OTTAWA – Baseball Canada announced, today, that it has officially added pitchers Steve Green, Mike Meyers and Chris Begg to its World Baseball Classic roster.
The three right-handers will join forces once again after having helped Canada to a second place finish at the 2005 CONCEBE Baseball Regional Olympic Qualifier and a spot at next year’s Olympic Qualifier in Cuba.
A native of Longueuil, Qué., Green went 4-4-3 in 2005 splitting time between the AA Akron Aeros of the Eastern League and the AAA Toledo Mud Hens of the International League. A 10th round pick of the Anaheim Angels in 1997, Green is one of 18 Canadians (nine pitchers) to have only played in one Major League Baseball Game, doing so April 7, 2001. Green has also represented Canada at the 1996 World Junior Championships and the 1999 Pan-Am Games.
Uxbridge Ontario’s Chris Begg was part of the Canadian team that finished in fourth place at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. The 2001 Metro Atlantic Conference Pitcher of the Year went 8-7-0 with a 3.07 ERA for the Norwich Navigators of the Eastern League in 2005. Begg also played for Canada at the 2003 Olympic Qualifier and the 2005 World Cup.
London Ontario’s Mike Meyers has played eight professional seasons since being drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 26th round of the 1997 MLB amateur draft. The 1999 Florida State League All-Star posted a 7-4-1 record in 2005, splitting time between the AA Huntsville Stars of the Southern League and the AAA Nashville Sounds where he won a Pacific Coast League Championship. Meyers has also represented Canada at the 1995 World Junior Championships, the 1999 Pan-Am Games and the 2003 Olympic Qualifier.
Canada has now officially named 26 players to its 30-man roster and is currently in the process of securing player approvals in order to confirm the remaining 4 spots, which must be filled prior to the start of the tournament. Click here for current roster.
Canada will play its first game against South Africa on March 7 in Scottsdale, Arizona. They will then play the United States on Wednesday, March 8th at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona before closing out the first round against Mexico on Thursday, March 9th, also at Chase Field.
The World Baseball Classic
The World Baseball Classic, a 16-team tournament sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF), will feature many of the best players in the world competing for their home countries and territories for the first time ever in March 2006.
The 16 teams invited to participate in the event have been divided into four pools of four teams for the first round of play. The four Round 1 pools will be played at venues in Japan (Tokyo Dome – Tokyo), Puerto Rico (Hiram Bithorn Stadium – San Juan) and the United States (Chase Field – Phoenix, Arizona; Scottsdale Stadium – Scottsdale, Arizona; Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex – Orlando, Florida).
Round 2 will feature two pools of four teams each and will be played in Puerto Rico (Hiram Bithorn Stadium) and the United States (Angel Stadium – Anaheim, California). The Semi-finals and final game will be played at PETCO Park in San Diego, California.
The WBC will feature a bracket-style format with the 16 teams competing in four groups: Pool A - China, Chinese Taipei, Japan, Korea; Pool B - Canada, Mexico, South Africa, United States; Pool C – Cuba, Netherlands, Panama, Puerto Rico; Pool D - Australia, Dominican Republic, Italy, Venezuela.
