This story was excerpted from Kennedi Landry¡¯s Rangers Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Martín Pérez has shared dugouts and clubhouses with some of the best players in Major League Baseball. In two weeks, the Rangers¡¯ left-hander will go to Miami to join a comparably star-studded Venezuelan World Baseball Classic roster that features Ronald Acu?a Jr. (Braves), Salvador Perez (Royals), Jos¨¦ Altuve (Astros), Miguel Cabrera (Tigers) and Gleyber Torres (Yankees), among others.

¡°It¡¯s good being surrounded by so much talent,¡± P¨¦rez said. ¡°And it¡¯s good to know more people from your country and how they think, what they are looking for and what their mentality is. I think as a group, we¡¯ve got a good mentality, and you just go out there and win. It's good to go out there and get to know people from Venezuela.

"I¡¯ve never played with those guys, and now I'm gonna have the chance to play with Miggy and Salvy, Acu?a and all those guys. They¡¯re superstars, and it feels pretty good.¡±

This will be P¨¦rez's second time playing in the Classic. His first came in 2017, when Venezuela finished eighth.

P¨¦rez is coming off a career year in his second stint with Texas, earning his first All-Star appearance while posting a career-best 2.89 ERA over 196 1/3 innings. He hopes to bring that to Team Venezuela, which has never finished higher than third place in the Classic (2009).

¡°I¡¯m excited to represent my country and go to Miami, and be with all my teammates from Venezuela and be part of that team,¡± P¨¦rez said. ¡°I think it is big for me. I know it's gonna be like a playoff game. I'm getting ready and just trying to enjoy it and have fun working.¡±

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy acknowledged that he¡¯s upset to lose P¨¦rez in camp while he plays for Venezuela, but he knows the pride that comes with representing your country on the global stage. Bochy was born in Bussac-For¨ºt, France, and managed Team France during the qualifying rounds of this year¡¯s World Baseball Classic.

¡°I know it's important for him,¡± Bochy said. ¡°I want them to do what they really are passionate about, and I think it's good for the game. It builds a lot of interest for the game. There's a lot of pride involved. I got to experience some time with helping the French team try to qualify. You sense [that pride] with them. And their fans are excited about it, too. So I think it's been great for baseball.¡±

While acknowledging the strength of other teams like the reigning champion United States, the Dominican Republic, Japan and Colombia, P¨¦rez emphasized that he thinks Venezuela can make a run this year.

Venezuela will be competing in Pool D in Miami, along with Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Israel and Nicaragua.

¡°Our focus as a group is to stay together and try to win as many games as we can,¡± P¨¦rez said. ¡°To be part of the World Baseball Classic, you have to have a good team. You¡¯re going to throw the ball and the hitter is going to have a bat, so you gotta go out there and do your work. I think I'm just getting ready to see what we¡¯ve got in two weeks in Miami.¡±

When he was asked if there¡¯s been any trash talk between himself and fellow Rangers pitcher Jos¨¦ Leclerc, who will pitch for the Dominican Republic, P¨¦rez just chuckled.

¡°A little bit,¡± he said. ¡°They¡¯ve got a good team. I told him whoever pitches better is going to be the team that wins. We¡¯ve just got to play better baseball than the other team, and I think we can make it.¡±