NEW YORK -- Atlanta Braves pitcher Horacio Ramirez and top draft pick Joe Mauer were among 24 players picked Tuesday to compete for the United States in Olympic qualifying.

Montreal Expos manager and Hall of Famer Frank Robinson will manage the squad that hopes to qualify for the Athens Games in 2004. The qualifying tournament starts Thursday in Panama City, Panama, and runs until Nov. 10.

The U.S. roster includes 10 players with major league experience, including Texas infielder Mike Lamb, Oakland pitcher Justin Duchscherer and Cleveland left-hander Jason Stanford.

There are five first-round draft picks, including Mauer, a catcher selected by Minnesota with the No. 1 overall choice in 2001. The roster includes two veterans of the U.S. team that won the 2000 Olympic gold medal, Tampa Bay right-hander Todd Williams and Detroit outfielder Ernie Young.

Ramirez has had the most success at the big league level, going 12-4 with a 4.00 ERA in 29 starts as a rookie this season.

Lamb is a .282 career hitter with 19 homers and 117 RBIs in parts of four seasons with the Rangers.

"With Frank Robinson guiding this team, we believe that they will give the United States a tremendous chance to return to the Olympic Games in 2004 to defend its gold medal," said Sandy Alderson, executive vice president of baseball operations in the commissioner's office.

The U.S. team completed play at team trials in Phoenix with a 10-3-1 record that included a 9-3 mark against Arizona Fall League competition and a 1-0-1 record in a pair of exhibition games against Canada.

Aruba, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela have dropped out of the qualifying tournament, leaving 10 countries in the competition. Officials have reshuffled the two pools, with the United States placed in Pool B with Brazil, Colombia, Nicaragua and Panama. Pool A includes the Bahamas, Canada, Cuba, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.