Trea Turner is 'All in' for Team USA
He's among the fastest men in baseball and has the undisputed prettiest slide in the sport. Now, Trea Turner is taking those skills to next spring's World Baseball Classic as the Dodgers shortstop is "All in" for Team USA.
With his combination of power and speed, Turner will give manager Mark DeRosa plenty of options, whether he starts ahead of the White Sox' Tim Anderson or is called in off the bench late in games.
Turner is also the third Dodgers player to have already committed to Team USA -- Mookie Betts and Will Smith are the others -- giving the ballclub a real red, white and Dodgers blue look. With L.A. currently running away with the NL West and holding the Majors' best record, it's certainly some sound roster management from Team USA general manager Tony Reagins.
Rosters won't be finalized until the offseason, but here's how Team USA is shaping up:
C: J.T. Realmuto, Will Smith
1B: Pete Alonso, Paul Goldschmidt
2B: Trevor Story
SS: Tim Anderson, Trea Turner
3B: Nolan Arenado
OF: Mookie Betts, Cedric Mullins, Mike Trout, Kyle Tucker
While Team USA's lineup looks strong so far, they'll need to be on their game if they hope to repeat as title champions in March. The Dominican Republic, Japan, Korea, and 2017 runner-up Puerto Rico are just some of the dominant teams that have yet to publicly announce any players, while Jose Altuve has committed to Venezuela.
Team USA will begin its title defense as part of Pool C at Chase Field in Phoenix, from March 11-15, facing Canada, Colombia, Mexico and a to-be-determined qualifying team. The Pool C winner and runner-up will advance to the quarterfinals in Miami from March 17-18, where they will match up against the winner and runner-up of Pool D.