Here you go, Canada’s World Baseball Classic Roster. You might notice the glaring exemption of Larry Walker, and wonder if he’s still a Canuck. Larry, who missed a good portion of ‘05 with a neck injury, is probably out of baseball at any level for the rest of his life. He’s got a bad disc in his neck, and even taking in the groceries is enough to put him in a brace for a few days.

As for Rich Harden and Eric Gagne, they’re both iffy coming off injuries. Harden had some back and side problems last year and Gagne is dealing with (what I believe) are going to become serious elbow issues.

Canada’s strength is clearly its pitching. Erik Bedard is going to be good this year, and Jeff Francis can win pitching below sea-level. Even the relief pitching is decent with Reitsma, Crain, Cormier, and Quantrill.

There aren’t a lot of high-level prospects here (with the exception of Martin and Loewen), but the team does have a nice selection of solid ball-players and left-handed pitching. Stubby Clapp is a character guy and there are enough veterans here to make sure the younger guys stay focused.

I can see this team finishing in the Top 5. And if everything breaks right there could even be a bronze medal in the offing. I can see the lineup going:

Orr
Klassen
Bay
Morneau
Koskie
Stairs
Guiel
Radmanovich
Laforest

Bay and Koskie are righties, so Morneau should split them up. Guiel and Stairs are both lefties. You may see Aaron at the top of the order and Orr at the bottom. Klassen can hit (he had a .375 OBP in AAA with 7 SBs) and you need someone with speed at the top. Pete Orr hit .300 for Richmond in ‘04, and notched 24 SBs with a .349 OBP. So both of those guys are decent options in the lead-off spot. Bay is a #3 hitter, and LaForest is a natural #9. I’ve always thought Guiel was a decent player and he should be a good 6 or 7.

Here’s the roster with organization info. and level in brackets.

Pitching
Erik Bedard (Orioles)
Rheal Cormier (Phillies)
Jesse Crain (Twins)
Eric Cyr (Angels, AAA)
Jeff Francis (Rockies)
Adam Loewen (Orioles, A)
Paul Quantrill
Chris Reitsma (Braves)

Catchers
Pierre Luc-Laforest (Devil Rays, AAA)
Russell Martin (Dodgers, A)
Maxim St. Pierre (Tigers, AA)

Infielders
Justin Morneau (Twins)
Scott Thorman (Braves, AA)
Stubby Clapp (Independent)
Peter Orr (Braves)
Corey Koskie (Brewers)
Danny Klassen (Astros, AAA)
Kevin Nicholson (Independent)

Outfielders
Jason Bay (Pirates)
Aaron Guiel (Royals, AAA)
Ryan Radmanovich (Independent)
Matt Stairs (Royals)
Adam Stern (Red Sox, AAA)