The Daily Jolt is a dose of baseball reality every weekday morning.
Though it is being greeted largely with yawns of indifference, the World Baseball Classic is less than 24 hours away. OK, so maybe it is a far cry from Opening Day. Maybe we aren't sure how to feel about a tournament that's supposed to crown a true world champion, but is unforgiving to the point that two losses equal elimination. Maybe we don't know what to make of a tournament that is supposed to be chock full of national pride and pageantry, but is an afterthought to many of our favorite stars.
But it is real baseball a whole month early. It might not exactly be our beloved national pastime, but it is better than the Grapefruit or Cactus League.
One of the best parts of the WBC is getting to see players you ordinarily can't with the MLB Extra Innings package. In 2006, we got an early look at Daisuke Matsuzaka before he migrated to the states for a cool $103 million. So with that in mind, here are 13 players to watch once the tournament kicks off in the wee hours of Thursday morning.
Drew Naylor, P, Australia: What, you were expecting Graeme Lloyd? A 22-year-old in the Phillies system, Naylor has posted some impressive component numbers in three minor league seasons, striking out 275 hitters and walking just 89 in 295 1/3 professional innings. Minor league guru John Sickels lists him as a sleeper in his most recent tome on all things prospect.
Felix Hernandez, P, Venezuela: So you may have heard of this guy before -- he is after all The King. That's neither here nor there. Felix remains the most entertaining pitcher to watch this side of Tim Lincecum. The Mariners might not be happy that he's pitching for his native land, but I'll be more than happy to watch him rip off 95 mph two-seam fastballs a month earlier than usual.
Phillippe Aumont, P, Canada: He's tall -- 6-foot-7 -- and he throws in the mid-90s with "sink" and "boring action," according to Baseball America. He grew up in Quebec and his high school didn't even have a baseball team, but the Mariners still thought enough of him to select him 11th overall in the 2007 draft. With names like Bedard, Dempster and Harden on the sidelines, he also might be one of the best hurlers on Team Canada's weak pitching staff.
Bernie Williams, DH, Puerto Rico: He might not have been good enough for the ever-fickle Yankees when they cast him out after the 2006 season, but there was still something left in the tank then. Three years and one soon-to-be-released album later, you have wonder if the criminally and chronically underrated Williams still has some juice in his bat.
Brett Lawrie, C/3B/OF, Canada: The Brewers drafted him as a catcher in the first round last year, but he won't play there with Russell Martin ahead of him on the depth chart. Still, Lawrie is only a teenager, and the scouts see a tremendous hitter, even though he's yet to play a professional game.
Randall Simon, 1B, Netherlands: See Bernie Williams (sort of), then insert your own joke about sausages after.
Che-Hsuan Lin, OF, Chinese Taipei: One of the many interesting prospects in the Red Sox system, Lin is a real burner, with 50 steals in two minor league seasons, and he has a sterling defensive reputation. Speed and defense are still exciting last time I checked.
Shin-Soo Choo, OF, Korea: If you aren't curious to see what Choo can do over a full season, then you should be. The 25-year-old Cleveland outfielder hit .309 with 45 extra-base hits from May 31 on in 2008. The WBC will be our first chance to see if he's capable of doing that again.
Gerardo Parra, OF, Venezuela: The latest exciting outfield prospect produced by the Arizona system, Parra is a career .304 hitter as a professional. It's another chance to see a future major leaguer without having to go to a place like Visalia, Calif.
Yulieski Gourriel, IF, Cuba: He's the biggest star on the tournament's most mysterious team. Gourriel was impressive at the first WBC as a 22-year-old, but he could be even better with more experience under his belt. There have been rumors about his defection in the past, so it could also be a preview of a star attraction coming to a major league stadium near you soon.
Max Ramirez, C/1B, Venezuela: His bat will play anywhere, but he's supposed to be a horrific defender. Whether he's stepping up to the plate or receiving behind it, I'm curious to see what he can do beyond the 17-game cup of coffee he got with the Rangers last year.
Pedro Martinez, P, Dominican Republic: With the way Pedro has been talking, this could be the swan song of an all-time great. Even if it isn't, Martinez is pitching for a contract, and also trying to figure out a way to transform from an electric flame-thrower like King Felix is now into a finesse and guile guy. The re-invention process begins this month.
Yu Darvish, P, Japan: Just 22, Darvish is already blowing away hitters in Japan for the Nippon Ham Fighters. Like Matsuzaka in '06, this is his first chance to showcase his immense talent on a grand stage in advance of a coming bidding war between major league teams for his services.
