KNBSB unveils WBC roster of team Kingdom of the Netherlands

In a press release the Royal Dutch Baseball and Softball Federation
Due to an agreement with MLB, the roster of team Kingdom of the Netherlands could not presented before 0:30 AM (Dutch time).

The Dutch roster only contains familiar faces of players that have played for the team before. In the past months names of (former) MLB players from the Netherlands, Curacao and Aruba have been displayed. Players like Wladimir Balentien, Jonathan Schoop, Xander Bogaerts, Didi Gregorius, Rick van den Hurk, Shairon Martis, Jair Jurrjens, Yurendell de Caster and Andrelton Simmons.

The roster has been completed with players from the Minor Leagues, Dutch Hoofdklasse and the German Bundesliga.

The following players will represent the Kingdom of the Netherlands (the roster still may be subject to change):

Perhaps, the number of only two catchers may be a bit too slim. The biggest absent next to Kenley Jansen, is Washington Nationals prospect Spencer Kieboom (catcher). It is not clear if he declined to participate or that manager Hensley Meulens opted for Shawn Zarraga instead of him.

The pitching depth may not be enough, but on the other hand, the Dutch reached the semi-finals four years ago with practically the same roster, so it is not impossible to repeat that feat.

The infield will be the strenght of this team. Each infielder on the roster is a very good defender of which Jonathan Schoop, Didi Gregorius and Xander Bogaers can handle the bat pretty well.

Even though Jurickson Profar is mentioned as an outfielder, don’t be surprised if Hensely Meulens will play him in the infield as utility player.

[EDIT] According to MLB Network, Kenley Jansen will be in the designated pitcher pool, which means that he will not participate in round one, but may join the team in round two or the final round in Los Angeles.
Compared to Korea and Taiwan, the Dutch have quite some players with MLB experience on their roster. The pitching depth may be the weak spot of this team. But with a lineup with Schoop (Jonathan), Bogaerts, Gregorius, Profar, Simmons and Balentien, some nice things may happen.

Team Kingdom of the Netherlands will prepare on the 2017 World Baseball Classic at the Spring Training facility of the San Francisco Giants in Scottsdale AZ from February 12 through February 26. The major leaguers will prepare on the season with their own club before they will join the team in Korea.

The WBC will start on March 7 with the opening game vs Korea, followed by the game vs Chinese Taipei on March 8 and the game vs Israel on March 9. If necessary, the team may play a tie-breaker game on March 10.

This report was brought to you by Score66 Baseball