Reporter Kim Joo-hee = Aroldis Chapman (35, Kansas City Royals), a fast-ball pitcher, was named to the British baseball team, not Cuba.

On the 26th (Korean time), Yordano Carmona of Perolta Cubana, a Cuban media outlet, said on his social network service (SNS), “Chapman has been included in the list of 50 interested players for the World Baseball Classic (WBC) team in England. He is actually in the tournament. I’m not sure if I’ll play.”

The list of 50 interested players is a kind of preliminary entry. After 50 people are selected, the final list of 30 people is confirmed.

What is eye-catching is that Chapman, who is called the ‘Cuban Missile’, boarded the preliminary entry for the British national team, not Cuba.

Chapman’s place in the England national team’s reserve list is due to his pedigree.

According to local media, Chapman’s family hails from Jamaica, which was a British colony until 1962. Since the WBC can determine the participating country not only by the player himself, but also by the splint or grandparent’s nationality, it seems that Chapman’s entry into the British national team has been opened. 스포츠토토

However, it seems unlikely that Chapman will remain in the final roster for the British team and make it to the WBC stage.

Having dominated the major leagues with his fastball of 160 km/h, he has struggled with poor performance in recent years. Last year he played for the New York Yankees, he played 43 games, 4 wins, 4 losses, 1 hold, 9 saves, and an average ERA of 4.46, and he was also pushed out of the finishing position.

Ahead of the 2023 season, he signed a one-year contract with the Kansas City Royals and is aiming for a comeback. As preparation for the season has become more important for his revival, it seems that he will focus on the new team’s spring camp rather than the WBC in March.

A native of Cuba, Chapman played for Cuba at the 2009 WBC. It was not included in the final 30-man entry for the Cuban national team for this tournament.

Meanwhile, England succeeded in advancing to the finals for the first time in this WBC. The first round is held in Group C with the United States, Canada, Mexico and Colombia.