USA Baseball announces '05 qualifying team roster
Six countries from North and Central America are slated to compete in Arizona, with the top four finishers advancing to the Americas Olympic Qualifier in Havana, Cuba, in August, 2006. In that event, the four teams representing CONCEBE will compete against the top four regional qualifiers from both the Caribbean and South American regions for two bids to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. The third and fourth place finishers in Cuba will advance to a secondary Olympic qualifying event to be held sometime in 2007.
The six countries that will compete in Arizona are: Canada, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, and the United States. Games will be played each day from November 15-19, with three games taking place simultaneously starting at 1:05 pm local time (3:05 pm ET) at three different Cactus League ballparks: Maryvale Ballpark, Mesa's HoHoKam Park, and Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
Fans and media interested in following Team USA during the event can log on to www.usabaseball.com OR www.mlb.com, where live gameday scoring and boxscores will be available as well as live audio broadcasts of all five Team USA games. There will also be direct links to information on all six participating countries, tournament schedules, stories, and more.
Six players on the roster have had previous experience with USA Baseball, including 2003 Pan Am Silver Medalist Jered Weaver ('03 National); Lastings Milledge ('05 World Cup, '02 Junior, '01 Youth), Billy Butler ('03 Junior, '02 Youth,); Jarrod Saltalamacchia ('02 Junior, '01 Youth); Matt Smith ('99 National), and Brian LaHair ('05 World Cup).
Six additional players appeared in the Major Leagues this past season, including pitcher Jonah Bayliss (KC), infielder Brendan Harris (Washington), catcher Jeff Mathis (LA Angels), pitcher Clint Nageotte (Seattle), infielder Ryan Shealy (Colorado), and outfielder Shane Victorino (Philadelphia). In addition, 19 of the 24 Team USA players named to the roster are currently participating in Major League Baseball's Arizona Fall League.
A full 24-man roster of the players named to the 2005 USA Baseball Regional Olympic Qualifying Team is shown below:
Player Pos Current Organization '05 Level Hometown
Andrade, Stephen RHP Toronto Blue Jays AA New Hampshire Woodland, CA
Bayliss, Jonah RHP Kansas City Royals KANSAS CITY Williamstown, MA
Butler, Billy OF/DH Kansas City Royals AA Wichita Jacksonville, FL
Haehnel, Dave LHP Baltimore Orioles A Frederick Wheeling, IL
Hanson, Travis INF St. Louis Cardinals AA Springfield Port Orchard, WA
Harris, Brendan INF Washington Nationals WASHINGTON Queensbury, NY
Kendrick, Howie INF Los Angeles Angels AA Arkansas Callahan, FL
LaHair, Bryan INF Seattle Mariners A Inland Empire Worchester, MA
Lambert, Chris RHP St. Louis Cardinals AA Springfield Manchester, NH
Mathis, Jeff C Los Angeles Angels LOS ANGELES Marianna, FL
Milledge, Lastings OF New York Mets AA Binghamton Palmetto, FL
Miller, Jim RHP Colorado Rockies AA Tulsa N. Fort Myers, FL
Murphy, Bill LHP Arizona Diamondbacks AAA Tucson Phoenix, AZ
Nageotte, Clint RHP Seattle Mariners SEATTLE New Port Richey, FL
Saltalamacchia, Jarrod C Atlanta Braves A Myrtle Beach W. Palm Beach, FL
Sanches, Brian RHP Philadelphia Phillies AAA Scranton Nederland, TX
Shealy, Ryan INF Colorado Rockies COLORADO Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Smith, Matt LHP New York Yankees AAA Columbus Henderson, NV
Snyder, Brad OF Cleveland Indians AA Akron Bellevue, OH
Ungs, Nick RHP Florida Marlins AA Carolina Dyersville, IA
Victorino, Shane OF Philadelphia Phillies PHILADELPHIA Las Vegas, NV
Weaver, Jered RHP Los Angeles Angels AA Arkansas Simi Valley, CA
White, Steven RHP New York Yankees AA Trenton League City, TX
Wood, Brandon INF Los Angeles Angels A Rancho Cucamonga Scottsdale, AZ
Coaching Staff
Johnson, Davey Manager Winter Park, FL
Lachemann, Marcel Pitching Coach Colorado Rockies Penryn, CA
Barnett, Mike Hitting Coach Boston Red Sox Lexington, KY
Eckstein, Rick Assistant Coach Washington Nationals Sanford, FL
Administration
Watson, Bob General Manager USA Baseball Raleigh, NC
Campbell, Eric Delegate USA Baseball Raleigh, NC
Fanucchi, Dave Press Officer USA Baseball Apex, NC
Fierro, John Athletic Trainer Gilbert, AZ
Dicke, Fred Team Physician Scottsdale, AZ
Mattalino, Angelo Team Physician Scottsdale, AZ
TEAM USA GAME SCHEDULE
Date Opponent Local time MT Location
Nov. 15 Guatemala 1:05 pm Maryvale Ballpark
Nov. 16 Mexico 1:05 pm Phoenix Municipal Stadium
Nov. 17 Nicaragua 1:05 pm Maryvale Ballpark
Nov. 18 Panama 1:05 pm Mesa HoHoKam Park
Nov. 19 Canada 1:05 pm Maryvale Ballpark