USA Baseball has announced its roster for the upcoming 2024 Premier12 (an international baseball tournament between the top-12 ranked countries in the world), and you’ll notice at least a couple other familiar names.
That’s top Cubs prospect Matt Shaw making the 28-man roster, which will be managed by Mike Scioscia. The roster is comprised of 15 pitchers and 13 position players, none of whom can be on a current MLB 40-man roster.
‘Team USA-one of six teams in Group A-will compete in the group stage from November 9-14 in Guadalajara and Tepic, Mexico. The top two nations from the six-team group will then advance to the Super Round in Tokyo, Japan, from November 21-24.
“We are confident that the roster we have assembled for the Premier12 tournament puts us in a great position to bring home a gold medal,” said Team USA General Manager Tony Reagins. “These twenty-eight players will represent the United States well, and we look forward to watching them compete for our country.”
“We are all very excited about the Premier12 tournament,” said Team USA Manager Mike Scioscia. “Our Team USA roster is a great blend of talented young players and a strong veteran presence. We are looking forward to getting on the field to compete against the best baseball countries in the world.”’
What a great experience that will be for Shaw and the other youngsters on the team. It’ll mark Shaw’s first exposure to international competition. Sure, there’s that small added risk of injury, but that’s true of any after-season ball, which is fairly commonplace at this point (and often valuable in player development).
The full roster, which features a number of other top prospects, as well as a couple old friends in Rich Hill(!) and Spencer Patton:
Eric Adler; RHP; Chicago White Sox (AA)
Dan Altavilla; RHP; Free Agent
Drake Baldwin; C; Atlanta Braves (AAA)
Sam Benschoter; RHP; Cincinnati Reds (AAA)
Dylan Covey; RHP; Philadelphia Phillies (AAA)
Justin Crawford; OF; Philadelphia Phillies (AA)
Cam Devanney; INF/OF; Kansas City Royals (AAA)
Tim Elko; 1B; Chicago White Sox (AAA)
Anthony Gose; LHP; Free Agent
Zac Grotz; RHP; Acereros de Monclova (MEX)
Rich Hill; LHP; Free Agent
Termarr Johnson; INF; Pittsburgh Pirates (AA)
Casey Lawrence; RHP; Seattle Mariners (AAA)
Willie MacIver; C; Colorado Rockies (AAA)
Antonio Menendez; RHP; Tampa Bay Rays (AA)
Zane Mills; RHP; St. Louis Cardinals (AA)
Chris Okey; C; Los Angeles Dodgers (AAA)
Spencer Patton; RHP; Olmecas de Tabasco (MEX)
Luke Ritter; INF/OF; New York Mets (AAA)
Matt Shaw; INF; Chicago Cubs (AAA)
Chandler Simpson; OF; Tampa Bay Rays (AA)
Evan Sisk; LHP; Kansas City Royals (AAA)
Devin Sweet; RHP; Detroit Tigers (AAA)
Colby Thomas; OF; Oakland Athletics (AAA)
Touki Toussaint; RHP; Free Agent
Austin Vernon; RHP; Tampa Bay Rays (AA)
Ryan Ward; INF/OF; Los Angeles Dodgers (AAA)
Carson Williams; INF; Tampa Bay Rays (AA)