ATLANTA -- When Chipper Jones and Brian McCann head to Toronto to represent the United States in the World Baseball Classic, they'll be competing against a Venezuelan team that could include Gregor Blanco.

Jones, McCann and Blanco were among the 15 Braves players that are included on the provisional rosters their respective countries have provided in preparation of the Classic, which begins on March 5.

MLB Network will televise 16 World Baseball Classic games, along with a nightly studio show dedicated to the tournament. ESPN will televise 23 games of the Classic in the U.S., including the semifinal and final games, across ESPN and ESPN2 and on its Spanish-language platform, ESPN Deportes.

A trio of starting pitchers projected to play a significant role for Atlanta this season could also be absent while competing in the Classic during the early days of the Grapefruit League season.

Javier Vazquez (Puerto Rico), Jair Jurrjens (The Netherlands) and Jorge Campillo (Mexico) are members of the 45-man rosters, which were announced on Monday evening.

Other members of the Braves organization included on provisional rosters included Manny Acosta (Panama), Jose Camarena (Panama), Yeliar Castro (Panama), Dimaster Delgado (Panama), Randall Delgado (Panama), Concepcion Rodriguez (Panama), Scott Diamond (Canada), Bryan Dumesnil (Canada), Phil Stockman (Australia) and Mathew Kennelly (Australia).

Jones and McCann are almost certain to compete for the United States, and both Vazquez and Campillo are expected to be part of the pitching staffs for their respective countries.

"I'm pretty pumped up," McCann said. "This is something I've always want to do. Ever since the [Classic] started, I've always wanted a chance to play, and here it is.

"To me, this is the Olympics of baseball. This will be the best players from all of the countries. It's exciting to be a part of it. You always look forward to the chance to represent your country."

Not every Braves player listed on these provisional rosters will definitely compete in the event. Having thrown a career-high 188 1/3 innings in 2008, Jurrjens has indicated that he may decline the opportunity to participate.

As for Blanco, he faces some tough competition in the battle to win one of Venezuela's final roster spots. Other Venezuelan outfielders on the provisional roster include Bobby Abreu, Juan Rivera, Carlos Guillen, Endy Chavez and Magglio Ordonez.

The final rosters of 28 players -- including a mandatory 13 pitchers -- must be set by Feb. 24. Fans can buy tickets online at MLB.com.

The first round opens March 5 in Tokyo, with defending champion Japan facing China. Mexico City, Toronto and San Juan, Puerto Rico, host the other three first-round brackets, as follows:

• Tokyo (March 5-9): Japan, China, Chinese Taipei and Korea

• Toronto (March 7-11): USA, Canada, Venezuela and Italy

• San Juan, PR (March 7-11): Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Netherlands, Panama

• Mexico City (March 8-12): Mexico, Cuba, South Africa, Australia

It's a double-elimination format this time in the first two rounds. The winners from Toronto will meet the winners from Puerto Rico in the second round at Miami's Dolphin Stadium, while the winners from Tokyo will meet the winners from Mexico City in San Diego's PETCO Park.

The semifinals and finals are on March 21 and 23 at Dodger Stadium.