True. and I remember one year Mike Piazza played for Italy. He’s born and raised American, so just because he’s of Italian descent, why would they allow that? Who knows.........
From the excerpt, emphasis added:
Most of the players are American Jews, among them, several current and former Major League Baseball players. World Baseball Classic rules state that players who are eligible for citizenship of a country may play on that country’s team. Jews and their grandchildren, and the grandchildren’s spouses, have the right to become Israeli citizens.
The purpose of the WBC is to promote baseball generally. It was originated by MLB and the MLB Player’s Association.
Teams like Italy and the Netherlands also have many American players. I believe even some of the Latin players are natural born American citizens with very little connection to countries they represent.