I love that this might happen for Matt Mervis, who had a meteoric rise through the Chicago Cubs farm system last year, then a strong showing in the Arizona Fall League. Now he could get a chance to play in the World Baseball Classic.
Per Jon Morosi:
Mervis, 24, is viewed as just about big-league-ready as is, so it’s not too hard to imagine him being among Team Israel’s best options at first base or DH. I hope he makes the final roster, which would make for a very cool experience, I’m sure.
If so, he’ll join Seiya Suzuki (Team Japan) and Marcus Stroman (Team Puerto Rico) as players in the tournament. A number of Cubs prospects may also wind up playing for Team Mexico, and Miguel Amaya might play for Team Panama, but I haven’t seen anything confirmed just yet.
Mervis’s time in the WBC might be limited, though. Team Israel’s initial pool draw is bruuuuutal: Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, and Nicaragua. Only two teams can advance from the pool stage, so Israel would have to beat TWO of that DR, PR, VZ group. That’s a pretty tall ask.
WBC pool play begins March 8, and the championship is March 21.