The World Baseball Classic is a blast that can feel, because of the sudden high stakes and all the patriotic fervor across the board, that it’s separate from the rest of Major League Baseball. But of course it’s not. There are a lot of real Major League Baseball players out there, wearing their country’s uniforms, and when a certain country’s team is eliminated, those players head right back to Spring Training for their teams. Every player has their own story, with their own team, and that story doesn’t stop because of the World Baseball Classic. There are a lot of players in this WBC with a lot on the line.

• Watch the World Baseball Classic live on FOX, FS1, FS2, FOX Deportes and Tubi

With that in mind, today we take a player on each team who’s playing in the Classic who will be watched very closely by his team’s fans. His country team needs him now. But his MLB team needs him the rest of the year.

AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST

Blue Jays: José Berríos, RHP, Puerto Rico
Berríos, for all the excitement heading into his first full season in Toronto last year, ended up having the worst year of his whole career (5.23 ERA). The Jays need him this year, just as much as they did last year. It’d be nice to see him perk up playing for his home Puerto Rican team.

Orioles: Anthony Santander, OF, Venezuela
He’ll be anchoring the Venezuelan order in a similar way to how he’ll be anchoring the Orioles' order. Both teams are upstarts looking to surprise this go-around.

Rays: Wander Franco, SS, Dominican Republic
Wander was perfectly fine for the Rays last year, even if he had a few injury troubles. But the Rays are built in a way that requires him to be the superstar we were all expecting. Can he launch into an incredible season with an incredible start at the WBC?

Red Sox: Masataka Yoshida, OF, Japan
For many Red Sox fans, the WBC will be the first real chance to see their new free agent signee play at all. There’s enough pressure coming for him when he gets to Fenway; compared to that, playing for Japan should be no sweat.

Yankees: Gleyber Torres, 2B, Venezuela
He took a (small) step forward in 2022 that the Yankees and their fans had been waiting for, hitting 24 homers after slipping to just nine the year before. But this Yankees infield is starting to get crowded. How long can he hang onto his spot?

AL CENTRAL

Guardians: Cal Quantrill, RHP, Canada
Quantrill took a big leap forward in innings pitched last year, and the Guardians will be watching him very closely to make sure there aren’t any after effects. Those innings are essentially for them this year; he’s a primary “please stay healthy at the Classic” candidate.

Royals: Vinnie Pasquantino, 1B, Italy
As much as the Royals will be worried about Salvador Perez – who famously got hurt in the last World Baseball Classic – it’ll be big Vinnie playing for the Italian team who will have everyone watching. If Italy can surprise some people, Vinnie could be a cult hero outside of just Kansas City.

Tigers: Javier Báez, INF, Puerto Rico
Báez still has five more years on his contract. Fair to say, after posting a .671 OPS in his first season in Detroit, the Tigers would love to start seeing him be the superstar they thought they got. One good sign: The Classic tends to bring a bit more excitement, which Báez famously thrives on.

Twins: Pablo López, RHP, Venezuela
This is the first chance for Twins fans to see López in a competitive environment now that he’s a Twin.

White Sox: Tim Anderson, INF, USA
The White Sox go as far as a healthy Tim Anderson can take them … which might just be the case for Team USA as well.

AL WEST

Angels: Mike Trout, OF, USA
You could go with either Trout or Shohei Ohtani, but I personally am just thrilled to get to watch Mike Trout in some elimination games. It has been a while.

Astros: Kyle Tucker, OF, USA
He’s quietly become a star and will be a key player for a star-studded Team USA lineup.

Athletics: Zack Gelof, INF, Israel
Gelof is the A’s No. 3 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, and he’ll play all over the diamond for Team Israel.

Mariners: Harry Ford, C, Great Britain
Julio Rodríguez is playing for the Dominican of course, but the Mariners' No. 1 prospect will be catching for the Brits. We get to see Julio all the time, but not Ford, who will face Team USA in his first Classic contest.

• Complete World Baseball Classic rosters

Rangers: Martín Pérez, LHP, Venezuela
The Rangers have the fewest players of any team in the tournament (just two), but Pérez stands out not just for his pitching, but for his ability to sing his country’s anthem as well.

NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST

Braves: Ronald Acuña Jr., OF, Venezuela
Is this the year Acuña is an MVP candidate again? This could be the event that sends him into the stratosphere, allowing him to have the year Braves fans know he can have.

Marlins: Sandy Alcantara, RHP, Dominican Republic
The DR team is stacked with hitting, but this year their pitching stacks up nearly just as well with the reigning NL Cy Young winner leading the charge.

Mets: Edwin Díaz , RHP, Puerto Rico
It sure feels like the trumpets are going to be a particularly electric entrance in the World Baseball Classic.

Nationals: Joey Meneses, 1B, Mexico
The surprising emergence of Meneses gave Nats fans something to cheer about at the end of last year. He’s a middle-of-the-order hitter for both Team Mexico and the Nats.

Phillies: Trea Turner, SS, USA
He’s now on your team, Phillies fans. That’s your guy. Enjoy him: This is just the start.

NL CENTRAL

Brewers: Devin Williams, RHP, USA
If Team USA wins the Classic again this year, it is very possible Williams is going to be the guy who gets the last out.

Cardinals: Adam Wainwright, RHP, USA
In his final season, Waino finally gets to pitch for Team USA. But his shaky Spring Training performance so far, with drastically reduced velocity, has everybody nervous. He may have as much to prove as anyone in this tournament; the Cardinals, farewell tour aside, need him.

Cubs: Marcus Stroman, RHP, Puerto Rico
Stroman was the MVP for Team USA six years ago. Now he’s going to try to do the same for Puerto Rico.

Pirates: Roansy Contreras, RHP, Dominican Republic
It'll be a thrill to see him use the Classic as a launching pad into transforming himself from a highly regarded prospect to a reliable stalwart.

Reds: Alexis Díaz, RHP, Puerto Rico
He gets to be teammates with his brother, Edwin, but at times last year, he looked every bit that brother’s equal on the mound.

• Complete World Baseball Classic coverage

NL WEST

D-backs: Alek Thomas, OF, Mexico
Arizona is everybody’s “look out for this up and comer!” team this year, and improvement from Thomas is one of the ways they could make a big step forward.

Dodgers: Freddie Freeman, 1B, Canada
Freeman’s explosion into true superstar status essentially happened right after the last Classic ended. He’s an entirely different player now.

Giants: Joc Pederson, OF, Israel
He won’t be in a platoon with Team Israel: He’ll get every opportunity to hit all the lefties he wants.

Padres: Xander Bogaerts, SS, Netherlands
He’ll be a Padre for the next decade, and their fans can now watch him in a high-stakes game for the first time since he signed … and it most certainly won’t be the last time.

Rockies: Kyle Freeland, LHP, USA
A perfect chance to show how he can pitch when he’s not at altitude, and pitch in a big game. He may be one of Team USA’s top starters.