The World Baseball Classic isn't just players representing the countries they were born in. It also allows players to play for countries they've become citizens in or want to represent for other reasons.
The WBC, in fact, is relatively lax when it comes to who can represent what countries in 2023. There are a long list of reasons players may play for a country besides the one they're born in, which generally boil down to eligibility for citizenship in that nation. In the case of USA-born Joc Pederson it's because he's eligible to become an Israeli citizen. Cuba-born Randy Arozarena did become a Mexican citizen last year. But there are other reasons as well.
The breadth of representation in the World Baseball Classic is wide in general. With 20 countries participating in 2023, the field is expanded from the 16 of years past.
WBC PREDICTIONS: The Sporting News baseball experts make their picks
Here are the various circumstances in which players are eligible to play for a country in the World Baseball Classic.
World Baseball Classic eligibility rules
The most obvious reason a player would play for a country is because it's the country he was born in. That's generally why a player represents a country in the World Baseball Classic.
There are, however, numerous exceptions. Arozarena became a Mexican citizen last year, whereas Pederson is eligible for Israeli citizenship because he was born Jewish on his mother's side.
The full list of eligibility rules are, from MLB.com:
• The player previously appeared on a Federation Team’s final roster at the start of either a World Baseball Classic Qualifier or Tournament round; or
• The player is a citizen of the Federation Team’s country or territory, as evidenced by a valid passport the player holds as of three months prior to the start of the Tournament; or
• The player is currently a permanent legal resident of the Federation Team’s country or territory, as evidenced by documentation satisfactory to WBCI and the World Baseball Softball Confederation (“WBSC”), or
• The player was born in the Federation Team’s country or territory, as evidenced by a birth certificate or its equivalent; or
• The player has at least one parent who is, or if deceased was, a citizen of the Federation Team’s country or territory, as evidenced by a passport or other documentation satisfactory to WBCI and the WBSC; or
• The player has at least one parent who was born in the Federation Team’s country or territory, as evidenced by a birth certificate or its equivalent; or
• The player presents documentary evidence satisfactory to WBCI that he would be granted citizenship or a passport in due course under the laws of the Federation Team’s country or territory (excluding any requirement of the Federation Team’s country that the player would need to renounce his current citizenship), if he were to apply for such citizenship or passport.
MORE: Japan's Roki Sasaki leads list of seven best non-MLB players in WBC
There are many players who are on a country because one or both of their parents are from the country they're representing as well.
Italy, Great Britain and Israel are all particularly helped by these rules, as they have allowed them to have many MLB players on their rosters, particularly MiLB players. The rules also allow California-born Lars Nootbaar, whose mother is Japanese, to play for Japan and Michigan native Tommy Edman, whose mother was born in Korea, to play for her native country.
The hope for MLB is that it grows the global game and allows for more parity in these international tournaments. This year's World Baseball Classic will be another solid test of that as these teams continue to build their international rosters.
