Cleveland Indians: Several stars about to depart camp for WBC

The World Baseball Classic begins Monday, meaning several key Cleveland Indians players are leaving Goodyear to take part in the event.

While Cleveland Indians fans are hoping for a quiet spring training, the stress levels may rise this week when the World Baseball Classic begins.

The tournament begins Monday at 4:30 a.m. EST, when Israel takes on Korea in Seoul, with group play continuing throughout the week.

The Indians are sending 11 players to the event, although four stand out above the rest. Andrew Miller, Carlos Santana, Roberto Perez, and Francisco Lindor are all set to star in the event, which may strike fear into the hearts of some Indians fans.

While it will be nice to see the players in some competitive action once again, it would be nicer if we could all just wait for the regular season to see them back in a meaningful game.

Fans may not be worrying as much about Santana, Perez, and Lindor, but that does not hold true for Miller. The lefty reliever is one of the most important members of the Indians’ 25-man roster, and his health will determine how the entire pitching staff will be used throughout the 2017 season.

His 19.1 innings of relief in the postseason should not have a major effect on his status for 2017, but it is still early in the year to be seeing meaningful work.

Team USA’s first game is Friday against Colombia, followed by a game against the Dominican Republic on Saturday and one against Canada on Sunday. The top two teams from each pool advance, so maybe some Indians fans will secretly be rooting against Team USA next weekend.

But Team USA manager Jim Leyland is not going to jeopardize anyone’s MLB season in the WBC, so don’t expect Miller to be overworked at any point in the event. With a full roster of pitchers and only three games in group play, there is no need for any reliever to log more than one inning of work in a single game, and no reason for anyone to pitch on consecutive days.

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So don’t be nervous while watching Indians players take part in the WBC. If anything, the early competition will help with the mental preparation for the 2017 MLB season. It will also allow some young players fighting for a job to stand out in spring training, which should make for some great action out in Arizona over the next two weeks.