Getting to know Team Australia

Now that the Team Australia provisional roster for the World Baseball Classic has been released, we can start to get some idea as to how the team might shape up on the field. The roster is made up of a real mix of players - there are some absolute stalwarts of Australian baseball, guys with major league experience, as well as a bunch of young prospects, some stars from the ABL, and one or two virtual unknowns. When looking through the squad there are some reasonably clear positional decisions, but also a few positions that could be up in the air. Will management go for experience or form? Will they rely on reputation and big league game time, or will they look to give some youngsters a go? These are all the questions we can mull over in the lead up to the tournament on 2 March.

I've taken a bit of a wander through the recent experiences of the players on the provisional roster, and checked out the strategic decisions that can be seen through the 2011 Baseball World Cup line-ups  I'm tipping that overall the Team Australia line-up will be very experienced in terms of starting pitching, and that our offensive line-up will give some less experienced guys the chance to really step up. Check out my ramblings below for the full picture!

Starting pitchers

Yeah, yeah there are a few big arms missing from the list (Balfour, Blackley, Spence, Hendriks, Thompson etc). But so what? There's still some real high quality experience on that list. Of the 14 pitchers on the provisional roster, there are six who I think can stake a legitimate claim to a starting spot:

Chris Oxspring (SMP Images/JoeVella)

1. Chris Oxspring: Although his five major league appearances were as a reliever, Oxspring has spent the bulk of his extensive minor league career as a starter. He has been arguably the best starting pitcher in the Australian Baseball League over the past three years. In 2012-2013 he has struck out 86 over 79.2 innings, posting a 2.71 ERA. Oxspring's vast experience, which includes time pitching in Asia, as well as a coaching role at the Blue Sox, situated him well to take a leadership role for Team Australia, and I would hand him the ball for game one.

Dushan Ruzic (SMP Images/Joe Vella)

2. Dushan Ruzic: Ruzic has been a reliable performer for Team Australia over the past few years, and has been very consistent for the Adelaide Bite in the ABL. Like Oxspring, he started three games for Team Australia in the 2011 World Cup, and he put in some strong performances at previous international competitions.

Warwick Saupold (SMP Images/Scott Powick)

3. Warwick Saupold: Looks to be a contender for a starting spot. He had a blistering 2011-2012 ABL campaign, where he went 5-3 in 10 starts, with an ERA of just 1.41. This earned him a contract with the Detroit Tigers, where he impressed through 2012. He started the year at Class A West Michigan, where he featured almost solely as a reliever. He then pitched at High A, where he started five of his seven games, going 2-2 with a 3.77 ERA. Returning to the Perth Heat midway through the ABL season, he has made four starts, going 1-1 with a 2.95 ERA.

Ryan Searle (SMP Images/Scott Powick)

4. Ryan Searle: His ABL campaign has followed a similar pattern to Saupold. He began the season as a reliever (and spent the bulk of his 2012 US season in the bullpen) but in his five games since Christmas he has started. He started two games for Team Australia at the 2011 World Cup, putting up an ERA of just 0.73. If he doesn't start at the WBC, he will definitely be available for long relief if needed.





5. Brad Thomas: Thomas brings a wealth of experience to the squad, including pitching in the Taiwan league, which is hosting the tournament. He has put up improved numbers in the ABL 2012-2103 season. His strikeout rate is up from 5.24/9 innings to 8.6/9 innings, and he is giving up less frequent walks. Big chance to start for Team Australia.

Brad Thomas (SMP Images/Joe Vella)

6. Ryan Rowland-Smith: The last solid year of major league pitching for Rowland-Smith was in 2009. In 2010 he put up a 1-10 record in 20 starts. That was enough to see him part ways with the Mariners, and he signed a minor league deal with the Astros for 2011. He started 21 games that year, going just 2-11, with a 5.90 ERA. Has had struggles controlling walk rates, and these continued with the Cubs at AAA in 2012. There he went 3-6 in 30 appearances (eight starts) with a 3.94 ERA. He has a more extensive major league record than most of the roster, but recent form is hard to measure. Will either be used in long relief or as a second or third starter.

Ryan Rowland-Smith (SMP Images / Scott Powick)

Interestingly, there is a pattern among some of the guys who have pitched in the ABL this year. Ryan Searle, Warwick Saupold and Brad Thomas all have a similar throwing pattern over the past few months. Each of them joined their respective ABL club midway through the season, and each made a handful of relief appearances before joining the starting rotation. This could be entirely coincidental  or it could be a part of pre-WBC audition. Either way, it looks like each of these guys could be in contention.

My gut feel is that the opening three starters will be Oxspring, Ruzic and Thomas Saupold [after watching the Heat v Sox final].

Relievers

Andrew Russell (SMP Images/Joe Vella)

Bearing in mind the above selections as likely starters, this leaves a bunch of other guys in the bullpen. My thoughts are that a combination of Andrew Russell, Matt Williams and Brendan Wise will be used to close out the late innings. This means for other situations there would be a trio of leftys - Adam Bright, Steve Kent and Clayton Tanner - and a pair of right handers - Tim Kennelly and Peter Moylan.

Check in later this week for part two, where I try to piece together our defensive line-up and batting order! And of course, please let me know what you think - either leave a comment, or send me a message on twitter.

Guessing the Team Australia WBC Roster

So the Team Australia roster for the World Baseball Classic is due to be released later this week. We have already seen the rosters for some other countries released, with some impressive players being selected. I thought I might turn my mind to who we could expect to see in the green and gold. I took a good look at the roster for the '09 WBC, as well as the 'Australia Series' against the Sydney Blue Sox, and the ABL All Star Game from 2012.

Under the World Baseball Classic official rules, each country must name a 28 man roster, with 13/14 pitchers and at least two catchers. I've used these guidelines for my guesses below.

I have also made some assumptions about who will be unavailable for the tournament. Given their reasonably unstable roster positions, I think it is unlikely we will see Josh Spence, Liam Hendriks, Rich Thompson and Travis Blackley. I recognize that Luke Hughes is in a similar predicament, but I also recall reading somewhere (which I can't now remember) that he'd committed to play. As for Grant Balfour, I would be very (pleasantly) surprised if he played - he usually works real hard through Spring Training, and I think the WBC would not suit his preferred build up.

With that in mind, here we go:

PITCHERS

• Tim Atherton (23): rock solid ABL season so far, showed dependability in the All Star game.
• Adam Bright (28): was there in '09, and is having a pretty tidy ABL season. 
• John Hussey (26): quietly putting together a solid year for the Aces - 2.10 ERA and WHIP under 1.20 in his last ten games - last three as a starter. 
• Steve Kent (24) : was named in the ABL All Star squad, has 20 strikeouts and just 2 walks in 14 innings of work in the ABL so far this year
• Dan McGrath (18): played in the ABL All Star game, one of our younger pitching prospects, they will take him as a development opportunity
• Paul Mildren (28): not having his best ABL season, but he is a stalwart of Aussie pitching - was there in '06 and '09 - he must be there again
• Peter Moylan (34): played for Australia in '06, he is fit and looking for a gig in 2013 - great opportunity for him to impress and to help out the national team
• Chris Oxspring (35): was named to the provisional squad in '09 but did not feature in the tournament. Surely he has to be one of the first selections - he has been dominant in the ABL for three years. His stuff might not be as sharp as it once was, but he is getting results. 
• Kyle Perkins (21): like McGrath, one of our pitching prospects. Was very effective in the ABL All Star Game, great opportunity for him. 
• Ryan Rowland-Smith (29): one of our more experienced pitchers who has demonstrated his intent to play in the WBC by appearing in the ABL All Star game. A walk up start. 
• Dushan Ruzic (31): was named in the ABL All Star game, also named in the '09 WBC provisional squad. Gives some pitching variety, and can play a number of roles, including eating up some innings if needed.
• Warwick Saupold (23): solid year in the minors last year, and putting up great numbers in the ABL.
• Ryan Searle (23): had a great year last year, finishing in AAA and is building a strong season for the Bandits this year
• Brad Thomas (35): I'm a little unsure about Thomas, he has been at times unreliable in the ABL - but he does have experience pitching in Asia, which I think is a big plus for the pool games
• Brendan Wise (27): having another great year in the ABL and played in the '09 tournament.

Another intriguing option would be to take Tim Kennelly, who could give some versatility with both the bat and ball. 

CATCHERS

• Allan de San Miguel (24): he's been the best Aussie catcher in the ABL for a while now and I think he has earnt his spot in this squad as the starting backstop
• Matt Kennelly (23): had a good year at AA last year, and has been very consistent in recent years for the Heat
• Ryan Battaglia (20): there's a good chance we will take a young catcher along- Ryan was selected in the All Star game, so could get a start here.

INFIELD

• James Beresford (23): posted solid numbers in his first year of AA in 2012 and has taken no time at all to have an impact in the ABL in 2013 - hitting .333 in his first 8 games. He's got to be the starting shortstop
• Brad Harman (27): major league experience, played in the '09 tournament - he's the logical starting second baseman
• Justin Huber (30): really not having his best year in the ABL, and did not find great success at the WBC last time round - but he has a lot of experience and performed in the ABL All Star game.
• Luke Hughes (28): assuming he is healthy, he will be there. I think he will share time with Harman at 2B, or will play 3B or DH
• Stefan Welch (24): like Beresford he put up good numbers in his first year of AA last year. Will play 1B/3B

OUTFIELD

• Corey Adamson (20): this kid is tearing it up in the ABL and was on the roster for the All Star Game. We will need to take some youth to develop for the future
• Elliot Biddle (24): putting up good numbers in the ABL and made his debut for Team Australia in the All Star game
• Mitch Dening (24): got some game time in the '09 WBC and sitting on a .338 average in the ABL this year with a power resurgence
• Trent Oeltjen (29): incredibly experienced - must be a walk up start.
• Chris Snelling (31): looks to have made an ABL comeback just to prepare for the WBC - an on base percentage machine, he leads the league in walks (24 in just 22 games) and is has a .469 OBP.

What do you think? Leave a comment or tweet me @ozmlbplayers with your thoughts.

Send me to the MLB Fan Cave

Send me to the cave!

Dear MLB Fan Cave Judging Panel

I’m a passionate Australian baseball fan with excellent social media and communications skills, who would be the perfect representative for Team Australia in the MLB Fan Cave World Baseball Classic Edition.

I have been watching and playing baseball all my life, from tee-ball right through school and university. Like many people, my actual baseball abilities never allowed me to soar to great heights, so I had to find other ways to support the sport.

The fact that Australians have had so much success in Major League Baseball – and in the international arena - is quite amazing when you think about the size of the sport here. However, the mainstream media in Australia has not historically given the sport the coverage I think it deserves.

In 2008 I realised that I could use my passion for the game and my professional communication skills to help tell the story of Australian baseball. I created my blog OzMLBplayers.com, and started to use twitter to spread the word of Australian baseball. I have covered Aussie baseballers through the minors, through spring training camps and through the major league season, as well as at home in the local Australian Baseball League. I wrote about (and cheered loudly for) Team Australia’s 2009 World Baseball Classic campaign, and was inspired by their remarkable victory over Mexico.

I have been lucky enough to interview some of the biggest stars in Australian baseball, and I have published blog posts designed to help Aussies support their favourite players overseas.

My work on the blog and twitter gave me the opportunity to volunteer with the Sydney Blue Sox ABL team in 2011. I set up their website at the start of the season and covered plenty of games on twitter and through game stories. I was also lucky enough to appear on a radio show earlier this year to preview the MLB season.

I have done all of this purely out of my love for the game and desire for it to grow in Australia. My day job as a lawyer in the consumer affairs industry gives me excellent communication skills and I want to put these to good use to continue to tell the amazing stories of Australian baseballers.

I am feeling great about Team Australia’s chances at the 2013 WBC, and I want to be there to cover the action and keep spreading the word of Aussie baseball.