Nine Royals named to provisional rosters for 2013 World Baseball Classic

KANSAS CITY, MO (January 17, 2013) – World Baseball Classic, Inc. today announced provisional rosters for the 2013 World Baseball Classic, which will be held from March 2 – 19.  Nine players from the Royals organization were named to the provisional squads, including six players on Kansas City’s 40-man roster.

The selections are as follows:  Left-handed pitchers Bruce Chen (China) and Tim Collins (United States), right-handed pitchers Kelvin Herrera (Dominican Republic), Luis Mendoza (Mexico) and J.C. Sulbaran (The Netherlands), catcher Salvador Perez (Venezuela), infielders Irving Falu (Puerto Rico) and Miguel Tejada (Dominican Republic), and outfielder Paulo Orlando (Brazil).  Chen, Collins, Falu, Herrera, Mendoza and Perez played for Kansas City in 2012.  Tejada is a non-roster invitee to 2013 spring training, while Orlando and Sulbaran are both on the Double-A Northwest Arkansas roster.  Chen will become the first Major Leaguer to represent China in the event.