Canada competing at 2009 World Baseball Classic

Canadian baseball fans can start throwing around names of potential players for the 2009 World Baseball Classic.

Canada was officially introduced Tuesday as one of the 16 participating teams for the second edition of the tournament, scheduled for next March.

"We are very excited to be once again invited to participate in such a high- calibre tournament and we look forward to showcasing some of the best baseball talent in this country and to compete against the best in the world," Baseball Canada president Ray Carter said in a statement.

Canada posted a 2-1 record two years ago at the inaugural WBC, which allows the best Major League Baseball players to represent their country in international competition.

Among the victories was an 8-6 upset of the United States — one of the biggest wins in national team history — but the Canadians failed to advance to Round 2 following a 9-1 pasting at the hands of Mexico.

Baseball Canada's coaching staff and player roster will be announced at a later date.

The tournament organization, which is controlled by Major League Baseball and the players' association, invited the eight teams that failed to advance past the first round two years ago:

• Australia.
• Canada.
• China.
• Italy.
• Netherlands.
• Panama.
• South Africa.
• Taiwan.

Last April, organizers invited the eight teams that made it to the second round:

• Cuba.
• The Dominican Republic.
• Japan.
• Mexico.
• Puerto Rico.
• South Korea.
• The United States.
• Venezuela.

Japan captured the 2006 WBC title, defeating Cuba 10-6 in the championship contest at San Diego's Petco Park.

Top 2 teams from pools move on

At the 2009 event, a round-robin format will allow each country to play teams within its pool once. The top two teams from each pool after Round 1 will advance to Round 2, with the top two teams from each pool moving on to the semifinals. Both the semifinals and championship game will use a single-game elimination format.

Unlike two years ago, all four first-round competitions will be played outside the U.S., leaving the door open for Toronto to potentially host for the first round.

Games in the second round will take place in the U.S., which will also host both semifinal contests and the championship. An announcement on the host cities will be made next month.

Canada is a "strong possibility" to host one of the four groups in Round 1, a source with knowledge of the tournament's planning told the Canadian Press on Feb. 8.

The group, which would include the powerhouse Americans, would play its games at Rogers Centre, home of the Toronto Blue Jays.

Tokyo, Mexico City and San Juan, Puerto Rico, are slated to host the other three groups as part of the proposed all-international first round.

There are talks of expanding the number of competing teams for the 2013 WBC.