When Team Mexico set their starting rotation for their upcoming World Baseball Classic ties over a week ago, they did so with some elite talent represented. Julio Urias, Jose Urquidy, Taijuan Walker, and Patrick Sandoval were tasked with that responsibility, and their success paired with the timely hitting and defense around them has propelled Mexico to the semifinals of the tournament.
Selfishly, I wondered aloud what that meant for Luis Cessa of the Cincinnati Reds, a pitcher who’d spent the vast majority of his time in the big leagues as a pretty solid reliever but who was on a club that clearly had inklings of using him as a starter again.