Kyle Schwarber to join Trea Turner, J.T. Realmuto as Phillies on 2023 Team USA World Baseball Classic roster
Excluding the injured Bryce Harper, three Phillies players, including Kyle Schwarber, will represent the United States in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. MLB recently announced Schwarber’s participation on social media.
Trea Turner, who reportedly signed an 11-year, $300 million contract with the Phillies, said he will play for Team USA back in late August. J.T. Realmuto was also one of the first players to join Team USA. Bryce Harper was slated to play, but he’ll miss the WBC after undergoing Tommy John surgery in November.
In his first season with the Phillies, Schwarber slashed .218/.323/.504 with a National League leading 46 home runs and 94 RBIs. Like Turner and Realmuto, Schwarber was recently named to the 2022 All-MLB team. Turner and Realmuto received first team honors while Schwarber and Phillies starter Aaron Nola were named to the second team.
While speaking with reporters at the Winter Meetings on Tuesday, manager Rob Thomson said he has not heard about any Phillies pitchers playing in the WBC. He’s in favor of players participating in the tournament.
“In a way, I kind of like it because it gets those guys geared up in spring training a little bit quicker,” Thomson said. “It gets them into a competitive atmosphere a little bit earlier. And in a lot of ways, it helps guys.”
Schwarber typically gets off to slow starts in April, so it’s possible he could lessen the severity of his early season slumps through taking some at-bats in the WBC.
The 2023 World Baseball Classic begins on March 8 with pool play in Taichung, Taiwan and Tokyo, Japan. Team USA opens Pool C play on March 11 at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona. Subsequent rounds on the American side of the bracket will take place at loanDepot Park in Miami, Florida.
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