Detroit Tigers have eight players slated for 2023 World Baseball Classic

The Detroit Tigers will be represented by eight players in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

The official rosters for the fifth-ever international baseball tournament were released Thursday night. The WBC should have taken place in 2021, but it was canceled and rescheduled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This time around, the tournament has been expanded from 16 to 20 teams.

The United States beat Puerto Rico to win first place in the 2017 WBC.

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The eight participants from the Tigers: designated hitter Miguel Cabrera (Venezuela), left-handed starter Eduardo Rodriguez (Venezuela) shortstop Javier Báez (Puerto Rico), second baseman Jonathan Schoop (Netherlands), third baseman Andy Ibáñez (Cuba), infielder John Valente (Italy), right-handed reliever Chavez Fernander (Great Britain) and left-handed reliever Jack O'Loughlin (Australia).

The 2023 WBC runs from March 8-21.

Once Cabrera — who turns 40 in April — steps to the plate, the 12-time All-Star and two-time American League MVP will have taken part in all five editions of the WBC as a player.

"Miguel basically told me his plan," Team Venezuela manager Omar López told the Free Press in December. "He said, 'Omar, I don't want you to feel pressure to play me every day. I don't want to take away at-bats from the young guys. I would like to go, as my last WBC, to support the team, and you tell me your plan.' If he has a chance to pinch-hit in the sixth or seventh, he said he's going to prepare himself. If he's going to start, he said he's going to prepare himself. If he's not playing, he said that's fine and he's going to support the team. That's what I was looking for from him."

Rodriguez is a member of the designated pitcher pool for Team Venezuela. He can be called upon to join the squad for one or more consecutive rounds. Minor-league infield coordinator Ramón Santiago, formerly the Tigers' third base coach, was chosen as the third base coach for Team Dominican Republic.

Former Tigers second baseman Ian Kinsler is the manager for Team Israel.

Right-handed reliever Alex Lange, who is healthy, previously committed to Team Puerto Rico in September, but he wasn't listed among the pitchers on the official roster. He decided to focus on preparing for the regular season.

Outfielder Riley Greene declined his invitation to play for Team Puerto Rico. The team's general manager, Joey Solá, gave him the option to reconsider, but he didn't change his mind.

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There are four pools in the tournament. Pool A: Chinese Taipei, Netherlands, Cuba, Italy and Panama; Pool B: Japan, South Korea, Australia, China and Czech Republic; Pool C: United States, Mexico, Colombia, Canada and Great Britain; Pool D: Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Israel and Nicaragua.

Pool A will play games in Taichung; Pool B in Tokyo; Pool C in Arizona; Pool D in Miami.

The second-round of the tournament, from March 15-18, will feature the top two teams from each first-round pool, so eight teams total in the single-elimination quarterfinals. The Pool A and Pool B teams will play in Tokyo, while the Pool C and Pool D teams will play in Miami.

The four winners from each second-round game will advance to the single-elimination championship round in Miami, with the semifinals March 19-20 and the championship game March 21.

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers players in 2023 World Baseball Classic: Eight picked