Select 6 eyeing 4th World Baseball Classic

Many Major Leaguers who represented their respective countries in the inaugural World Baseball Classic in 2006 have since hung up their cleats, but a select few have not only played in all three tournaments — ’06, ’09 and ’13 — they’ll be back for a fourth in 2017.

A few were already star big leaguers before the first WBC began and others had yet to break out, but by the time the next two tournaments rolled around, they’d made their names in the Majors.

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Before the 2017 WBC begins at stadiums around the world in March, MLB.com looks at some of the biggest names who will likely be playing in their fourth Classic.

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Miguel Cabrera, OF/1B, VenezuelaWBC stats: 17 G, .270 BA (17-for-63), 5 HR, 5 2B, 12 RBI, 11 R When he played in the first Classic, Miggy was already a Major League star with the Marlins despite not even having turned 23. In his first WBC game, hitting cleanup for Venezuela, he went 2-for-3 with a home run against the Dominican Republic. In his next game, against Italy, he went 2-for-4 and homered again. He had his fair share of big games in 2009, too, when Venezuela made the semifinals. In the second round, Cabrera homered against the Netherlands and went 3-for-5 with a double and two RBIs in a win over the U.S. As the 2013 WBC began, he was coming off his first MVP Award and a Triple Crown season. But Venezuela couldn’t make it out of pool play, although Miggy did go 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs in the team’s lone win. Cabrera’s five WBC homers are tied for the second most in the tournament; he can add to that total when Venezuela opens pool play against host Mexico, Italy and Puerto Rico in March.They said it: “It makes me proud a lot, because it’s the only time we can put Venezuela on the front, so we’re very proud to represent Venezuela,” Cabrera told the Detroit Free Press this July. “Hopefully, we can do a good job so hopefully we can win.”

Carlos Beltran, OF/DH, Puerto RicoWBC stats: 21 G, .274 BA (20-for-73), 3 HR, 6 2B, 9 RBI, 13 R, 15 BB, 4 SB Beltran, 28 and in his prime in 2006, helped Puerto Rico sweep through World Baseball Classic pool play, going 3-for-5 with a homer against the Netherlands and launching a three-run shot against Cuba before his team was eliminated in the second round. In 2009, although Puerto Rico again fell short of the semifinals, Beltran went 3-for-3 with a homer, two RBIs, three runs and a stolen base in a second-round …

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