One of the most anticipated players in this year’s World Baseball Classic has opted out of the tournament. Shortstop Jurickson Profar, who is considered as the top prospect in all of baseball, will not suit up for the Netherlands, but instead will try to make the opening day roster of the Texas Rangers. Apparently his club told him that he needs to be in Spring Training camp for the complete duration to have a shot to go north.
Meanwhile Cuba has started training camp for the 2013 World Baseball Classic. The team of manager Victor Mesa gathered at a hotel on Havana to kick off the final preparations. 36 players will work out in Cuba before traveling to Taiwan on February 15 for six exhibition games. Their warm-up schedule starts on February 18 with games against Chinese Taipei, Australia and the Netherlands. They are slotted into the Fukuoka first-round group which also consists of Japan, China and Brazil. The WBC starts on March 2. For an updated roster visit www.ibaf.org.