These Marlins are moved by Classic opportunity

This story was excerpted from Christina De Nicola’s Marlins Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

JUPITER, Fla. -- The World Baseball Classic is set for another thrilling installment, beginning stateside this Friday.

This time around, there will be eight players on the Marlins’ 40-man roster representing five federations in the global tournament.

The trio of Otto Lopez, Owen Caissie and Liam Hicks (Canada) will be in San Juan, Puerto Rico, for Pool A. Jakob Marsee (Italy) and Jared Serna (Mexico) are part of Pool B in Houston. Sandy Alcantara, who is scheduled to start on March 11, and Agustín Ramírez (Dominican Republic) and Javier Sanoja (Venezuela) get to play at loanDepot park in Pool D.

“I like the World Baseball Classic,” manager Clayton McCullough said. “Certainly everyone probably has some trepidation [about] their players going off and playing and what may happen. I think it's been a great thing for baseball, globally, how our game was able to grow with an event like this.

“You see the number of very recognizable names that are signing up to play. It shows the importance that they place on it. I think it's a great opportunity to go play in a very competitive environment as well as create as much fanfare as we can and spread our game around the world.”

Here’s a breakdown of those Marlins participating in the tournament and what they had to say about the opportunity

RHP Sandy Alcantara
Country: Dominican Republic
World Baseball Classic appearances: 2026, ‘23
“Great. Feel always great to represent my country, play for my Dominican Republic. I think all the Latin players that play sports, they have to feel grateful and thankful to represent their country, and be out there and show the people what you can do for your country.”

C Agustín Ramírez
Country: Dominican Republic
World Baseball Classic appearances: 2026
“It's a good experience. You've got the best players in that setting. It's going to be a great experience for me, and that I can bring to this season. They gave me the call. I was very excited when I received it. They spoke about my personality and how I handle myself, and that's something that I was very grateful for. So I'll be there just representing my country and giving the best I’ve got.” -- via interpreter Luis Dorante Jr.

UTIL Javier Sanoja
Country: Venezuela
World Baseball Classic appearances: 2026
“It's another dream come true. When I did it, I was a little kid, representing my country. Being able to do it now on this professional level means a lot to me, because it's a tournament that everybody comes together to represent your country and work so hard for the victory. I'm anxious. I just want to start this tournament right away, and I'm very happy and grateful for it.” -- via Dorante

OF Jakob Marsee
Country: Italy
World Baseball Classic appearances: 2026
“Really excited to go and play for Italy, represent my family, and just really excited to go represent Italy and go win some games with those guys and be able to play some meaningful games early on. They play hard. It's kind of like our group: Play hard, and they compete, have a lot of fun together. Just looking forward to being part of that group.”

SS Otto Lopez
Country: Canada
World Baseball Classic appearances: 2026, ‘23
“I'm very excited for the WBC, representing Team Canada. It's one of the most exciting things that I've done. Three years [ago when] I played there, it was amazing. It was an amazing experience. I can't wait to go again and prove that. And I have teammates from our Marlins [this time]. … We feel super proud of it, and we would like to be there enjoying it.”

OF Owen Caissie
Country: Canada
World Baseball Classic appearances: 2026, ‘23
“It's a prestigious thing to play in, and I think guys are realizing that it not only is a great event to play in, but it gets you ready for the season. The last time I did it, I couldn't stop raving to my buddies about it. 'Hey, like, if you ever get the chance, do it, because you'll never feel a) more proud in your life and b) more ready for the season.'”

C Liam Hicks
Country: Canada
World Baseball Classic appearances: 2026
“It's exciting. It’s an honor to be chosen, and it's something that I wanted to play for Team Canada my whole life growing up. They have a junior national team, which I never got to play on for all the kids under 18. So obviously, now, getting better throughout the years, really excited to finally get the opportunity.”

INF Jared Serna
Country: Mexico
World Baseball Classic appearances: 2026
"I feel a lot of emotions, a lot of pride to be able to represent Mexico in the World Baseball Classic. Truthfully, I don’t have the words to describe what I feel in the moment, but I just feel so much pride to be able to wear Mexico’s colors across my chest.” -- via interpreter Danny Sanchez