Official WBC Rosters

Before, I posted the preliminary rosters for the 2009 World Baseball Classic in March. Here are some notable players on each country for the final rosters:

United States: Jake Peavy, Roy Oswalt, Joe Nathan, BJ Ryan, JJ Putz, Brian McCann, Dustin Pedroia, Derek Jeter, Chipper Jones, David Wright, Jimmy Rollins, Kevin Youkilis, Ryan Braun, Grady Sizemore

Canada: Russell Martin, Justin Morneau, Joey Votto, Jason Bay, Matt Stairs, Mark Teahen

Cuba: Yulieski Gonzalez, Yulieski Gourriel, Ariel Prestano

Dominican Republic: Pedro Martinez, Edinson Volquez, Johnny Cueto, Ubaldo Jimenez, Edwar Ramirez, Jose Veras, Willy Aybar, Adrian Beltre, Robinson Cano, Alex Rodriguez, Hanley Ramirez, Jose Reyes, Miguel Tejada, David Ortiz

Japan: Daisuke Matsuzaka, Yu Darvish, Shunsuke Watanabe, Kenji Johjima, Akinori Iwamura, Ichiro Suzuki, Kosuke Fukudome

Mexico: Oliver Perez, Joakim Soria, Jorge Cantu, Alfredo Amezaga

Puerto Rico: Jonathan Sanchez, Javier Vazquez, Yadier Molina, Ivan Rodriguez, Geovany Soto, Mike Aviles, Carlos Delgado, Carlos Beltran, Alex Rios, Bernie Williams

Venezuela: Felix Hernandez, Carlos Zambrano, Carlos Silva, Francisco Rodriguez, Miguel Cabrera, Bobby Abreu, Carlos Guillen, Magglio Ordonez

Misc.: Frank Catalanotto (Italy), Nick Punto (Italy), Shin-Soo Choo (Korea), Sidney Ponson (Netherlands)
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-The US still has the most well-rounded team out there, I believe. They have pitching, hitting, defense, and speed. It all combines for a nice team.

-The Dominican Republic still has the best offense imaginable. Though Albert Pujols declined due to the lack of insurance, A-Rod, Hanley, Reyes, and Ortiz is a scary lineup.

-Venezuela's pitching is still top-of-the-line, despite losing Johan Santana. K-Rod should pitch often late and Zambrano can pitchoften too.

-The Bernie Williams headline is a nice story to focus on. The former Yankee was mistreated by the Yankees' front office, but went back to college to focus on his music career. Williams has still been playing baseball and has still openly said he would be willing to join a team during the season.

-Don't overrate Puerto Rico. Quietly, they put together a solid lineup with Beltran, Delgado, Rios, and Pudge.

-Japan and Cuba, like always, will have stellar teams, despite not having big-name players on their rosters.

The World Baseball Classic begins play March 5th and ends on the 23rd.