The remaining five players elected to fill out the Provisional Roster will be announced at a later date.

The roster features 12 players who played Major League Baseball in 2012 including Justin Morneau of the Minnesota Twins, Russell Martin of the Pittsburgh Pirates, John Axford of the Milwaukee Brewers, Jesse Crain of the Chicago White Sox, Michael Saunders of the Seattle Mariners and Brett Lawrie of the Toronto Blue Jays.

Also being named to the roster are some familiar names with the National Team including Chris Robinson (Dorchester, ON), Jimmy Van Ostrand (Richmond, BC), Jonathan Malo (Joliette, QC) and Adam Loewen (Surrey, BC).

“I’m pleased to see that our roster consists of many players that have worn the Canadian colours before with our National Teams program,” said Canadian Manager Ernie Whitt. “The familiarity our players have with one another, and the coaching staff, will be beneficial in a short tournament like the World Baseball Classic.”

Of the 23 players, 8 were part of the World Baseball Classic in 2009 which includes Phillippe Aumont, Crain, Chris Leroux, Martin, Lawrie, Morneau, Pete Orr and Saunders. Players from the inaugural 2006 World Baseball Classic roster include Crain, Scott Mathieson, Robinson, Morneau, Orr and Loewen.