Current And Former NPB Players On 2023 World Baseball Classic Rosters

I want to wrap up my quick little series on the 2023 WBC rosters with a post about current and former NPB players on teams OTHER than Japan and Korea.  Actually just Japan because for the first time in WBC history, the Korean team doesn't have anyone who's played in NPB.

I came up with a list of 26 28 players on ten teams although I only have cards of 23 25 of them.  Daryl George of Australia and Frank Alvarez of Cuba only played for the ikusei squads of the Buffaloes and Dragons respectively making their cards harder to come by (although Steve Smith has shared a card of George with me in the past).  Additionally Yadir Drake of Cuba briefly played for the Fighters in 2017 but the only card I ever saw of his was from the Nippon-Ham "Home Run Sausage" set which I don't have.*  There's also a pitcher on the Canadian team, Evan Rutckyj, who is with the Niigata Albirex of the independent Baseball Challenge League.  I'm not counting him among the 26 28 players (and I don't have a card of him anyway).  UPDATE - someone left a comment letting me know that I forgot about Cesar Vargas of Mexico who playing for Orix in 2021-22.  I've updated the post.  UPDATE #2 - Saw a graphic during the Taiwan-Panama game this morning that listed another Taiwanese pitcher with NPB experience - Lu Yen-Ching.  I've again updated the post

*An interesting thing about Cuba's roster this time around - for the first time it contains players who defected from the country, both guys like Drake who later repatriated as well as guys who haven't like Luis Robert and Yoenis Cespedes.  (H/T Mischa Gelman)

Here's a list of the players and when they played in NPB:

Team	Player	NPB Career
Australia	Daryl George	Buffaloes 2017 (ikusei)
Australia	Chris Oxspring	Tigers 2006
Canada	Andrew Albers	Buffaloes 2018-20
Canada	Scott Mathieson	Giants 2012-19
China	Yusuke Masago	Hawks 2013-22
Chinese Taipei (Taiwan)	Chen Kuan-yu	Baystars 2011-14, Marines 2015-20
Chinese Taipei (Taiwan)	CC Lee	Lons 2016
Chinese Taipei (Taiwan)	Lu Yen-ching	Tigers 2018-20
Chinese Taipei (Taiwan)	Sung Chia-hao	Eagles 2016-present
Chinese Taipei (Taiwan)	Wang Po-jung	Fighters 2019-present
Chinese Taipei (Taiwan)	Wu Nien-ting	Lions 2016-present
Cuba	Frank Alvarez	Dragons 2022 (ikusei)
Cuba	Alfredo Despaigne	Marines 2014-16, Haawks 2017-22
Cuba	Yadir Drake	Fighters 2017
Cuba	Onelki Garcia	Dragons 2018, Tigers 2019-20
Cuba	Yurisbel Gracial	Hawks 2018-22
Cuba	Ariel Martinez	Dragons 2018-22, Fighters 2023-present
Cuba	Raidel Martinez	Dragons 2017-present
Cuba	Livan Moinelo	Hawks 2017-present
Cuba	Yariel Rodriguez	Dragons 2020-present
Cuba	Roel Santos	Marines 2017
Mexico	Joey Meneses	Buffaloes 2019
Mexico	Cesar Vargas	Buffaloes 2021-22
Netherlands	Wladimir Balentien	Swallows 2011-19, Hawks 2020-21
Puerto Rico	Neftali Soto	Baystars 2018-present
USA	Nick Martinez	Fighters 2018-20, Hawks 2021
USA	Miles Mikolas	Giants 2015-17
Venezuela	Edwin Escobar	Fighters 2017, Baystars 2017-present

Finally, here are the 23 25 players I have cards for:

2006 BBM Tigers #033

2018 BBM 2nd Version #431

2019 Calbee #195

2020 BBM Hawks #H66

2016 BBM 1st Version #063

2016 BBM Lions #L32

2020 BBM Tigers #T11

2020 Eagles 1st Version #18

2021 Calbee #IL-05 (Wang Po-jung)

2020 BBM Lions #L49

2021 BBM Hawks #H65

2019 BBM 2nd Version #497

2021 Epoch Hawks Rookies & Stars #23

2021 BBM Dragons #D39

2019 BBM Dragons #D32

2022 Topps NPB #7

2022 BBM 2nd Version #448

2017 BBM Genesis #027

2019 BBM 1st Version #097

2021 BBM Fusion #615

2012 BBM Swallows #S59

2022 Topps NPB #2

2021 BBM 2nd Version #339

2015 BBM Giants #G15

2020 BBM 1st Version #200