilling championship victory over Puerto Rico in the final game. Nate Jones and David Robertson were the White Sox lone representatives at the time.

The 2023 version of Team USA looks much different than that 2017 squad and is arguably much more talented. Mike Trout and Mookie Betts highlight a stacked roster featuring Trea Turner, Nolan Arendado, and Paul Goldschmidt. Anderson should see significant time at shortstop.

The 2019 batting champion has hit .318 since claiming the title. He hit .301 in 2022 but missed half of the season due to a groin and hand injury. He hasn’t played since August 6th after undergoing surgery on his middle finger on his left hand. The World Baseball Classic should be a good tune-up for him before the start of the season.

Meanwhile, Lynn will be one of several starters in a rotation that also features Clayton Kershaw, Miles Mikolas, and Adam Wainwright. Lynn says he is looking forward to pitching alongside Wainwright once again.

“It’s been a few years since we’ve been teammates in St.Louis, so I’m looking forward to poking the old guy,” Lynn told MLB.com.

It will be Lynn’s second time pitching in The Classic. The big right-hander was a Cy Young finalist in his first year with the White Sox, posting a 2.69 ERA with 176 strikeouts in 2021. He looked to build off that in 2022, but a knee injury suffered in Spring Training kept him off the mound until June.

It took the 35-year-old a bit of time to regain his form, but he settled in nicely, finishing the year with a 3.99 ERA and 1.13 WHIP. The White Sox need Lynn to be a workhorse next season, so having him log innings in the WBC is a bit of a concern. However, Lynn historically likes to throw a lot of innings in Spring Training, and his large 250-pound frame is built to pitch every day.

Kendall Graveman will also don the red, white, and blue, joining a stacked U.S. bullpen. Graveman is coming off his first season with the White Sox. He posted a 3.18 ERA with six saves and 66 punchouts in 65 appearances. Graveman has an opportunity to be the White Sox closer with Liam Hendriks out indefinitely.

The Americans are members of Pool C, drawing Mexico, Columbia, Canada, and Great Britain in pool play. Those games will be played at Chase Field in Phoenix.

Cuba

Luis Robert and Yoan Moncada will be repping the Cuban roster in the world Baseball Classic for the first time in their young careers. During the last World Baseball Classic, Robert and Moncada were not eligible to play for team Cuba because of the country’s rules barring players that left the country from appearing on the roster.

The Cuban Federation recently adjusted its rules, allowing players from the United States and other international markets to play. It was a wise decision that opened the door for more MLB talent to join the team.

Robert is arguably the most talented outfielder on the roster. The only other name of note is Yoenis Cespedes. Robert is coming off an injury-riddled 2022 campaign that bogged down his numbers in the second half of the season.

The 25-year-old was limited to just 380 at-bats, slashing

.284/.319/.426 with 12 home runs. Those numbers could have been even better if not for a wrist injury that had him swinging with one hand at points in the season. After the All-Star break, he had no home runs and just five extra-base hits.

For his career, he is hitting .289/.334/.474 in 857 at bat. In those three seasons, he has logged 36 home runs, 130 RBIs, and 26 stolen bases. Those are respectable numbers but not quite the superstar the White Sox were hoping for when they called him up. During his Rookie Year, he showed flashes of excellence, winning a Gold Glove Award and finishing runner-up in the A.L. Rookie of the Year voting.

If he can stay healthy for an entire season, he is primed to take the next step. Getting to represent his country and play in some big games on the world stage should be beneficial for him as he tries to build his confidence back up for the 2023 campaign.

Meanwhile, Yoan Moncada has plenty of raw talent. He will likely be the starting third baseman for Cuba. He is coming off a down year where he hit .212 with just 12 home runs, 51 RBIs, a .626 OPS, and 114 strikeouts.

He has turned into one of the better defensive third basemen in the American League, but that is often overlooked because of his inconsistency on the offensive end. Since his breakout 2019 season, where he hit .315 with 25 home runs and 79 RBIs. Since then, he has failed to hit above .270 and has hit below .230 twice. He has also struck out 100-plus times in each of his last four full seasons.

Cuba has been a powerhouse in international play, winning a medal in all five Olympic Games in which baseball was played. Cuba will play in the tournament’s first game against the Netherlands on March 8th. They were assigned to Pool A and will also play Chinese Taipei, Italy, and Panama in round-robin games.

Dominican Republic

Eloy Jimenez will represent his home country. The D.R. may be the favorite in the tournament, with a deep lineup that will be a nightmare for opposing pitchers. Jimenez will be surrounded by Rafel Devers, Manny Machado, Julio Rodríguez, Juan Soto, and Val Guerrero Jr.

The rotation has recently crowned NL Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara, Christain Javier, Roansy Contreras, and former White Sox Johnny Cueto.

White Sox fans will watch with bated breath as Jimenez takes the field in the WBC. Jimenez is looking to stay healthy for an entire season for the first time since entering the big leagues. The 25-year-old missed a large portion of his rookie season with various injuries but still managed to hit 31 home runs. Jimenez then got injured in the 2020 Postseason, which forced him to miss two games in the Wild Card Round, then exited Game 3 early. He ruptured a pectoral at the end of Spring Training in 2021, putting him on the shelf for over 100 games. He injured his hamstring in 2022, keeping him out for half of the season.

When Jimenez is on the field, he is an offensive force. For his career, he has a .276 average, .831 OPS, 211 RBIs, and 76 home runs. If he can put together a full season, he could be a sneaky MVP candidate.

The Dominican Republic drew Pool D and will play Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Israel, and Nicaragua,

Venezuela

Jose Ruiz will pitch for Venezuela. This Venezuelan squad features some studs, including Ronald Acuna Jr, Jose Altuve, Salvador Perez, Luis Arraez, David Peralta, Anthony Santander, and future Hall of Famer Miguel Cabera.

Ruiz is part of a pitching staff that boasts Eduardo Rodríguez, Pablo Lopez, and Ranger Suárez. The White Sox reliever is a former catcher who was converted into a pitcher. The White Sox claimed him off waivers from San Diego in 2017. Ruiz made his debut with the big league club in 2019. He appeared in 40 games over six stints, posting a 6.08 ERA.

The following season he began the season on the injured list. Once he was reinstated from the IL, he was recalled from the Schaumberg training facility on August 9th. His stay in the big leagues didn’t last long. He was optioned back to Schaumberg on August 18th, just three days after making his season debut. He was recalled a second time on September 17th. After serving up a walk-off home run to Jose Rameriez on the 22nd, he was optioned to Schaumberg for the rest of the season.

The 2021 season marked Ruiz’s first full season with the White Sox. He held batters to a .210 average and recorded career highs in appearances (59), innings pitched (65), strikeouts (63), and holds. He finished the season with a respectable 3.05 ERA.

In 2022 he took a massive step back. The hard-throwing righty had a 4.60 ERA in 60.2 innings. His walk rate and opponent hard hit percentage ranked in the bottom four percentile in the MLB. Unfortunately for Venezuela, their relief options are not as strong as their rotation. This is one of the reasons Ruiz likely made the cut.