[News] Blue Jays CF Wells out of WBC
DUNEDIN, Fla. (AP)—Toronto Blue Jays center fielder Vernon Wells will miss the
World Baseball Classic.
Team USA begins the first round March 7 with a game against Canada in Toronto.
Wells said insurance costs got in the way of him joining the team.
“I guess that was the issue a few weeks ago,”Wells said Friday.“I was
looking forward to playing there, seeing a bit of a different reaction from
some fans. … I'm pretty sure I'll be here in camp the whole time.”
“I'd love to be a part of it. I think it's an honor to play for your country.
I had a blast doing it the first time. And there was a sense of redeeming
ourselves because obviously we didn’t play too well the first time around.”
In 2006, Canada eliminated the United States in the second round.
Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston was all for Wells playing.
“I was hoping he'd go, too, because I know he really wanted to go,”Gaston
said.“He expressed that to me last year, especially because he feels like it
got him off to a great start.
“It's too bad he's not going. I could see where that would get him off to a
good start,”he said.
After the 2006 WBC, Wells opened the season batting .396 (with a .740 slugging
average) in April with nine home runs and 26 RBIs. He credited playing
meaningful games against top-shelf opposition, rather than spring training
games against rosters replete with minor leaguers, for his fast start.
“Mentally, you get locked in a lot quicker,”Wells said.“I mean, you have no
choice.”
Some teams, concerned about the potential for injuries, would prefer to keep
their players from participating in the tournament.
“I think there are more concerns with the pitchers than anything,”Wells said.
“Position players, we come back and have two weeks of pretty much just
at-bats.”
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