Kendall Graveman, Jose Ruiz latest White Sox additions for World Baseball Classic
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to reflect the fact that Reynaldo Lopez has been dropped from the Dominican Republic squad while RHP Nicholas Padilla has been added to the Puerto Rico squad.
The White Sox will be well represented at this year’s World Baseball Classic.
All World Baseball Classic rosters are announced today, which means there are a few instances where we find players that have been added/removed and didn’t make it into the news cycle. Kendall Graveman is one of those players who now represents Team USA for the WBC along with Lance Lynn and Tim Anderson. In addition, Jose Ruiz was announced as the new pitcher for Team Venezuela
Graveman and Ruiz name the aforementioned Lynn and Anderson, as well as Yoan Moncada, Luis Robert, Eloy Jimenez and Nicholas Padilla as confirmed World Baseball Classic participants. Moncada and Robert will represent Team Cuba, while Jimenez and Lopez will represent the Dominican Republic.
Graveman played in the first year of his three-year, $24 million contract with the White Sox last season. In 65 innings, he compiled a 3.18 ERA, 23.2 K% and 9.1 BB% while primarily serving as the team’s setup man. With Liam Hendriks battling cancer, Graveman is one of the few players to have the upper hand in most closing chances for the White Sox beginning 2023.
A longtime White Sox pitcher, Ruiz has been a low-leverage relevant for most of his time on the South Side. He put together 60.2 innings in 63 games with the club last year and posted a 4.60 ERA, 25.7K% and 12.5BB%. Ruiz will face some competition in reprising his low-leverage role in 2023, but his time on the team will likely give him the leg up here.
For the first time ever, the World Baseball Classic expands to 20 teams with pool play beginning this March in four cities around the world: Phoenix, Miami, Tokyo, Japan, and Taichung, Taiwan. Quarterfinals will be played in Tokyo and Miami, semifinals and league game in Miami.
The United States are the reigning champions after beating Puerto Rico 8-0 for their first title in 2017. They will play in Pool C in Phoenix along with Canada, Colombia, Mexico and Great Britain.
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