José Urquidy Declares for Team Mexico at World Baseball Classic

Houston Astros pitcher José Urquidy declared his intentions to play for Team Mexico at the World Baseball Classic in 2023.

Author:
Ben Silver
Publish date:
Sep 17, 2022 12:57 PM EDT

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Houston Astros

Through just four Major League seasons José Urquidy has been a picture of consistency. His single-season ERA has never climbed above 4.00 and his career average is 3.64.

He's taken on the challenge of MLB very well, solidifying his spot in perhaps the most competitive rotation in the sport. Now Urquidy looks to take on a new challenge. Following the Houston Astros' Friday night win over the Oakland Athletics, he declared his intentions to play for Team Mexico at the World Baseball Classic.

Mexico will share Group C with Team USA, Team Canada and Team Colombia during the first round in Phoenix, Arizona. Those games will take place from Mar. 11-15. One qualifier team will be added to Group C before the beginning of the tournament.

Ideally, Team Mexico should sport a very strong roster. There are many MLB stars of Mexican nationality scattered throughout the Major Leagues, the most notable being Julio Urias, Alejandro Kirk, Luis Urias, Alex Verdugo and 2022 breakout Isaac Paredes among others.

Urias, who lays claim to the lowest ERA in the National League, has already committed to playing for Mexico. Whoever ends up on their roster, one thing is for certain, Mexico will have once of the best starting pitcher duos at the tournament.

Among other Astros recently committed to the WBC, Carlos Lee is listed on MLB's website as a manager for Team Panama. Apparently, he and Luis Ortiz will share skipper duties.

Lee spent six seasons in an Astros uniform from 2007-2012, slashing .286/.338/.479 with 133 home runs, primarily starting in left field.

Meanwhile, former Astros farmhand Rogelio Armenteros declared for Team Spain. He pitched 18.0 innings for Houston in 2019, but never tasted more than a cup of coffee at the Major League level.