USA Baseball announces 2011 Baseball World Cup Roster

Press Release USA Baseball (edited)

DURHAM, N.C. -- USA Baseball announced its 2011 World Cup/Pan Am Team roster on Thursday, as well as its opening round schedules for both events. The team will compete in both the IBAF Baseball World Cup in Panama City, Panama, Oct. 2-15, and the Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico (baseball competition to be held in Lagos de Moreno), Oct. 20-25. The U.S. roster features 24 players not currently on Major League Baseball 40-man rosters.

The Chicago White Sox led all Major League clubs with three players from its farm system named to the team. The Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Florida Marlins, Philadelphia Phillies, and Texas Rangers each placed two players on the club, and the remaining players each came from one of 11 other big league organizations. Ernie Young will manage the team in Panama and Mexico, and he will be joined on the coaching staff by pitching coach Kirk Champion, hitting coach Leon Durham, and assistant coaches Jay Bell and Roly de Armas. The Pan Am Team will first gather in Cary, N.C., at the USA Baseball National Training Complex where it will train from Sept. 27-29. The U.S. will have one workout on Sept. 27, followed by the first of three exhibitions against the Canadian World Cup/Pan Am Team. The U.S. will then depart for Panama City, Panama, for the IBAF Baseball World Cup where it will look to win its third straight title. Team USA has defeated Cuba in the gold medal game of each of the last two World Cup finals. First round action kicks off on Oct. 2, against Japan at Rod Carew Stadium.