Pacific League home run king Brandon Laird has agreed to play in the upcoming World Baseball Classic for Mexico, where the American infielder has an ancestral link, the Mexican team's skipper confirmed Tuesday.
Laird, this year's Japan Series MVP for the PL champion Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, will suit up for Mexico next March, manager Edgar Gonzalez said in a story first reported by ESPN Deportes. In an e-mail to Kyodo News, Gonzalez said, "He will be with us if he has permission."
Barring an injury, it is unlikely any Japanese team would block a player from playing in the WBC.
One of the eligibility criteria for a player to take part on a WBC squad is to be qualified to apply for citizenship or a passport of the nation the team represents.
Laird, who struggled during the first months of his career in Japan last year, rebounded in the second half of the 2015 season and finished with 34 homers and 97 RBIs with a .231 batting average, earning him another contract.
This year, Laird raised his batting average to .263, while hitting 39 homers and driving in 97 runs.