Luis Castillo leads Dominican Republic's reserve pitching group for the World Baseball Classic

SANTO DOMINGO.– Right-handed pitcher Luis Castillo leads the group of six pitchers that the Dominican Republic national team has in reserve for the World Baseball Classic, which is scheduled to open on March 4.

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The Dominican leader Albert Pujols will initially have a starting rotation composed of Christopher Sánchez, Brayan Bello, Luis Severino and Sandy Alcántara. However, Castillo is the main alternative within the so-called Designated Pitchers Group (DPP), a mechanism that allows the pitching staff to be reinforced after the first round of the tournament. In addition to Castillo, the Dominican team has other right-handed pitchers available as additional options in case of eventualities during the championship.

How does the DPP system work?

According to an analysis published on MLB.com, each federation can include up to six pitchers as eligible to be called up after the first phase. Teams are authorized to substitute up to four pitchers after the first round and a maximum of two after the quarterfinals, as long as they are part of the previously registered group.⁸ This system expands the strategic margin of the leaders, allowing adjustments based on performance, injuries, or wear and tear on the pitching staff.

Main rivals also have key figures

Other contending selections have also included stellar names in their reserve lists. These include:

• José Berríos and Alexis Díaz for Puerto Rico.
• Jesús Luzardo with Venezuela.
• Tatsuya Imai for Japan.