D-backs prospect Daulton Varsho selected for USA Baseball tournament
Oct 10, 2019, 9:34 AM | Updated: 9:36 am
Daulton Varsho #25 of the National League Futures Team bats during the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game at Progressive Field (Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
(Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
USA Baseball announced its 28-man roster on Thursday that will travel to Guadalajara, Mexico for the World Baseball Softball Confederation Premier12 tournament.
The Arizona Diamondbacks’ No. 5 prospect Daulton Varsho is among the players to make the list.
Varsho is the top 100 prospect in the MLB pipeline and currently plays for the D-backs’ Double-A affiliate, the Jackson Generals. He’s also the son of former major leaguer Gary Varsho.
The D-backs previously named him their 2019 organizational player of the year. The catcher/outfielder finished the season with a .301 batting average, 18 home runs, 58 RBI and 21 stolen bases.
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The Premier12 team will begin training in Surprise Oct. 21 at Surprise Stadium.
“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,” USA Baseball executive director and CEO Paul Seiler said in a press release. “These 28 men are exemplary talents and individuals, and we are confident they will represent the United States proudly on the international stage.”
The team is comprised of players not already on USA Baseball’s 40-man roster.
The team features six additional top prospects from the MLB Pipeline including Los Angeles Angels outfielder Jo Adell (No. 5), Philadelphia Phillies infielder Alec Bohm (No. 34) and right-handed pitcher Spencer Howard (No. 88), San Diego Padres infielder Xavier Edwards (No. 72), Chicago White Sox infielder Andrew Vaughn (No. 21) and Atlanta Braves outfielder Draw Waters (No. 23).
The tournament will be USA Baseball’s first opportunity to qualify for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Its first game will be Nov. 2 against the Netherlands where it will rotate through group play against the Dominican Republic and Mexico as well. The top two teams from each pool will advance to the Super Round in Tokyo from Nov. 11-16.
Former Miami Marlins and New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi will lead the team.
