Rodrigo Lopez spent 11 years in the big leagues, pitching for the Padres, Orioles, Rockies, Phillies, Diamondbacks, and Cubs from 2000-12. He’s now the general manager of Team Mexico for the World Baseball Classic, and he said something pretty noteworthy to MLB insider Jon Morosi about Dodgers pitcher Julio Urias.
There aren’t really official “captains” on WBC teams, but Urias is easily the most accomplished pitcher on the team, having finished seventh and third in the Cy Young voting the last two years. There are other stars or semi-stars on the team, including Alejandro Kirk, Randy Arozarena, and Alex Verdugo, but Urias makes sense as the team leader.