THE YANKEES ARE PLAYING IN THE WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC!

The sixteen rosters for the World Baseball Classic have been released. Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano and Francisco Cervelli are among the Yankee players on those rosters.

Teixeira will be playing for Team USA. The first baseman is a five time gold glove winner. He is possibly the best first baseman in the game. Teixeira was on the roster in the inaugural 2006 WBC games but did not get playing time. He declined the invitation in 2009 when he signed with the Yankees.

Cano will play for the team from the Dominican Republic. He has won the Silver Slugger three years in a row (2010-2012). There is no doubt that he will bring a serious threat at the plate for opposing pitchers. Cano played in the 2009 WBC games.

Cervelli will be representing the team from Italy. I know Casey loves that, he loves Cervelli and is Italian as well. This preseason is a big one for Cervelli, as he will be battling it out for the position as starting catcher. I believe he has determination to play well in the WBC and finish off the pre-season, having proved his worth to the Yankees. Cervelli also played in the 2009 WBC for Italy.

A lot of Yankee fans are concerned about the possibility of injury. While the WBC is held during the first two and a half weeks of spring training, the games are not as relaxed. You face each team only once to attempt to get the best record and avoid elimination.

Maybe the concern about staying healthy is what kept Andy Pettitte off of the final roster for the WBC. On Sunday Jon Heyman tweeted that Andy was indeed going to participate for team USA, read that HERE. Some fans were excited about the news while others were concerned about keeping him healthy. I was excited that he was given the opportunity. It is a great opportunity that Andy wont get again before he finally retires. However, on Thursday it was revealed that Andy did not make the final roster, read that HERE.

Am I concerned that they could possibly be injured? Sure I am, but I am also aware that injures can happen to players at any moment. Playing for the WBC, and having the opportunity to represent your country on a worldwide platform is a huge honor. And since the Olympics voted to eliminate baseball from it’s summer games, this is pretty much the only opportunity these players will get to showcase their talents for the world.

Full rosters for all 16 teams can be found on the MLB website HERE. Team USA is set to play their first game on March 8th against Mexico at Chase field in Phoenix, Arizona. Check out a game if there is one near you!

--Erica Morales, BYB Writer
Twitter: @e_morales1804

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