Netherlands World Baseball Classic roster: Xander Bogaerts, Kenley Jansen headline 2023 WBC team

The Netherlands has been one of the World Baseball Classic's sneaky great teams in recent years.

With its connection to Aruba and Curaçao, the Kingdom of the Netherlands has consistently had standout teams, with players like Xander Bogaerts, Andruw Jones and Kenley Jansen having highlighted past and present teams. The Netherlands teams have been a semifinalist in the World Baseball Classic in back-to-back editions of the games.

The roster is back in a strong position for 2023. Bogaerts and Jansen lead the 2023 team, but there are a number of names that have carved out productive MLB careers.

Here's all you need to know about Netherlands' World Baseball Classic roster.

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Netherlands World Baseball Classic 2023 roster

The Dutch baseball team is loaded with familiar names, highlighted by Bogaerts and Jansen.

Pitchers

Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Netherlands World Baseball Classic players to watch

The infield for the Netherlands is loaded with notable names. There's no bigger name on the list than Bogaerts. The four-time All-Star and five-time Silver Slugger is coming off a 2022 campaign in which he slashed .307/.377/.456 with 15 home runs and eight stolen bases in his final year with the Red Sox before signing an 11-year deal with the Padres.

The other big star on the roster is Red Sox reliever Jansen, a three-time All-Star and 2020 World Series champion. Jansen has been one of the best closers in baseball, ranking eighth all time in saves at 391 and having four times surpassed 40 saves in a season. Last year with the Braves, he had a 3.38 ERA with 41 saves in 64 innings of work.

There are also three pairs of brothers on the squad: Jonathan and Sharlon Schoop, and Richie and Josh Palacios, and Jurickson and Juremi Profar. Jonathan Schoop has launched at least 20 home runs in five different seasons in the majors. Sharlon Schoop spent 13 years in the minors, and has played several seasons in Dutch professional baseball.

Richie Palacios debuted with the Guardians in 2022 after rising up through the minors as one of the team's top prospects, posting a .279/.371/.484 slash line in Triple-A with four home runs and 12 steals in 45 games. His brother, Josh Palacios, has had two different MLB stints, most recently playing for the Nationals in 2022 and having another with the Blue Jays in 2021. He is currently in the Pirates system. Last year in Triple-A, he slashed .294/.379/.439 with nine home runs and 21 steals in 82 games.

Major league veteran Jurickson Profar is currently a free agent after spending the last three seasons with the Padres. The 30-year-old slashed .243/.331/.391 last season with 36 doubles and 15 homers in 152 games. Younger brother Juremi, 27, spent several years in the Rangers' farm system but hasn't played with an MLB-affiliated team since 2019. 

MORE: World Baseball Classic 2023 schedule

The rest of the infield is also loaded with standouts. Andrelton Simmons and Didi Gregorious have enjoyed standout MLB careers, though are currently still free agents. The pitching staff also has several current or former MLB arms, including 2011 All-Star Jair Jurrjens and 2016 World Series champion reliever Pedro Strop.

Who is coaching the Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic?

The coaching staff for the Netherlands is loaded with familiar names. Hensley Meulens, the Rockies' hitting coach, is the manager of the team. He's got several former big leaguers on his staff, including Hall of Fame hurler Bert Blyleven, who is the team's pitching coach, and Jones, a five-time All-Star, as the team's bench coach. Other former big leaguers on the staff include Gene Kingsale (first base coach) and pitcher Mike Harkey (bullpen coach).

The staff also includes Tjerk Smeets as the hitting coach, Ben Thijssen as the third base coach and Evert-Jan 't Hoen as the quality control coach.

MORE: MLB team-by-team WBC breakdown

Netherlands World Baseball Classic history

The Netherlands has generally been one of the stronger teams in the World Baseball Classic since the first edition of the games back in 2006. The Netherlands lost to Puerto Rico and Cuba in the pool play, but finished strong with a win against Panama to finish third in Pool C.

Three years later, the Netherlands advanced out of the first round to reach the second, where it lost first to Venezuela, which would wind up finishing third overall in the tournament, and then lost to the United States, which would place fourth overall.

It continued making steps forward in 2013, when the Netherlands advanced out of pool play by finishing second in the second round's Pool 1 and earning a trip to the semifinals, where it fell to the Dominican Republic, which would go on to be the champion. The Dutch had a similar run in 2017, advancing past pool play before losing to Puerto Rico, which would wind up losing to the United States in the championship.

Because of its past success, the Netherlands was an automatic qualifier to the 2023 edition of the World Baseball Classic.

Team Netherlands baseball World Baseball Classic 2023 schedule

In Pool A, the Netherlands will be the first and the last game. It will start against Cuba on March 7 at 11 p.m. ET, and will wrap up pool play on March 12 against Italy at 7 a.m. ET.

Here's a look at Netherland's schedule in the World Baseball Classic.