Rosters for WBC Brooklyn Qualifier announced

Brazil, Great Britain, Israel and Pakistan will play Sept. 22-25 at MCU Park in Brooklyn, N.Y., to decide the 16th and final entry in the 2017 World Baseball Classic, and tournament officials on Friday announced the managers, rosters and game schedules for a Qualifier featuring a combined 41 players affiliated with Major League Baseball clubs.

Israel will have nearly half of all those affiliated players on its own roster. In addition to its 20 professional players, Israel will feature 2009 All-Star pitcher and New York native Jason Marquis, as well as former Mets infielders Ike Davis and Josh Satin, plus Craig Breslow, a key figure in the World Series champion Red Sox bullpen in 2013.

Hall of Famer Barry Larkin returns for a second time as Brazil’s manager, and this time his staff will include two-time All-Star Steve Finley as his hitting coach and 21-year MLB veteran LaTroy Hawkins as his pitching coach. Seven-time All-Star closer Trevor Hoffman, whose 601 saves are second only to Mariano Rivera, will be the bullpen coach for Great Britain.

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The Brooklyn Qualifier will feature six games in a modified double-elimination format at the home of the Class A Brooklyn Cyclones of the New York-Penn League. The winner advances to compete in the fourth installment of the tournament featuring many of the world’s greatest baseball players. Earlier this year, teams from Australia, Colombia and Mexico advanced to the 2017 WBC after winning their respective Qualifiers, so this one will set the field.

Larkin led Team Brazil to its first WBC appearance in 2013 after winning the Qualifier in Panama in November 2012. His 28-man roster features nine affiliated players including left-handed pitcher Edilson Batista (BOS); right-handed pitchers Andre Rienzo (MIA), Rodrigo Takahashi (ARI) and Thyago Vieira (SEA); infielders Christian Lopes (TOR), Tim Lopes …

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