Albert Pujols is clear about the mission of the Dominican Republic in the next World Baseball Classic and that is to win the tournament for the second time.
The leader of the Dominican team has been working with the manager of the national team, Nelson Cruz, in the formation of the squad of players that will represent the country in the tournament and assured that it is practically ready.
“I think 95 percent of the roster is already set. The other 5 percent is because we have been scouting several guys who are playing in the winter league who also have that chance to represent, and I believe that our country and the fans will be happy and satisfied with the roster that Nelson Cruz and I and the group are forming,” Pujols said during an interview on the Dominican radio program Z Deportes.
Pujols is aware of the importance of putting together a competitive team for the next tournament, taking into account the results that were had in 2023, where the Dominican team was eliminated in the first round.
“I think that with the team we are putting together, in which the guys know that in the past Classic they did not represent the country as everyone was expecting, everyone knows that we have a responsibility and the responsibility is to try to win that championship once again. I can tell you that all the guys who were representing us in the past Classic gave it their all and the discipline has always been there. These are things that happen in baseball, it’s a learning experience to try to prepare ourselves better,” Pujols stated.
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Dominican Republic is in Group D of the next World Baseball Classic, which it shares with Venezuela, Netherlands, Israel, and Nicaragua. It last advanced to the second stage of the tournament during the 2017 edition and is coming off a participation in which it ended up being eliminated after defeats in the first phase against Puerto Rico and against the Venezuelans.
