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USA Baseball Announces Indy League Based Team For World Cup
Complete Coverage of USA Baseball World Cup Team
By John Manuel and J.J. Cooper
The Olympic qualifying tournament isn't the only international baseball action on the schedule this fall. Cuba will be playing host Oct. 12-25 to the 35th edition of baseball's World Cup, and the United States is sending a team to the tournament, one separate from the prospect-filled unit that will attempt to qualify the U.S. for the 2004 Olympics in Athens. This club will be the fourth indy league team USA Baseball has fielded, joining those from the 1999 Intercontinental Cup, 2000 Pan Am Cup and the 2002 Americas Series Championships and there are veterans of those clubs on this team. A number of the best players in independent ball this season were signed or sold to affiliated clubs in the final weeks of the season, which meant that several top catchers (Frank Charles, Josh Loggins and Charles Alley) were no longer candidates for the team, but of the remaining players, Team USA did a solid job of bringing in a number of the top players in indy ball. The team includes Atlantic League MVP Rolo Avila, who hit .329-3-45, perennial indy league all-star Harry Berrios (.312-15-73 for Winnipeg) and Northeast League MVP Vic Davilla (.337-20-74 for Allentown). Berrios is one of three Team USA alumni on the team, joining infielder Brian Ward and lefthander Jake Whitney. And though shortstop was a weak spot on most independent teams this year, Alex Eckelman (.321-4-36 for Camden) should give Team USA a solid starter at the position; the team's other shortstop, Robbie Kison, hit only .200-1-23 in two indy league stops this season. With 11 pitchers, Team USA brought in a strong bullpen, with righthanders Conor Brooks (1-4, 2.31 with 21 saves for Brockton) and D.J. Johnson (7-2, 2.25 with 17 saves for Kansas City), lefthander Mike Guilfoyle (7-3, 1.90 with 40 saves for Bridgeport). The starting staff will include lefthander Jon Cannon (7-6, 1.86 for Long Island), and righthanders Ryan Creek (10-4, 2.66 for Jackson) and Hank Thoms (6-2, 2.42 for two teams). The team will be managed by Marty Scott, who has managed three of the four Team USA indy entries. He'll be joined by former big league manager Terry Bevington (Shreveport), Doug Simunic (Fargo-Moorhead) and George Tsamis (St. Paul) on his coaching staff. Cuba will use its best team in the 16-team field and is considered the favorite in the tournament, and Asian teams such as Japan, Korea and Taiwan are reporting to be sending their best to the World Cup as a tuneup for their Olympic qualifier beginning on Oct. 31. China also is sending a team, which is currently in training at the Mariners' spring-training facility in Arizona. Canada is sending a team of indy-league players similar to Team USA, and the roster includes players such as ex-big league righthanders Mike Johnson and Chad Ricketts. Other teams competing in the tournament include Brazil, France, Guam, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands, Nicaragua and Panama. Team USA World Cup Roster
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