SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Jonathan Sanchez has never appeared in the postseason, but pitching for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic will serve as an acceptable substitute.

"It's like a World Series for us," Sanchez said Tuesday as he was named to his native country's final roster for next month's Classic. "Every game's big."

The second edition of the 16-team World Baseball Classic, which opened to widespread acclaim in 2006, will begin March 5 and end in Los Angeles on March 23 with the finals at Dodger Stadium. All 39 games are slated to be televised this year by ESPN and MLB Network, including 16 on the Network.

Sanchez, 26, will be Puerto Rico's No. 3 starter. The left-hander said he'll likely pitch in a March 4 exhibition against the Tampa Bay Rays. His next outing probably would come March 8 or 9, depending on how Puerto Rico fares in the Classic's first round. Since Sanchez won't throw more than 45 pitches against the Rays, he wouldn't need his usual four days' rest before pitching again.

Sanchez accelerated his preparation in anticipation of the Classic. He said that he already has thrown seven bullpen sessions to tune up his arm.

"I'm right on track," he said. "I'm ready."

When the inaugural Classic was played, Sanchez was a 24-year-old prospect who hadn't pitched above Class A. But he already had lofty ambitions. "It," he said of the Classic, "has been on my mind since."

That happened to be the year when Sanchez, who has 252 strikeouts in 250 career Major League innings, began showing that he possesses one of the most electrifying arms in the Giants organization. He opened the year with Double-A Connecticut before making his big league debut with a perfect inning of relief May 28 against Colorado. Sanchez, who also pitched for Triple-A Fresno, finished 3-1 with a 4.95 ERA as a Giant.

Sanchez slipped to 1-5, 5.88 in 2007, but the Giants didn't let his record fool them. His talent sparkled more brightly last year as he posted a 9-12 mark with a 5.01 ERA in 29 starts. Sanchez was at his devastating best in June, when he went 5-1 with a 3.10 ERA. He also established a San Francisco-era franchise record for lefties with 115 strikeouts before the All-Star break.

The Giants regard Sanchez so highly that they repeatedly turned away trade offers for him this offseason, though he might have brought them the offensively productive corner infielder they seek.

Other Classic selectees from the Giants organization were Sharlon Schoop of the Netherlands, who was Class A San Jose's No. 1 shortstop in 2008, and right-hander Brooks McNiven of Canada, who divided last season between Triple-A Fresno and Double-A Connecticut. Schoop hit .246 with seven home runs and 52 RBIs in 125 games last year, while McNiven, who bounced between starting and relieving, went 2-2 with a 1.84 ERA with Connecticut and 0-2, 11.12 in eight appearances for Fresno.

Giants special assistant Felipe Alou will manage the Dominican Republic, and short-season Class A Salem-Keizer manager Tom Treblehorn will serve as Italy's third-base coach. Another Giants Minor League coach, Hensley Meulens, will be hitting instructor for The Netherlands. And roving pitching instructor Lee Smith, the all-time saves leader, will be South Africa's pitching coach.

Two prominent members of the 40-man roster, catcher Bengie Molina and infielder-catcher Pablo Sandoval, were on the provisional rosters for Puerto Rico and Venezuela, respectively. But both declared weeks ago that staying in Spring Training with the Giants was their top priority.

"I have to get my job here first," said Sandoval, whose Major League experience is limited to 41 games last year.