Three Texas Stars Are Suiting Up for Team USA in The World Baseball Classic

Now that we're done with the Winter Olympics, it's time to start looking at the next big international sporting event. And believe it or not, that next big event IS NOT the World Cup. The next one that I'm referring to is the World Baseball Classic. It kicks off March 4th and will wrap up with the championship game on March 17th (Technically, there are already exhibition games going on right now, but the classic pool play doesn't start until the 4th).

But there's another aspect that's got me excited about this year's World Baseball Classic, and it has to do with the Team USA roster. According to MLB.com, out of the 30-man roster (not counting managers and coaches) there are three Texas-natives featured. Two of them are pitchers, and the third is an infielder - specifically, short-stop. Check it out!

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Clayton Kershaw - Dallas

The first Texas-born player is pitcher Clayton Kershaw. According to his page on MLB.com, he was born in 1988 in Dallas, and went to high school in Highland Park, also in Dallas. Kershaw was drafted in 2006 by the LA Dodgers is still playing for them now.

Ryan Yarbrough - Austin

Then next Texas-native is also a pitcher. Ryan Yarbrough was born in 1991 in Austin, according to his MLB.com page. He was drafted in 2014 by the Seattle Mariners and has played for several different teams since then. He currently plays for the New York Yankees.

Bobby Witt Jr. - Colleyville

The third and final Texan on the roster is infielder Bobby Witt Jr. According to MLB.com he was born in 2000 in Colleyville. He attended Colleyville Heritage High School there and was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in 2019. He is still playing for the Royals now.

There you have it. 10% of the Team USA roster is from the Lone Star State. Even if they don't live here now, we'll still claim them!