Kris Medlen wouldn’t have turned down his first opportunity to pitch for Team USA regardless, but when the Atlanta pitcher learned that legendary Braves ace Greg Maddux would serve as pitching coach he got even more excited about the possibility.
Medlen and Braves All-Star closer Craig Kimbrel were selected Thursday to the Team USA provisional roster for the World Baseball Classic to be held in March during spring training.
“They had been asking if I wanted to play,” Medlen said. “I’m not going to turn that down. Then they announced the coaching staff first, and Greg Maddux is the pitching coach. I’m like, Oh my God, I get to meet that guy. I talked to [Braves general manager] Frank [Wren] yesterday, and he said Maddux was an advocate of me being on the team.”
Other Braves were selected for their homeland rosters including versatile Martin Prado for powerful Venezuela; shortstop Andrelton Simmons for the Netherlands; shortstop Ramiro Pena for Mexico, and a pair of minor leaguers, catcher Matt Kennelly and sidearm pitcher Andrew Russell, for Australia.
Simmons' Netherlands teammates will include former Braves and fellow Curacao natives Jair Jurrjens and Andruw Jones, while the Aussie team will also include former Braves reliever Peter Moylan, the sidearmer signed by Atlanta out of the first WBC in 2006. Moylan was non-tendered this winter and signed a minor league contract with the Dodgers on Wednesday.
Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman was considered for Canada's roster -- his parents are from there -- but the team went with Canadian-born first basemen Joey Votto (provided he's cleared to play after recovering from knee surgery) and Justin Morneau.
Kimbrel also said it was an opportunity he couldn't pass up, and that he had looked forward to pitching in the third WBC ever since he heard it was being held this year for the first time since 2009. The major league saves leader over the past two seasons said that he couldn't pass up the chance to pitch for the United States on such a big stage.
"It's a privilege to have the opportunity, something I couldn’t say no to," Kimbrel said. "There’s a sense that I don’t want to go in and get injured, that you might get hurt, but you could get hurt walking down the street or driving your car."
There were 13 position players and 14 pitchers named to Team USA’s provisional roster, and another pitcher is likely to be added before a 28-man roster is finalized Feb. 20. Medlen was joined in the starting rotation by Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey of the Mets, Ryan Vogelsong (Giants) and Derek Holland (Rangers). Detroit star Justin Verlander reportedly was considering an offer to fill the remaining spot.
The projected Team USA lineup includes Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins, Mets third baseman David Wright, Twins catcher Joe Mauer, Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira, Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips, and a slugging outfield with Miami’s Giancarlo Stanton, Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun and Baltimore’s Adam Jones. Braves right fielder Jason Heyward declined an invitation in order to focus on spring training and preparing for the regular season.
Kimbrel and Indians closer Chris Perez are the standouts in a bullpen that also includes the likes of the Giants’ Jeremy Affeldt, the Cardinals’ Mitchell Boggs, and Royals left-hander Tim Collins, who was a Braves prospect for less than one full season in 2010 between trades from Toronto and to Kansas City.
Since the veteran Perez had first dibs on No. 54, Medlen will wear No. 58 in recognition of his friend Moylan.
Team USA’s coaching staff has a strong Braves flavor, with ex-Brave Joe Torre managing and former Braves Dale Murphy, Gerald Perry and Maddux serving as coaches.
Medlen and Kimbrel will have nearly three weeks in Braves spring training before reporting to the U.S. training camp in Arizona on March 3 to prepare for first-round games March 8-10 at Chase Field in Phoenix. If Team USA advances, the semifinal round is March 12-16 at Marlins Park in Miami and the finals are March 17-19 at San Francisco.
Wren said while there was always a concern with having pitchers ramp up preparation earlier than usual and pitch in high-intensity situations weeks before the major league season, but concerns were tempered by the fact that Torre will use strict pitch-count limits and consult with Maddux and officials from each major league team represented.
“We’re going to do what we can to win, but we’re going to keep the players’ health above everything else,” Maddux said.
Kimbrel is 24 and already regarded as the best closer in baseball, with a majors-leading 88 saves in 2011-2012 in his first two full seasons, and a stunning 243 strikeouts with 46 walks in 139-2/3 innings over that span. He had a 1.01 ERA in 2012 with 116 strikeouts and 14 walks in 62-2/3 innings.
Medlen, after missing most of the 2011 season recovering from “Tommy John” elbow surgery, went 10-1 with a 1.57 ERA in 50 games in 2012, including a sensational 9-0 with a 0.97 ERA in 12 starts after moving to the starting rotation at the end of July.
When he heard that Medlen was likely to make the Team USA roster, Braves pitching coach Roger McDowell called to congratulate him and give his blessing to the endeavor.
“I thought that was the coolest part -- Roger called me and I was expecting him to question why I was doing it and whether I really wanted to, that kind of thing,” Medlen said. “And instead he said I’m so excited for you to have this opportunity.
“Since I was 15 or 16 years old seeing guys pitch for the USA, I was like damn, I want that opportunity. Now I’m getting it. It’s all coming together for me.”
The Braves have won each of his last 23 regular-season starts, breaking the previous major league record of 22 by Whitey Ford and Carl Hubbell.
Medlen and Tim Hudson are leading candidates to start Opening Day for the Braves against Philadelphia on April 1. By then, Medlen might already have made a few WBC starts against tough lineups in front of big crowds.
“I went to Turner Field yesterday and met with Roger, came up with a plan,” Medlen said. “Everything’s monitored. Me coming back from injury and all, obviously that’s questioned. But I’m 100 percent healthy and they get with your team and make sure they are on the same page. Obviously I’m competing earlier than usual, but we’re going to build up to about four innings before I go [to the WBC]. The most that starters are going to throw is three, I think.”
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