Missions in 2023 World Baseball Classic

The 2023 World Baseball Classic is back for the first time since 2017. 20 different countries will be competing for the title beginning on March 8th. Amongst the 20 countries, Missions fans can recognize some familiar faces. There are 27 former Missions that will be participating for 14 different countries either as a player or as a member of the field staff.

AUSTRALIA

-Michael Collins, First Base Coach: Collins appeared in nearly 100 games for the Missions during the 2009 and 2010 season. He hit six homers during his Missions career while driving 46 runs.

CANADA

-Cal Quantrill, RHP: The right-hander made 30 starts in the Alamo City during the 2017 and 2018 seasons. After going 1-5 with a 4.08 ERA in 2017, Quantrill went 6-5 with a 5.15 ERA the following year. He broke into the big leagues in 2019 with the San Diego Padres and currently plays for the Cleveland Guardians.

CHINA

-Ray Chang, Infielder: The 39-year-old played for the Missions during the 2008 season. In 22 games for San Antonio, he batted .262 with 10 doubles and four runs batted in.

-Dean Treanor, Manager: Treanor served as the pitching coach for the San Antonio Missions during the 1999 season. The 1999 club notably had Eric Gagne who was a starting pitcher at that point in his career.

CHINESE TAIPEI

-None

COLOMBIA

-Tayron Guerrero, RHP: The 6’8” right-hander spent two seasons with the Missions from 2015 to 2016. Despite a 1-5 record in 2015, he recorded 13 saves out of 15 attempts and had a 2.76 ERA in 37 games. After appearing in 19 games for San Antonio in 2016, he made his MLB debut with the Padres that same year. Guerrero pitched in 112 games for the Miami Marlins in 2018 and 2019. He recently signed a minor league contract with the Cincinnati Reds for the 2023 season.

CUBA

-Ronald Bolanos, RHP: Although he never appeared in a regular season game for the Missions, Bolanos did pitch in three games for San Antonio during the 2018 Texas League Postseason. He allowed one earned run across 3.1 innings while striking out six batters. He debuted in the big leagues in 2019 with the San Diego Padres and currently pitches for the Kansas City Royals.

CZECH REPUBLIC

-John Hussey, Pitching Coach: The Australian-born Hussey spent the 2014 season with the San Antonio Missions. Pitching primarily out of the bullpen, he went 5-5 with a 4.23 ERA in 37 games (six starts).

-Eric Sogard, Infielder: Sogard spent just one season in Double-A during his professional career and that was in 2009 with the Missions. He batted .293 in 117 games that season while collecting 134 hits including 25 doubles. Sogard was traded to Oakland ahead of the 2010 season and made his MLB debut later that season. He played in 815 games at the big-league level for five different teams from 2010 to 2021.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

-Enyel De Los Santos, RHP: De Los Santos had a productive year for the Missions during the 2017 campaign. Appearing in 26 games, and starting 24 of them, the right-hander went 10-6 with a 3.78 ERA while tossing 150 innings. He was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies ahead of the 2018 season and later debuted for the club later that year. De Los Santos currently pitches for the Cleveland Guardians.

GREAT BRITAIN

-Tyler Viza, RHP: Viza debuted for the Missions in 2021 after spending most of the season with Kane County of the American Association. He made five starts for San Antonio across the final two months of the season and went 1-3 with a 4.71 ERA.

ISRAEL

-Alex Dickerson, Outfielder: Dickerson played for the Missions during the 2014 season and appeared in 34 games. He batted .321 during that span while hitting 11 doubles and driving in 24 runs. Dickerson made his Major League debut in 2015 and has played in 339 games with three teams since 2015. Most recently, he played in 13 games for the Atlanta Braves during the 2022 season.

-Robert Stock, RHP: Stock played in just eight games for the Missions during the 2018 season but he made the most out of his opportunity. The right-hander allowed just two earned runs in nine innings of work while striking out 15 batters. His success in San Antonio, and at Triple-A El Paso, led to him making his MLB debut with the San Diego Padres that same year. Since then, he has played for four teams and appeared in 55 games from 2018 to 2021.

ITALY

-Mike Piazza, Manager: One of the most notable Missions alum, Piazza played for the San Antonio Missions during the 1992 campaign. The future Hall of Famer batted .377 with seven homers, 11 doubles and 21 RBI in just 31 games played. He made his Major League debut in September of that season with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the rest as they say is history. Piazza spent 16 years in the big league with five different teams. During that stretch, he was named Rookie of the Year, an All-Star 12 times, a Silver Slugger 10 times, and slugged 427 homers.

JAPAN

-None

NETHERLANDS

-Wladimir Balentien, Outfielder: The 38-year-old spent one year in the Alamo City in 2006 when the Missions were affiliated with the Seattle Mariners. Balentien showcased his power skills by hitting 21 homers, 23 doubles and driving in 81 runs across 121 games that season. The Curacao native made his big-league debut the following year with the Mariners.

KOREA

-None

MEXICO

-Adrian Martinez, RHP: Martinez was one of the bright spots of the 2021 Missions team. In 17 games, and 13 starts, he went 7-3 with a 2.34 ERA before being promoted to Triple-A El Paso. He was traded to the Oakland Athletics prior to the 2022 season and made his Major League debut in game two of the May 10th doubleheader against the Detroit Tigers. Martinez is currently a member of the Athletics.

-Gerardo Reyes, RHP: Reyes spent the entire 2018 season with the Missions and appeared in 31 games. He finished the season with a 1-2 record and a respectable 3.00 ERA while striking out 49 batters in 39 innings. After some success with Triple-A El Paso in 2019, he made his MLB debut with the San Diego Padres that same year. Now a member of the Los Angeles Angels, he appeared in two games for the club in 2022 while spending majority of the season with Triple-A Salt Lake.

-Luis Urias, Infielder: Urias spent the entire 2017 campaign in the Alamo City and played 118 games for the Missions. Batting nearly .300, he recorded 131 hits including 20 doubles and four triples. He followed that up with a stellar 2018 season with Triple-A El Paso which led to him making his Major League debut with the Padres that same year. The 5’9” infielder was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers ahead of the 2020 season and has since become a mainstay in their lineup.

-Cesar Vargas, RHP: Vargas pitched in 35 games for the Missions during the 2016 and 2017 seasons. Despite making just two starts in 2016, the right-hander made his big-league debut in April of that season and pitched in seven games before being sidelined with elbow soreness.

NICARAGUA

-None

PANAMA

-Allen Cordoba, Infielder: Cordoba had a stranger path to the big leagues than most players. A Rule 5 Draft pick of the San Diego Padres, Cordoba spent the 2017 season with the Padres and played in 100 games. Four years later, Cordoba played in 74 games for the Missions and finished the season with a .299 batting average. He signed a minor league deal with the Cincinnati Reds prior to the 2022 season but was released by the organization after 34 games with Triple-A Louisville.

-Javy Guerra, RHP: Guerra began his professional career as an infielder first played for the Missions during the 2017 season. Appearing in 39 games, he batted .212 with three homers. He made his Major League debut in 2018 and went 2-for-16 across 13 games. His struggles at the plate, plus a 100-MPH fastball, resulted in Guerra moving to the bullpen. Guerra made one appearance for the Missions in 2021 while on a rehab assignment. He made his first pitching appearance at the big-league level in 2019 and has since pitched in 44 games for the Padres, and Tampa Bay Rays. He was acquired by the Milwaukee Brewers in November of 2022.

-Carlos Luna, RHP: Luna started one game for the Missions during the 2019 season after the team was eliminated from playoff contention. He allowed one earned run on four hits in five innings of work while striking out five batters. He recently signed a minor league deal with the Minnesota Twins.

PUERTO RICO

-None

UNITED STATES

-Jason Adam, RHP: Adam appeared in one game for the Missions during the 2017 season and was released by the Padres two days later. He signed with the Kansas City Royals in August of 2017 and made his Major League debut the following season with the Royals. Since then, he has pitched in nearly 150 games for four different clubs. Adam currently pitches for the Tampa Bay Rays.

-David Bednar, RHP: Like Ronald Bolanos, Bednar never played in a regular season game for the Missions but did pitch in four games during the 2018 Texas League Postseason. In four innings of work, he allowed just one hit and struck out five batters. He made his big-league debut with the San Diego Padres in 2019. After being traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2021, he finished 8th in the National League Rookie of the Year voting and was named an All-Star in 2022.

-Dino Ebel, Thi_rd_ Base Coach: Ebel both played for the Missions and coached for the Missions in the 1990s. As an infielder, he played in 20 games for San Antonio during the 1991 season and batted .275. Five years later in 1996, he was a member of the Missions’ coaching staff. Ebel later became a Major League coach in 2006 with the Los Angeles Angels. He joined the Los Angeles Dodgers ahead of the 2019 season as the club’s new Third base coach and remains in that role today.

-Miles Mikolas, RHP: Mikolas appeared in 40 games for the Missions during the 2011 and 2012 season. A reliever at the time, he converted 13 saves for San Antonio out of 16 attempts. Following his success in 2012 with the Missions he debuted for the San Diego Padres in May of that year. Since then, he has pitched in nearly 150 games for three different organizations. He is a two-time All-Star with the St. Louis Cardinals and is expected to be a part of their rotation in 2023.

-Trea Turner, Infielder: A former 1st-round pick of the San Diego Padres, Turner made his Missions debut in 2015 and appeared in 58 games. After batting .322 with five homers, Turner was the final piece of an 11-player, three-team deal which sent him to the Washington Nationals. He made his Major League debut with the Nationals that same year. Since then, he has become one of the best shortstops in Major League Baseball and is a two-time All-Star and a World Series champion. He signed an 11-year, 300-million-dollar deal with the Philadelphia Phillies this offseason.

-Devin Williams, RHP: Williams appeared in just three games for the San Antonio Missions during the 2019 season. After a successful year with Double-A Biloxi, Williams tossed 3.2 scoreless innings while striking out six batters. This led him being called up by the Milwaukee Brewers in August of that year. Since his debut, he is 18-7 with a 2.03 ERA in 158 games for the Brewers. He was named National League Rookie of the Year in 2020 and was named an All-Star in 2022.

VENEZUELA

-None