5 Blue Jays with something to prove at World Baseball Classic

Barring any additions, the Toronto Blue Jays will have 10 players (including minor leaguers) playing at the 2023 World Baseball Classic on March 7.

For some, this international tournament offers a chance to dazzle on the world stage and bring a championship to their home country. Others, like the non-roster guys, will be grateful for the opportunity to develop, train, and compete among the world’s best athletes.

So, which Blue Jays players have the most to gain from a solid performance at the WBC? Let’s take a look.

SP José Berríos, Puerto Rico

Berríos has more mileage than your average 28-year-old hurler, and that experience carries into international play. The righty will pitch for Puerto Rico again after donning the blue, red, and white in 2013 and 2017 (two silver-medal victories). He got knocked around a bit in the last tournament, pitching 6.2 innings over two appearances and allowing an 8.10 ERA.

The stakes are higher than ever for Berríos at the 2023 WBC. Coming off a season where he fell very short of living up to ace status for the Blue Jays, all eyes will be on him during Group Stage play. Berríos will be the team’s second starter behind Marcus Stroman, meaning he’ll have to eat innings. To do that, he must miss bats, or at the very least limit hard contact.

Berríos rode the pain express from spring training all the way to the end of the 2022 season. Teams mashed him, plain and simple, as evidenced by his 5.23 ERA. Blue Jays fans are dying to know if 2022 was a fluke, or if the smooth-tossing workhorse starter with the devastating power curveball is gone for good. In that light, no Blue Jays player has more to prove at the WBC than Berríos.

C Alejandro Kirk, Mexico

The Tijuana native is one of the best young catchers in the game, so naturally Team Mexico came calling. The 24-year-old will make his first WBC appearance this year, likely slotting into the middle of the club’s order. Mexico has some strong hitters (Randy Arozarena, Rowdy Tellez, Isaac Paredes), but Kirk will be counted on for high-leverage appearances at the plate.

Kirk is a gamebreaker – at least that’s how I see him. His on-base senses and timely power keep him cool under pressure, chiseling him for the game’s biggest moments. After earning an All-Star nod, Kirk and his power faded down the stretch of 2022, so it’ll be worth watching if he gets any loft on his big hacks or if he’s pounding balls into the ground.

There’s the added challenge of catching an entirely new pitching staff, too. Headlined by Julio Urias, Jose Urquidy and Taijuan Walker, Mexico’s starting staff is strong and the club will count on Kirk for leadership behind the plate. In a big tournament like this, the Blue Jays will want to see him own the moment and take charge. That means his pitch-calling needs to be sharp and decisive. Even with a new staff, I imagine the Blue Jays will want to see their young backstop learn from this experience and develop more assertion when commanding pitchers.

1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Dominican Republic

Vladdy doesn’t have anything to prove, does he? No, not necessarily, but this is still a big tournament for the 23-year-old slugger. Guerrero, one of the biggest stars at the WBC, will be counted on for production, even in a Dominican order that is easily the best in the tournament.

Coming off a down year (by his lofty standards), Guerrero needs a pick-me-up. He carried a peculiar aura during his MVP-calibre 2021 season – like something magical might happen during any at-bat – and needs that energy to return. I often think back to Guerrero’s massive home run off Max Scherzer at the 2021 All-Star Game at Coors Field, a contest for which he was given MVP honours. That was a classic example of a pure superstar shining on the brightest stage. Guerrero collected some big hits in 2022 – including multiple walk-offs – but the vibrance wasn’t always there.

Guerrero will have plenty of chances to drive guys in. Maybe he steals the show at the 2023 WBC.

SS Otto Lopez, Canada & 1B/OF Spencer Horwitz, Israel

Lopez and Horwitz will likely get the most WBC playing time among Blue Jays minor leaguers.

The Montreal-born Lopez could very easily wind up logging reps as Canada’s starting shortstop for most of the tournament, which would be a big test. The 24-year-old has been the ultimate utility guy with Toronto, albeit in limited opportunities, playing shortstop, second base, and centre field in nine MLB games. My gut tells me his future lies as a second baseman or platoon outfielder, so his performance at shortstop during the WBC could either dispel or reinforce that notion.

Horwitz has been hammering baseballs in the minor leagues. The 25-year-old had an .843 OPS last season split between Double-A and Triple-A, which should earn him some at-bats with Team Israel. Horwitz, a left-handed hitter who plays first base and corner outfield, will now (finally) get a chance to prove his worth versus top-level pitching. If he aces the test and carries that momentum into spring training, a call to the Blue Jays roster won’t be far away.

More from Yahoo Sports