At 22, Brooklyn Foster is no older than the majority of his teammates wearing Canada's national baseball team colours. But only a handful can match his WBC resume.
Foster is playing in his third WBC tournament and if he keeps playing like he did in Tuesday's opener against Team USA it will be his most memorable assignment at Citizen Field.
The Langley Blaze senior ball veteran was a spry octopus on defence for nine innings wearing his catcher's gear and was equally impressive with a bat in his hand, going three-for-five in a 13-6 loss to the U.S. Better still, Foster is playing in his hometown, a rare opportunity to showcase the talents that got him drafted in the 43rd round by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2009.
"It's always nice to come home and there was a great turnout of fans, just trying to help the team win, and get a couple knocks here in front of friends and family is always special," said Foster.
After a broken-bat single, Foster was on second base with the bases loaded in the seventh inning when teammate Brandon Hunter (another P.G. guy) clubbed a grand slam that made it a 9-6 game. It wasn't enough to trigger a total comeback but it gave Foster confidence in his team's abilities.
"We had little sparks of life but it was a tough ball game to be a part of," said Foster.
Foster was enrolled at Iowa Western Community College when he played in the 2009 WBC for the Prince George Westcana Axemen and in 2011 he returned to the WBC as a member of Team Canada while finishing off his college career for the Canisus College Griffins in Buffalo, N.Y.
"Every time it gets a little easier dealing with the atmosphere and crowd playing in bigger places in college but every game you get pre-game jitters and it's always special to play for Team Canada," said Foster.
Foster, who lives in Langley with his family, is one of three Prince George-raised catchers on Team Canada. Jeremy Kral and Cole Laviolette also wear the maple leaf along with catcher Larry Bilkwell of Ontario. Team Canada manager Darren Doucette has known Foster since Prince George hosted the 2002 Baseball Canada Senior Championship.
"I remember Brooklyn when he was a little kid and now he's a leader and he's going to be a big part of this team," said Doucette. "Whether we win or lose, he's going to be a big contributor to this team."
Canada, which plays Japan tonight at 7, had the day off Wednesday to practice and work out some of the bugs that popped up at inopportune times in their first game.
n As defending champions of the WBC, Cuba is considered the team to beat, but if you ask the Cubans, they aren't about to make any bold predictions of another championship celebration when the tournament wraps up next Thursday.
The Ciego de Avlila Tigres (Tigers) earned the right to represent Cuba at the 2013 WBC as a result of winning the league championship in 2012. They are a club team, unlike the Cuban national team which came to Prince George for the 2011 WBC. According to Antonio Diaz Susavila, vice-president of the Cuban Baseball Federation, the Tigres are the first club team ever to represent Cuba at an international baseball tournament.
"We come here to play and the principal [objective] is to go out and win every game and bring a good show, because for the first time a provincial team is representing Cuba in this kind of tournament," said Susavila, through an interpreter.
"Generally, no manager selects the rival [team], but if we go to the final we would like to play the best. If it is Canada, that would be even better."
Susavila admits the Tigres are not as strong as the team that came to Prince George in 2011 but they have plenty of national team experience. Three of the Tigres played for Cuba at the 2013 World Baseball Classic -- infielder Raul Gonzalez and pitchers Vladimir Garcia and Yander Guevara. While they lack the national team star attractions, their team chemistry and familiarity with each makes for a powerful mix.
"Of course, that helps," said Susavila.
The Cubans landed in Toronto and saw only the airport and they won't get time for much sightseeing on the return trip once the tournament ends. They do like Prince George and are impressed with the field conditions at Citizen Field.
"Prince George is quiet and very clean and the weather is nice," said Susavila. "We have been very well taken care of here."
n Cuba's national team lost one of its best players this week when first baseman Jose Dariel Abreu defected from his Cienfuegos club team while travelling in Haiti, later crossing to the Dominican Republic. Abreu had a .360 batting average with three home runs and drove in nine runs in the 2013 World Baseball Classic in March.
Abreu was the all-star first baseman for Cuba in the 2011 World Baseball Challenge in Prince George. His teammate on that team, pitcher Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez, also defected and last month signed a $48 million six-year contract to play for the Philadelphia Phillies. Abreu is considered a free agent and will likely sign a seven-figure deal with a major league team.
