Canada close to adding Koskie for World Baseball Classic

Manager Ernie Whitt is cautiously optimistic that former Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Corey Koskie will play for Canada in the World Baseball Classic next month.

While Koskie wasn't among the 45 players named to the provisional roster in January, he could be added to the final 28-man roster based on injuries to those who were on the initial list.

"We have not finalized anything yet, but he is definitely on the radar screen," Whitt told CBCSports.ca by phone on Sunday. "We know he hasn't played in a couple of years, but we're trying to put the best team on the field that we possibly can."

Earlier Sunday, the Minnesota-based St. Paul Pioneer Press newspaper reported on its website that Koskie would play for Team Canada, citing a source close to the situation.

Koskie, 35, has been out of baseball since suffering a concussion during the 2006 season, but doctors recently cleared him to play after he reported no concussion symptoms for more than a month.

He is currently working out in Fort Myers, Fla., at the spring training facility of the Minnesota Twins, with whom he broke into the majors in 1998 at age 25.

Koskie reportedly faced live pitching on Saturday for the first time in more than two years.

"We've got people looking at him in Fort Myers, trying to give us their best opinion on how he's swinging the bat," said Whitt, adding it is his biggest concern with Koskie, who was released by the Milwaukee Brewers in October 2007.

Should Koskie join Team Canada, Whitt said he would use three pre-tournament games slated for March 3-5 — against the Blue Jays, defending World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees — to assess the player's ability at the plate.

Milwaukee acquired Koskie from Toronto before the 2006 season in exchange for relief pitcher Brian Wolfe.

He hit .261 in 76 games for the Brewers in the first half of that season with 12 home runs and 33 runs batted in.

On July 5, 2006, Koskie ran for a popup in the shallow outfield and tumbled backward in an attempt to make the catch. The ball bounced out of his glove and to Brewers shortstop Bill Hall, who made the putout, but Koskie was hurt in the fall.

Since that time, he has suffered debilitating headaches, dizziness, nausea and fatigue — symptoms that often accompany post-concussion syndrome.

But with Koskie now healthy, Whitt is excited about the prospect of adding an experienced major leaguer to a team filled with youngsters, mainly on the pitching side.

In nine major league seasons, Koskie has averaged .275 with 124 homers, 506 RBI and a .367 on-base percentage in 989 games.

"He plays the game very aggressively, he plays it with passion and that's what any manager likes," said Whitt. "With nine years of [major league] experience, he's not going to panic in a situation.

"He just wants to see if he can physically come back and play and all the reports we have is that, physically, he's been good, no problems."

Whitt stressed Koskie would serve as a backup to Kansas City Royals infielder/outfielder Mark Teahen to start the WBC. Canada also has New York Mets farmhand Shawn Bowman, who could play third.

"We would definitely make sure that he knew what his role would be," said Whitt of Koskie, a native of Anola, Man. "For him to think he would be an everyday starter would be wrong.

"I think it would be a stretch … that he could beat out Teahen or Bowman at third base as a fielder. But if those guys aren't swinging the bat and Corey is swinging the bat well, we'll cross that bridge when we have to."

Whitt said he is set on 26 or 27 of the 28 roster spots, but left open the possibility for last-minute changes should someone suffer an injury or be held back by their major league club if they are in a fight for a job at spring training.

"We hold our breath with optimism that players we select will come and do a good job for us," he said.

Each of the 16 participating countries must submit their final roster, including a minimum of 13 pitchers and two catchers, by Tuesday.

The WBC runs from March 5-23 in seven venues in four countries or territories, with the finals scheduled for March 23 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Rogers Centre in Toronto is hosting Round 1 games from March 7-11.

Team Canada will open training camp March 1 at Dunedin, Fla.