FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 10, 2019 Contact: Brad Young – [email protected], (919) 474-8721 x212

USA NAMES PREMIER12 ROSTER The Premier12 tournament is the first opportunity for Team USA to qualify for 2020

DURHAM, N.C. – USA Baseball named its roster for the World Baseball Confederation (WBSC) Premier12™ on Thursday. The 28-man roster is made up of 15 and 13 position players currently not on an MLB 40-man roster, and features six former national team alumni and seven of the MLB Pipeline top-100 prospects.

The U.S. will begin the WBSC Premier12™ in Guadalajara, Mexico, from November 2-4 as a member of Group A with the Dominican Republic, Mexico and the Netherlands. The top two nations from Group A will advance to the Super Round in Tokyo from November 11-16.

The tournament is the first opportunity for Team USA to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. The top finisher from both the Americas territory and Asia/Oceania territory (excluding ) will join host-country Japan and WBSC Baseball Europe/Africa Olympic Qualifier champion Israel in the six-team Olympic tournament. The final two Olympic berths will be decided in March 2020.

“It is an honor to welcome a group of immensely talented athletes to Team USA as we begin the qualification process for Tokyo 2020,” said USA Baseball Executive Director and CEO Paul Seiler. “Our goal during the selection process was to identify and piece together a roster that included a combination of both young and veteran baseball players that complement each other on and off the field. These 28 men are exemplary talents and individuals, and we are confident they will represent the United States proudly on the international stage.”

Brooks Pounders (RHP, ) is one of six Team USA alumni on the roster and is the lone returning member from the inaugural Premier12™ roster that won the silver medal in 2015. Also returning to a USA Baseball national team is (C, ) and (INF, ), as well as (RHP, ) and his Collegiate National Team teammates (INF, Boston Red Sox) and Tyler Johnson (RHP, Chicago White Sox).

Jo Adell (OF, ) is the top-rated prospect on the roster, ranking fifth of the top-100 by MLB Pipeline. Also on the list is No. 21 Vaughn, No. 23 (OF, ), No. 34 (INF, ), No. 72 (INF, ), No. 88 (RHP, Philadelphia Phillies) and No. 100 (C, ).

The Boston Red Sox lead all Major League clubs with four players from its farm system on the roster in C.J. Chatham (INF), Dalbec, Houck and (RHP). The Philadelphia Phillies have three prospects on the roster while the Atlanta Braves, Chicago White Sox, , and all boast a pair of prospects on the roster as well. The remaining players are a part of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Los Angeles Angels, , New York Mets, New York Yankees, San Diego Padres, , , and systems, and (RHP) joins the roster as a member of the Orix Buffaloes in Japan’s Nippon league.

Four-time Champion was named the of the Premier12™ roster in August and is joined by a coaching staff laden with international experience. Bench , Coach Roly de Armas, Hitting Coach , Pitching Coach , Third Base Coach and First Base Coach collectively have 21 years of playing and coaching experience with Team USA, winning seven gold medals.

The team will train in Surprise, Arizona, from October 21-28 at the Kansas City Royals facility before traveling to Mexico for the opening round of the Premier12™.

For more information on USA Baseball and the WBSC Premier12™, follow @USABaseball on Facebook, Instagram and .

USA Baseball Premier12™ Roster (Name; Position; Hometown; 2019 Organization)

Jo Adell; OF; Louisville, Ky.; Los Angeles Angels Clayton Andrews; LHP; Petaluma, Calif.; Milwaukee Brewers Alec Bohm; INF; Omaha, Neb.; Philadelphia Phillies C.J. Chatham; INF; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Boston Red Sox ; INF; St. Clair, Mich.; Tampa Bay Rays Bobby Dalbec; INF; Seattle, Wash.; Boston Red Sox Brandon Dickson; RHP; Montgomery, Ala.; Orix Buffaloes ; RHP; Zionsville, Ind.; Oakland Athletics Xavier Edwards; INF; Mineola, N.Y.; San Diego Padres J.P Feyereisen; RHP; River Falls, Wis.; Milwaukee Brewers ; LHP; Tulsa, Okla.; Kansas City Royals ; C; Boca Raton, Fla.; Washington Nationals Tanner Houck; RHP; Collinsville, Ill.; Boston Red Sox Spencer Howard; RHP; San Luis Obispo, Calif.; Philadelphia Phillies Tyler Johnson; RHP; Midlothian, Va.; Chicago White Sox Erik Kratz; C; Telford, Pa.; New York Yankees ; RHP; Spokane, Wash.; Seattle Mariners ; OF; Orland Park, Ill.; Oakland Athletics

Brooks Pounders; RHP; Riverside, Calif.; New York Mets ; LHP; Lafayette, Ind.; Toronto Blue Jays ; OF; Germantown, Tenn.; Minnesota Twins ; RHP; Laguna Hills, Calif.; Philadelphia Phillies Noah Song; RHP; Pomona, Calif.; Boston Red Sox ; LHP; Northfield, Minn.; Atlanta Braves ; LHP; Sioux City, Iowa; Kansas City Royals Daulton Varsho; C/OF; Chili, Wisc.; Arizona Diamondbacks Andrew Vaughn; IF; Santa Rosa, Calif.; Chicago White Sox Drew Waters; OF; Woodstock, Ga.; Atlanta Braves

About USA Baseball USA Baseball is the national governing body for the sport of baseball in the United States and is a member of the United States Olympic Committee and the World Baseball Softball Confederation. The organization selects and trains the , Olympic, Premier12 and Pan Am teams (and all other USA Baseball Professional Teams); the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team; the USA Baseball 18U, 15U and 12U National Teams; and the USA Baseball Women’s National Team, all of which participate in various international competitions each year. The organization is responsible for the continued proliferation and health of the sport, and leads a number of amateur initiatives including PLAYBALL and Pitch Smart. USA Baseball also presents the annually to the top amateur baseball player in the country. For more information, please visit the organization’s official websites: USABaseball.com, USABaseball.Education, PLAYBALL.org, PitchSmart.org, GoldenSpikesAward.com and USABaseballShop.com.