San Francisco Giants outfielder Harrison Bader leads the Team Israel roster in next month’s World Baseball Classic.
A leading defensive center fielder and former Gold Glove winner, Bader is one of several major leaguers on the roster who will play in a round robin with the Dominican Republic, Netherlands, Nicaragua and Venezuela.
The top two will advance to the next round, as Israel did in 2017, shocking the world.
Team Israel’s pitching staff is led by Baltimore Orioles pitcher Dean Kremer, an Israeli citizen who played on the 2023 World Baseball Classic team that failed to advance past the opening round. With a 1-3 record, it automatically qualified for this year’s tournament.
“From a roster construction standpoint, we’ve secured more Major League experience and high-end pitching depth than at any point in our history,” Team Israel general manager Simon Rosenbaum told JNS.
“In a short-series format, talent and preparation can beat prestige,” he said. “We’ve done it before, and we feel very confident that we’ve put together a group that can compete with any lineup in our pool.”
Kremer told JNS in December that the worldwide spike in Jew-hatred and anti-Israel feeling since Oct. 7 gave him “even more of a reason to do it and wear the colors and wear the flag with even more pride.”
Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Spencer Horwitz and Philadelphia Phillies catcher Garrett Stubbs, veterans of the 2023 team, are also on the roster.
So, too, are several other players with experience in the Major League, including Stubbs’ brother, C.J. Stubbs, a catcher in the Toronto Blue Jays organization who played in the major leagues with the Washington Nationals; Matt Mervis, who played with the Chicago Cubs and Miami Marlins and is now in the Nationals organization; and Tommy Kahnle, who pitched in the 2024 World Series for the New York Yankees.
Mervis and Stubbs also played on the 2023 squad.
The team also includes Jake Gelof, an infielder in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization and brother of Athletics infielder Zack Gelof, a member of the 2023 team.
Another Jewish ballplayer, Chicago Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman, is playing on Team USA.
