Mariners Reliever Gabe Speier To Join Team Usa For World Baseball Classic

2 jam yang lalu

Seattle Mariners alleviation pitcher Gabe Speier has been selected arsenic a personnel of Team USA, representing nan federation astatine nan 2026 World Baseball Classic. He joins his Seattle teammate, catcher and AL MVP runner-up Cal Raleigh, arsenic portion of this elite, world squad. The arena will return spot from March 5 to 17, aft which nan players will subordinate their respective teams to hole for Opening Day.

In 2025, nan lefty Speier had a 4-3 record, pinch a 2.61 ERA and 0.87 WHIP, and held opponents to a .192 average, striking retired 82 batters successful 62 innings sounded for the Mariners. He's considered 1 of nan champion astatine what he does: Since nan commencement of 2023, left-handed batters person deed conscionable .193 disconnected him, truthful he makes for a bully summation to a squad looking to bring location a title successful this world competition.

Aside from Speier and Raleigh connected Team USA, a fistful of Mariners players will participate successful nan WBC, representing their autochthonal countries. Left fielder Randy Arozarena will compete for Team Mexico, while first baseman Josh Naylor and reliever Matt Brash will play for Team Canada.

Speier is group for a large play successful Seattle

There are precocious expectations for not only nan M's arsenic a squad successful 2026, but for Speier individually. The lefty master was seemingly nan lone gunman from nan larboard broadside a play ago, but he's sewage a very tin partner to spell into conflict pinch successful 2026. When Seattle acquired chap left-handed reliever Jose Ferrer from Washington arsenic his backup successful nan bullpen, it freed Speier to beryllium disposable successful galore much scenarios this season. That's the luxury of having 2 skilled southpaws who tin return nan shot erstwhile needed.

While the waste and acquisition for Ferrer did costs nan Mariners a prized imaginable successful catcher Harry Ford, it will do wonders for nan squad arsenic a whole. Ferrer, 25, has a profession grounds of 8-4 pinch a 4.36 ERA and 121 strikeouts successful 142.1 innings pitched. He's a fireballer, pinch a fastball that has antecedently been clocked astatine 98 mph.

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That sets things up for Speier to person different fantabulous year, anchoring down nan precocious inning, clutch moments for nan M's. He's moreover poised to perchance person a profession season... after he returns from nan World Baseball Classic.