Puerto Rico is continually among the most competitive teams in the World Baseball Classic.
The home of lots of MLB stars throughout history, Puerto Rico has managed to field a very good roster for the 2023 edition of the tournament that will start in a couple of days.
Stars such as Javier Baez, Edwin and Alexis Diaz, Jose Berrios, Martin Maldonado, Christian Vazquez, Jorge Lopez, Marcus Stroman, Eddie Rosario, Kiké Hernandez, and MJ Melendez will make PR one of the best teams in the tournament.
All of them will captained by New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor.
Francisco Lindor will be Puerto Rico's captain at the World Baseball Classic 🇵🇷
(h/t @jorgefloza) pic.twitter.com/NbTjQtfhbw
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) March 6, 2023
The superstar infielder has already started a “blonde” challenge as a way to promote team chemistry and a loose, relaxed clubhouse that may help easing the pressure off the players.
Puerto Rico has been on the cusp of something special in the last two editions, winning the silver medal in 2013 and 2017.
In 2013, they lost the final game against the Dominican Republic, and in 2017 they couldn’t beat the United States in the championship game.
The roster they are sending this year is good, although not quite the best they have fielded.
Still, that doesn’t make them pushovers.
Besides the obvious favorites such as United States, Dominican Republic, and Japan, Puerto Rico has as good of a chance as anybody else.
They are also very much capable of defeating those three teams any given night.
The squad will be managed by former St. Louis Cardinals great Yadier Molina, who had his first experience as a skipper in Venezuela’s Winter League a few months ago.
With Lindor contributing his power, contact, speed, and great defense, this team has the potential to go all the way even if it doesn’t seem like it.
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