18 players were named to a preliminary roster of two-time winner Japan for next year’s 2017 World Baseball Classic. The team is led by upcoming two-way superstar Shohei Otani of the Nippon Ham Fighters. The initial list includes only players from Nippon Professional Baseball including pitchers Hirotoshi Masui and Tomoyuki Sugano, catcher Motohiro Shima, infielders Sho Nakata and Tetsuto Yamada, as well as outfielder Shogo Akiyama. Japan takes on Cuba, China and Australia during first-round play at the Tokyo Dome.
Pitchers – Hirotoshi Masui (Nippon Ham Fighters), Naoki Miyanishi (Nippon Ham Fighters), Shohei Otani (Nippon Ham Fighters), Kazuhisa Makita (Seibu Lions), Takahiro Norimoto (Rakuten Eagles), Tomoyuki Sugano (Yomiuri Giants), Ryo Akiyoshi (Yakult Swallows)
Catchers – Shota Ono (Nippon Ham Fighters), Motohiro Shima (Rakuten Eagles)
Infielders – Sho Nakata (Nippon Ham Fighters), Nobuhiro Matsuda (SoftBank Hawks), Ryosuke Kikuchi (Hiroshima Carp), Hayato Sakamoto (Yomiuri Giants), Tetsuto Yamada (Yakult Swallows)
Outfielders – Seiichi Uchikawa (SoftBank Hawks), Shogo Akiyama (Seibu Lions), Seiya Suzuki (Hiroshima Carp), Yoshitomo Tsutsugo (DeNA Baystars)