Carlos González announced via Instagram today that he plans to participate in the World Baseball Classic, competing for his native Venezuela.
In the post, Cargo says “I am writing to you my fans for confirmation that YES I am going to play in the World Baseball Classic. For months I said and I maintain it, that I will represent my country with great pride in this competition.”
There had been questions whether or not Cargo would represent Venezuela in this year’s WBC after playing for the team in the 2013 tournament. He hit .273/.385/.273 in three games for Venezuela, who were eliminated after losing to eventual runners up, Puerto Rico, and eventual champions, the Dominican Republic, in their first two games in pool play.
González joins Nolan Arenado (who will play for Team USA) as the only players on the Rockies 40-man roster currently slated to play in the quadrennial tournament. New Hartford Yard Goats manager Jerry Weinstein and former Rockies coach has been tapped to manage Israel, where he’ll coach Rockies farmhand Scott Burcham. Robbie Perkins, a catcher last year in Modesto, will represent Australia.
Here’s a full translation of the text from González’s Instagram post, including a shout out his hometown team, Águilas del Zulia, for winning the Venezuelan Winter League and earning a spot in the Caribbean Series.
I am writing to you my fans to confirm that I am going to play in the World Baseball Classic. For months I said and I maintain it, that I will represent my country with great pride in this competition. It does not bother me to invent news like the one that was published today saying that the Rockies did not give me permission, I am already accustomed to that sometimes some journalists give false information. What seems to me in bad taste is that to give truthfulness to their lies use my relatives or relatives when nobody close to me has said such thing. Whenever I have something to say I will do it through my networks, because it is the direct means that I have with you my fans. Thanks for the support and above the Eagles !!!! CHAMPIONS