Blue Jays Prospect C.J. Stubbs: Playing With Brother “A Dream Come True”

JUPITER, FL - Team Israel took the field against the Miami Marlins on Tuesday afternoon for the first of two pre-WBC exhibition games, and one of the biggest stories was that of the Stubbs brothers, C.J. and Garrett. This marked the first time they have taken the field together on the same team. While they both participated in the 2023 installation of the World Baseball Classic, C.J. only entered the tournament after Garrett exited due to injury,

"It's a dream come true,” C.J. told Jays Centre. "Every time we ever played with each other growing up, not with baseball, but whether maybe sand volleyball or anything, we competed together and always found a way to win, so we're hoping to do that on this team."

Pool D, playing at loanDepot park in Miami, Florida, will feature the Dominican Republic, Netherlands, Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Israel. The chances of Team Israel moving on to the quarterfinals are slim, but manager Brad Ausmus and C.J. Stubbs both find the underdog mentality beneficial.

"Hopefully, we're the underdog that doesn't lay down," Ausmus told reporters. "We're gonna come out and in some sense, take the game to them. We're gonna force our game, and I don't think it'd be in our best interest to sit back and wait for the three-run homer, although I'll take it if they hit it."

In the last WBC, C.J., the younger Stubbs brother, played in one game, going 0-for-3 with two strikeouts. He will likely factor into the designated hitter mix this year, potentially catching as well.

"You just got to take it one game at a time," Stubbs said. "Obviously, we got that win against Nicaragua a couple years ago, and we're gonna go out and try to get game one against Venezuela and take it game by game."

During Tuesday's exhibition game, Stubbs went 0-for-3 with a strikeout. He reached on an error in the eighth. Israel beat the Marlins 1-0.

The 29-year-old, who signed with the Toronto Blue Jays on a minor league deal this offseason, gives a lot of credit to manager John Schneider for allowing him to join the team and play in the WBC.

"It's been great to get to know [Schneider]. The Blue Jays have been an incredible place to land, an incredible facility, great people working there, and I'm excited to see what happens in the spring,” he said.

Team Israel will head up to Port St. Lucie on Wednesday to face the New York Mets. Then, their first pool play game will take place on Saturday, March 7, against Venezuela at 8:00 pm.