Nick Piecoro

azcentral sports

First baseman Paul Goldschmidt did his due diligence before agreeing to play in the World Baseball Classic, wanting to be as certain as possible that participation in next month’s tournament wouldn’t take away from his preparation for the regular season.

“I called guys that had done it in the past and a lot of them said you’re even more ready because you’ve played in some more high-stakes games rather than just spring training games and the competition is higher,” Goldschmidt said. “So I took it as a positive getting to play with and against some of the best players in the world.”

Goldschmidt said he’s excited to be able to participate. The last time the tournament was held was in 2013, just before Goldschmidt put together his first monster season in the big leagues and, thus, before he would have been a viable candidate to play.

“It’s fun to get to go out there and represent your country and the Diamondbacks and go compete against the best players in the world,” he said. “It will be a very competitive tournament and it’s fun to get out there and compete.”

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Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said he doesn’t see any real drawbacks with Goldschmidt’s departure.

“I think when you come back, it might be a little bit of a letdown that you’re playing in spring training games,” Lovullo said. “That’s always been the challenge for the players that I’ve been connected to that have gone to the WBC. It’s never been a hindrance for the start of the season.”

Goldschmidt will leave for Florida on March 6 and will participate in Team USA’s first workout the following day.

Cheat sheet

The Diamondbacks have kicked around the idea of having their catchers wear wristbands to assist them with game-calling, but veteran catcher Jeff Mathis doesn’t think he’s going to take them up on the offer.

“I don’t want to put it down by any means because it seems to be helping some people, but it’s not something I’m wanting to do,” Mathis said. “I think a lot of it for me is the feel of the game and the flow of it and keeping it kind of instinctual. I don’t want to get too technical. That’s just a big part of the game for me.”

Recently retired Cubs veteran David Ross was among those in the majors who wore a wristband last season.

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Third go-round

Lefty Jorge De La Rosa, who signed a minor league deal on Sunday and threw his first bullpen session with his new club on Monday, corrected a reporter who asked his thoughts about being with the Diamondbacks for the second time in his career.

“This is my third time with them,” he said.

De La Rosa originally signed with the Diamondbacks as a 17-year-old in 1998. Two years later, his rights were sold to a Mexican League club.

His next stint with the team came in 2003, when he was traded from the Red Sox to the Diamondbacks as part of the Curt Schilling trade. That stint didn’t last long. Three days later, he was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers as part of the Richie Sexson deal.

This might be his best chance to actually appear in a big-league game for the Diamondbacks, with whom he’ll be trying to win a bullpen spot this spring.

Reach Piecoro at (602) 444-8680 or nick.piecoro@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickpiecoro.