The 2023 World Baseball Classic will be played next year, in March.
Some of the best players in the world will be there to represent their countries in the competition.
Team USA will have a strong team, as stars such as Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, Paul Goldschmidt, and Nolan Arenado, among others, have said they will participate.
However, other teams are extraordinarily talented, too.
Venezuela, for example, just received some great news: Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve confirmed he will take part in the event.
“Jose Altuve commits to playing for Team Venezuela in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, per @JuliaMorales,” Fox Sports MLB tweeted.
Jose Altuve commits to playing for Team Venezuela in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, per @JuliaMorales pic.twitter.com/HqwW9ZJWIZ
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) August 17, 2022
Having Altuve around means that Venezuela will have at least one top-tier player on their roster.
Altuve Will Lead Venezuela In The WBC
He is a former MVP award winner (2017) who is slashing .277/.368/.503 with 20 home runs in 2022.
He remains a top performer in MLB, and is a known postseason hero.
Venezuela has lots of talented major leaguers, such as Salvador Perez, Jesus Aguilar, Andres Gimenez, Ronald Acuna Jr., Luis Arraez, Willson Contreras, Carlos Carrasco, Eugenio Suarez, and several more.
The upcoming weeks and months will be crucial to see which players show their commitment to participate in the tournament.
Venezuela is always in the thick of things, but still hasn’t won the World Baseball Classic.
Japan won the first two in 2006 and 2009, and the Dominican Republic took the third one in 2013.
Team USA won its first in 2017, and the event hasn’t been played ever since.
It’s a perfect opportunity for the Venezuelans, led by Altuve, to make their presence felt and write the country’s name among the champions.
The competition will be extremely tough, though.
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