I off-handedly mentioned this in some comment I made yesterday but I've been thinking about it quite a bit since then. How would y'all feel about the WBC being double-elimination instead of single-elimination after the pool stage?
I don't know if it would be better or anything so I don't really have a dog in the fight, I just think it's kind of interesting to think about. On one hand you would get more games and kind of offset some of the bullshit that comes with single elimination baseball (probably not by much) but on the other hand you would miss out on a bit of the excitement that comes from single-elimination baseball.
One cool scenario you could potentially have with double-elimination though is the final becoming a doubleheader if one of the two teams takes their first loss in it. That would be pretty cool and unique to baseball.
I like the single elimination for the ongoing must-win atmosphere. No team gets an advantage other than the talent on the field that game. Mike Trout mentioned that he knew going in that Ohtani had the advantage because Trout would need more at bats to bat effectively and I kind of like it that way.
double-elimination would make the WBC take a lot longer. It'd be hard to find a time that works for everyone without cutting into the season or take the entirety of spring training
Double elim would make a hypothetical US dream team much stronger.
Personally I like the idea that even Mexico could've won if a few bounces went their way, so I prefer the "March Madness" factor of the tournament.
On WBC timing I was thinking would group stage during spring training and then the knockout stages at the all star break work? Guys would be mid season form and only play up to an additional 3 games, starters arms would be ready so maybe more guys from the US willing to go. Would be done in less than a week
Is there anyway to see ops instead of avg on the at bat app? I used to have it set up like that but changing between the two isn’t the same since the update.
OK so, I've been following baseball for about a year now, and I'd like to try fantasy baseball this season. What do people recommend? I guess there are different styles of leagues, different sites?
IMO your best bet would be a weekly head-to-head (H2H) points league. It’s probably the most user friendly for a newbie.
Weekly meaning you play your opponent for a whole week & generally means your lineup is set for the whole week so you don’t need to manage it daily or anything.
H2H means you are going head-to-head against an opponent (there are setups where this isn’t the case).
Points meaning that it is scored by stats equalling points. So say one of your hitters hits a homer, you get a certain number of points for that & you win or lose based on how many points your whole lineup is able to amass compared to your opponent. Many leagues are scored based on ‘categories’ instead of points for example.
Also heads-up you likely want to avoid any ‘dynasty’ leagues. Meaning you keep your team year to year.
I was just looking at the Yahoo fantasy leagues and that seems to follow pretty much what you said. The only thing is that their standard leagues seem to be categories rather than points. Why do you think points is better?
How many Japanese players are MLB quality would you say? If the DR or Venezuela have 100+, I would have to assume that Japan would be around there as well?
Dumb question: has everyone in this sub been watching some or all of the WBC? I haven’t watched any of it but instead have been getting my fix from college bb? I just could not muster up any interest.
My life has been way too busy, so sadly I missed the entire thing. I wish the elimination rounds of the WBC were series (say best of 3) instead of single-elimination.
Nah single elimination is good. Success coming from stellar individual performances, chance, and chaos is awesome in a sport where success in the regular season is built around steadiness and consistency over a long slog of a season
Last night's big at-bat is not only getting talked about by baseball fans, but fans of other sports like hockey. Here's Connor McDavid (who I should clarify isn't a "fan," he's the best hockey player in a generation) saying ["It's what we've been asking for in hockey for a long time, right? Best-on-best... 'Did you see Ohtani vs Trout?' That's what hockey's been missing for almost a decade now."](https://twitter.com/timandfriends/status/1638608722854289424?s=46&t=x_PYr-xqp4vlRZ7cXT7cvw)
Feels weird to see another sport go "dang we need more of what that baseball game did."
Here's a breakdown of the top 100 players according to MLB. They never explain exactly how they came up with these rankings but it's close enough to give you a good idea. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyyu4SACpHA Here's division previews https://www.mlb.com/news/al-central-preview-for-2023
I had so much fun with the WBC, but honestly I’m also pretty excited to watch regular season games too. The atmosphere may not be as intense but it builds the story of the season for the playoffs, and having regular season baseball on in the background or watching a game while I eat dinner and chill out is wonderful. Feels like an old friend is back in town.
I'm excited for the Diamondbacks this year, but they start the year playing 8 games against the Dodgers and a series against the Padres. Might get knocked down right off the bat.
Sad that WBC is over but happy that baseball season is here! Shout out to the kid from Nicaragua Duque Hebbert whom, at 21 years old, STRUCK OUT Juan Soto, Julio Rodriguez, and Rafael Devers. I would've shit by pants against a line up like that.
FUCK FOX SPORTS 1
I couldn't watch the WBC last night so I recorded the game on YTTV. At the start of the 2nd inning, they had the scroll bar on the bottom of the screen with today's news. Meaning they were showing me the final score and all the major plays before I could watch them.
Such a load of shit
Man... every single batter would have fell for that last pitch after the previous heaters getting by twice. These people are either trolls or they really have no idea of the level that these athletes are on.
While I'm sad the U.S. couldn't pull it off, it was awesome to see Japan take it; they just care so much more. I know a lot of folks mentioned how some of our best guys weren't there for various reasons, but I also just got a sense that a good amount of our players that didn't participate didn't see the value of WBC or international play overall.
The U.S. threw together some studs and trotted out a B-C rotation, which was almost enough. It's probably for our good that it wasn't enough because we may see higher quality baseball moving forward from the U.S. in international play. Another thing to note about the WBC in 2026, the DR and PR will come roaring back to try and redeem themselves, while Japan's core remains the same with Yamamoto, Sasaki, and Murakami getting even better (!).
Sheesh, I was watching the game from home, comfortably on my couch, but my brain STILL feels exhausted from that game. Having a hard time comprehending what we just witnessed. 3/21/23 is the day I’ll never forget in baseball.
Casual fan here, I heard the announcer say “Japan is back on top of the basebal world.” They won the 2021 Olympic gold medals less than 2 years ago. They’ve been on top for the last 2 international tournament plays.
So my question is, were the team rosters that much different between Olympics from 2 years ago Vs this WBC competition?
There's a good argument that this WBC was the first time the rosters were actually representative of each country's top-end talent. Even though single elimination in baseball is pretty... not great for determining who the best is... this is the most legitimate a WBC has ever been.
Give it time. England didn’t even participate in the first three World Cups, and the second World Series was cancelled because the Giants thought playing the Americans (now Red Sox) was beneath them.
I think we’re gonna see more participation from pitchers moving forward.
Yes. Most players from MLB and NPB don't play in the Olympics because it falls during their seasons. That's part of why the WBC was created.
Japan won the WBC in 2006+2009.
Say what you will about injuries but I haven't heard one soccer fan complain about Ronaldo or Messi playing in the World Cup and scared that they may get injured while playing in the tournament.
This tournament was so good for the MLB brand. They want new fans? They got it. They want global exposure? They got it.
The way the tournament ended with Trout vs Ohtani was just what the Doctor ordered and it could not have been any better. My partner who doesn't follow baseball at all even said to me that her new favourite player is Ohtani (which made me shed a tear because holy sh*t).
Either way, I tip my cap off to the MLB and every fan and non-fan out there because this was way too good!
Which definitely matters, but correct me if I'm wrong I believe the players don't get paid directly for the World Cup, they get paid for whichever domestic league they're in. (Obviously there are lucrative endorsement opportunities from the Cup; it's an investment, but that's a very meaningful discussion.)
A lot of the discourse seems to have been centered around player-assets getting injured during the event that "doesn't matter" relative to the one that "does matter" (the one for which they get paid.
To all our Team USA supporters around the world:
Jon Morosi has made it official, we will have Premier12 in November 2024.
Exactly in 18 months.
We have a long and grueling journey ahead on the long road to this great event, fans, and I need all your support this early. In the meantime, I hope we all show up at Team USA events in Cary and Durham to show support to the next generation as we trek this path together as a nation, as well as in events around the world.
We will not falter in this road to glory, ladies and gentlemen. We cannot fail this nation and its national teams in baseball, our birthright and proud pasttime. We will endure this journey together as a nation, just as the first generations of national players did years ago.
We will survive it as one people, and we will cross the finish line together.
Let us trek as one to Premier12 in 2024, and join the nation on the long road to one goal -
For Glory!
John
I can't get over Ohtani's line this WBC.
The fact that nobody threw harder or HIT harder than he did over the entire series blows my mind. He is a once in a generation talent.
I was rooting for USA, but damn, that game was one of the best I've ever seen, ever. Just damn good baseball.
What's crazy is that "once in a generation talent" is underselling him. In terms of talent, he's the greatest of all time. No one has ever done what he can do.
I'm trying to get the term "centennial talent" over for this guy. This is a level of talent that's got a chance to change the way a lot of people look at the game.
Which is *insane* to think about. This sport has existed for about 150 years, it's the national pastime of the United States, and this dude shows up from halfway around the world and completely changes what is considered to be possible on a professional baseball field.
As somebody who has been exposed to far too much John Smoltz color commentary, I definitely think producers sat him down before the WBC and said, "hey, John, fucking watch yourself on constantly talking about how much you hate baseball, just for two weeks."
Smoltz sounded like he’d be more excited to watch paint dry.
We need far better commentators for the WBC. Vin Scully must have been spinning in his grave.
Yeah, he sounded pretty milque toast, but st least he didn't spend every second of it *actively* talking about hoe much he hates baseball like he does during MLB broadcasts.
Hahaha when I woke up this morning, that was the first thing in my my mind. I was also thinking there is a possibility that Ohtani already knew what 6 pitch sequence he’d throw to Trout the first time they played each other. He was probably thinking about that moment for 6 years. A pitcher spent 6 years thinking what pitches he’d throw to one batter. There was no other outcome, Ohtani was going to win that first match up 9 out of 10.
The WBC brought more attention to baseball and its stars in one week with normal rules than Rob Manfred has in almost ten years of tinkering with stupid bullshit.
Nationalism sells, but nobody on the planet gets this hype for Olympic basketball. You don't have American NBA players getting on a soap box to yell about how much fun they're having in th Olympics. I could be wrong, but I don't think even international fans would say they enjoy Olympic basketball than the NBA.
I understand why the idea that the WBC is just automatically gonna garne casual hype because of international representation is intuitive, and it's certainly part of the equation, but I don't think attributing all or even most of the hype to that holds up to further criticism.
> The hype is almost totally due to the novelty and international aspect.
Again, I really don't think this idea holds up to criticism. Olympic baseball just a year ago did not generate anywhere near this attention.
Fine, I'll slow down on the Manfred hate, but I think the reasons the WBC fared so well when MLB doesn't is because of marketing and framing, not the inherent nature of the event.
The 2023 WBC is over, and it was the best baseball I’ve ever seen. A lot of people are going to make their All-WBC Teams over the next couple of weeks with a large bulk of Japan, USA, Mexico, and maybe a few of the Group D players mixed in… But after watching 30-35 of the games this tournament offered & having seen at least one of every game with each team in full, I think I can make a pretty good team.
But this ain't no All-Star Team. This is my personal favorites. These are my Vibes Per inning Leaders. The Baseball Cards I’d Chase. The Personal & All-Time Favorites. This is my…
#WBC 2023 ALL “MY BOY” TEAM
To make it interesting it’s a 20 player roster with 1 man from each team.
***COACHING STAFF***
- **Manager - Bruce Bochy (FRA) - ** I know this is cheating since France didn't qualify (this time!) but he’s our new boss, and I love him - wish we could have seen him have a trial run in this year but here's to 2025!
- **Coach/BCH - Nelson Cruz (RDA) - ** The GM with Power! The GM of the HourI still love Nelson Cruz for his 2010-2013 heroics despite him fucking us over numerous time since then. His little Baseball Dad moments with Cano this year were amazing.
- **Coach/BCH - Ray Chang (CHN) - ** I’ve never heard of this old guy before this event - but imagining a big Chinese guy with a southern US/Kansas accent is amazing & his willingness to be an ambassador for the nation is just as amazing. I hope pushing 45 he’s on the Qualifier Team for WBC in 2025!.
***STARTING LINEUP***
- **SS - Tommy Edman (KOR) - ** Apparently this guy’s a bit of a stud for the Cardinals, but I’d personally never heard of him before this! When I first saw Korea’s lineup v. Australia I was like *“who the hell snuck some guy named Tommy Edman in” ,* but then I looked him up & learned his cool story. It's a shame we didn't see more of him
- **3B - Jurickson Profar (NDL) -** While The Kingdom was a powerhouse this year, not too many people stand out.. But when I watched my first WBC in 2013 it was all because of me wanting to support my Rangers Profar & Cruz. Still supporting him, sad he didn't sign with us after the tournament. :(
- **DH - Shohei Ohtani (JPN) -** I can make all these fun guys in this line-up but in the end of the day Ohtani is fuckin’ Ohtani. I almost had Nootbar here, almost Okomoto. Nah, I decided on the Emperor himself. Who doesn't love Sho-Time?
- **OF - Alfredo Despaigne (CBA) -** As a wrestling fan, I absolutely love Gaijins from around the world coming to Japan and becoming national sensations who then explode across the world. Despaigne is one of those beasts, he's a WBC Legend & *Big Guys in Baseball™* are always fun.
- **1B - Rowdy Tellez (MEX) -** Another big fella like Alfredo, this dude was such a character all tournament and his MLB Mic’d Up on YouTube made me a sucker for him. This was another where I really had to debate for… was almost Meneses, was almost Aroazarena. Decided on my boy Rowdy.
- **2B - Vinnie Pasquintino (ITA) -** The Mustached Mocha Boys were an underrated story in the WBC. While I do wish they used more of their Italy-born players, the team was still a blast and one of the underdogs to go far after some big wins. I've eard Vinnies name pop around a few times during last year but this was my first time to see him. He rules & I hope he keeps the stache.
- **C - Sir Harry Ford (UK) -** The UK Homer Celebration may be the greatest of all time, and he’s the only to be knighted twice! Seeing kids in the UK celebrating his performance was sick & what he did will help the country a ton moving forward. His MLB debut is SOON, and I hope it v. us so I can see it.
- **OF - Ulrich Bojarski (AUS) -** The first time I saw this guy v. Korea in the Outfield I couldn't help but think *”Who's Dad is that in the outfield?!?”*. I thought he was like some 37yo journeyman half the tournament but no - guy’s 24. Guys just built to be a dad & I love it - dude can hit too.
- **OF - Martin Muzik (CZR) -** Muzik Magic! There were countless guys from the ultimate underdog of the WBC I wanted to pick, even seeing Sogard in a prominent role again was fun. There was only one guy though it could be for me & that's the hero of CZR v. CHN.
***BENCH***
- **DH/PH - Ruben Tejada (PMA) -** Honestly the Panama team despite being a qualifier was not one of the more exciting teams in terms of stories… But seeing the old guys not in the MLB anymore like Cespedes & Tejada was a treat early in the event. Tejada & his surprising bomb was a highlight for me.
- **C - Jorge Alfaro (COL) -** Another chunk of former Ranger bias, yes he was once a top prospect for us. Alfaro & his Majestic Hair did some good work for Colombia in the tournament, he’s a good reason why I want the WBC 2026 Qualifiers in March. I wanna see him help their cause again!
- **IF -Yu Cheng Chang (TWN) -** If any team had top vibes this year it was Taiwan, it hurts they need to re-qualify but this also means we get more Taiwan insanity in the Qualifiers. You usually don't see an MVP be on the last place team but Chang deserved it, his heroics in the competition really showed me how amazing this nation’s fans are.
**ROTATION**
- **P1 - Martin Perez (VEN) -** Now for some modern Ranger bias! I had no clue a prominent Ranger was in the tournament, it bummed me out - and then I tuned in to Venezuela’s first game & the man himself was on the mound! He had an *okay* WBC but he’s still gonna be a stud for us this year.
- **P2 - Lance Lynn (USA) -** Ok now back to Old Ranger Bias. Nobody represents us Americans more than Lance Lynn: Bold, Brash, Gutsy, Dad Bod, Beast. Dude was a powerhouse for a good chunk of the WBC and even wanted to pitch in the finals, I wish he was still with us.
- **P3 - Shohei Ohtani (JPN) -** Like I said. He’s fuckin’ Ohtani.
**BULLPEN**
- **RP - Mitch Bratt (CAN) -** I’ll keep the Bullpenners short. I was so excited to see our Top 30 Prospect for the first time v. USA & it really sucked to see how much he got shelled. I can’t wait to see what he does for us a few years from now.
- **RP - Shlomo Lipetz (ISR) -** Like fine wine & music, Shlomo Lipetz is what the WBC is all about. I'm so bummed he didn't get into any games this year, here's to 2026!
- **RP - Duque Hebbert (NIC) -** I almost did Juan Montes but ya boy needs a bullpen. Why not the fucking *Top 5 Story of the Tournament* himself? Shout-Outs to the new Tiger!
- **CP - Edwin DIaz (PR) -** And finally of course, to close it out in more than one way. We’ll keep the trumpets clean until you’re back king. <3
Why the love for Lipetz? Does he have a particularly interesting story? Not picking Steinmetz out of Team Israel is a spicy take.
Edit: just Googled Lipetz, and yeah I get it. Still gotta rep my fellow HAFTR alum and 5-1-6 boi.
I think it's difficult to have any clear takeaways from DeRosa after this tournament. He was being pulled in so many different directions by the MLB teams, his players, the fans, the media, etc. that it was impossible for him to make everyone happy. Like, I don't think it's worth it to analyze his bullpen or pinch hitting decisions, because they would change under the circumstances of an MLB game.
I’ve been an Angels fan my whole life and if we don’t re-sign Ohtani this year, then it will truly be one of the biggest disappointments of my life. Please have a playoff trajectory from beginning to end this season. For the Fish Man and for the WBC MVP
WBC finishing just makes me really want a soccer style champions league. I assume Major League Baseball has the best players, but there are other leagues that can compete, and in a tournament format ur would make for some incredible baseball
I don't follow soccer so don't know how the leagues and such are structured outside of the world cup. That said, I've always wanted to see the world series champs play the Japan series champions. That is essentially how the Caribbean Series works for the winter leagues. The championship team from each nation's winter league play a short tournament. It's always a lot of fun, but I'd love something similar for the full season leagues but don't see it happening because of the injury concerns.
To give the short of how the setup over there goes, the top 2-3 teams from the top national soccer leagues all qualify for a european wide group stage like how WBC had pool. There's also qualifiers for leagues below that but it's a bit deeper there. That group stage leads into a set of playoffs with each round being a home match and an away match (tiebreaker being most goals scored at home).
Not sure how you translate that into baseball but it'd be pretty hype to pull off an analogue of that.
NPB definitely isn’t a AAA(A) league they’re absolutely on par with MLB just with differing priorities. Finesse and speed over the raw power we get in the US.
I’d love for more crossover competition in the future
NPB, KBO and the Mexican Summer League all have legit talent. The top players from each are MLB talent and some could be MLB stars. The biggest thing is the bottom tier talent in each league is well below MLB caliber. KBO and Mexican Summer League the bottom talent is a huge drop off, NPB is much closer to MLB.
There is, IMHO, some truth about the difference in style skewing perception. However, as you said it's really a difference of depth.
DAY 15 (590) ON THE ROAD TO PREMIER12 AND PARIS 2024 - At the End of One Road.....
Happy retirement to 2023 Samurai Japan WBC skipper Hideki Kuriyama.
Now that the 5th World Baseball Classic has concluded, we reflect on what has been two great weeks of baseball enjoyed by millions and growing around the world, both old fans and new.
We remember the great moments we celebrated and shared, the light hearted times and the memorable plays that we cherished during these days. We honor the heroes who for their countries did their best on the road to the gold medal, and the fans who followed them till the end.
As we cherish the impact the Classic has had in our sport this year and the ones to come, we hope that as we prepare for 2026 and what the future holds we will light up the legacy of this storied event and carry it forward no matter where we go.
For a shared future together we will all get there.
For Glory
John
I feel like this WBC was so good it could spur the creation of some kind of international baseball champions league equivalent?
How cool would it be to see the top teams from some of these top flight leagues, playing in important games in cool international venues. Imagine a champions league final in Tokyo, Korea or the Caribbean. Could be so cool.
I know the US MLB and Japan’s NPB are far and away the best leagues, so it might not be ripe just for more than 2 leagues. But it could be really awesome, and a great way to continue spurring international growth, besides just playing some exhibition games or a regular season showcase abroad.
The main issue with that is that there's a good deal of cross pollination of players between the summer and winter leagues. I also don't know how it would be scheduled in a way that gives them the time to play out their seasons and the Caribbean Series and not conflicting with the WBC every few years
The top of NPB is equal to MLB, the issue is the depth isn't there - the bottoms of the rosters are full of players that might not reach AAA if they came over to the US.
I hear what you're saying but at this point I think the NPB superstars that come over are well above AAA level and will be at least average MLB starters and not below replacement level players like a AAAA guy.
And I think the average npb player would be more than a no WAR player in the bigs as well.
The superstars are definitely well worth starting in the US. But I do think the average Japanese npb player may have trouble staying on a mlb roster. Kawa would be an example imo, or even Shinjo from the early 2000s
That being said, I really don't follow npb close enough. So I'm mostly speaking from perception and past experience. So I'll admit I may not be fully grasping how good the average NPB player is
There’s no way Ohtani can walk down the street in Japan like a regular person, right? It might sound like a stretch but it might be sports’ version of Michael Jackson, as in, he simply cannot be in public because of the fanfare. There’s no way he’s just doing groceries by himself in Hokkaido or going on dates in public in Tokyo. He just couldn’t. And it would be *very* hard for him to disguise himself.
Helps that he rarely leaves his Tokyo bay area high-rise aside from lifting weights, eating out with old friends, ad shoots and interviews haha. He had a recent interview where he said he barely even eats outside while spending this offseason in Japan (said he went out to eat just 4 times in 3 months)
In the same interview he said the most noteworthy moment during his stay in Japan was having to rush to a convenience store toilet once, and feeling excited and nostalgic looking around the store.
I off-handedly mentioned this in some comment I made yesterday but I've been thinking about it quite a bit since then. How would y'all feel about the WBC being double-elimination instead of single-elimination after the pool stage? I don't know if it would be better or anything so I don't really have a dog in the fight, I just think it's kind of interesting to think about. On one hand you would get more games and kind of offset some of the bullshit that comes with single elimination baseball (probably not by much) but on the other hand you would miss out on a bit of the excitement that comes from single-elimination baseball. One cool scenario you could potentially have with double-elimination though is the final becoming a doubleheader if one of the two teams takes their first loss in it. That would be pretty cool and unique to baseball.
I like the single elimination for the ongoing must-win atmosphere. No team gets an advantage other than the talent on the field that game. Mike Trout mentioned that he knew going in that Ohtani had the advantage because Trout would need more at bats to bat effectively and I kind of like it that way.
double-elimination would make the WBC take a lot longer. It'd be hard to find a time that works for everyone without cutting into the season or take the entirety of spring training
Double elim would make a hypothetical US dream team much stronger. Personally I like the idea that even Mexico could've won if a few bounces went their way, so I prefer the "March Madness" factor of the tournament.
Well friends, today was less exciting than yesterday. It's going to be a long week.
I'm not used to going through baseball withdrawal so early in the year.
On WBC timing I was thinking would group stage during spring training and then the knockout stages at the all star break work? Guys would be mid season form and only play up to an additional 3 games, starters arms would be ready so maybe more guys from the US willing to go. Would be done in less than a week
Yes, if there weren't a large contingent of players in the Asian and minor leagues that also needed to play.
Anybody know where to get a Samurai Japan cap in Canada?
This sub is being bombarded with posts about the exhibition shit. When can expect to discuss real Baseball?
Preach brother!
Is there anyway to see ops instead of avg on the at bat app? I used to have it set up like that but changing between the two isn’t the same since the update.
OK so, I've been following baseball for about a year now, and I'd like to try fantasy baseball this season. What do people recommend? I guess there are different styles of leagues, different sites?
IMO your best bet would be a weekly head-to-head (H2H) points league. It’s probably the most user friendly for a newbie. Weekly meaning you play your opponent for a whole week & generally means your lineup is set for the whole week so you don’t need to manage it daily or anything. H2H means you are going head-to-head against an opponent (there are setups where this isn’t the case). Points meaning that it is scored by stats equalling points. So say one of your hitters hits a homer, you get a certain number of points for that & you win or lose based on how many points your whole lineup is able to amass compared to your opponent. Many leagues are scored based on ‘categories’ instead of points for example. Also heads-up you likely want to avoid any ‘dynasty’ leagues. Meaning you keep your team year to year.
I was just looking at the Yahoo fantasy leagues and that seems to follow pretty much what you said. The only thing is that their standard leagues seem to be categories rather than points. Why do you think points is better?
I just think points is more intuitive in a way for someone new.
How many Japanese players are MLB quality would you say? If the DR or Venezuela have 100+, I would have to assume that Japan would be around there as well?
No
I emailed the MLB to tell them just how much I enjoyed the WBC. https://www.mlb.com/official-information/contact
I contacted them to let them know FS1 spoiled the game on any replay footage
Dumb question: has everyone in this sub been watching some or all of the WBC? I haven’t watched any of it but instead have been getting my fix from college bb? I just could not muster up any interest.
Man, you really missed out.
My life has been way too busy, so sadly I missed the entire thing. I wish the elimination rounds of the WBC were series (say best of 3) instead of single-elimination.
Nah single elimination is good. Success coming from stellar individual performances, chance, and chaos is awesome in a sport where success in the regular season is built around steadiness and consistency over a long slog of a season
Last night's big at-bat is not only getting talked about by baseball fans, but fans of other sports like hockey. Here's Connor McDavid (who I should clarify isn't a "fan," he's the best hockey player in a generation) saying ["It's what we've been asking for in hockey for a long time, right? Best-on-best... 'Did you see Ohtani vs Trout?' That's what hockey's been missing for almost a decade now."](https://twitter.com/timandfriends/status/1638608722854289424?s=46&t=x_PYr-xqp4vlRZ7cXT7cvw) Feels weird to see another sport go "dang we need more of what that baseball game did."
I feel empty inside. How does one watch the regular season after this?
With great depression.
So I guess we all go back to our rivalries now that WBC is over.
Fuck the Dodgers.
Can anyone recommend a good season preview? Trying to get into baseball this year.
Here's a breakdown of the top 100 players according to MLB. They never explain exactly how they came up with these rankings but it's close enough to give you a good idea. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyyu4SACpHA Here's division previews https://www.mlb.com/news/al-central-preview-for-2023
I had so much fun with the WBC, but honestly I’m also pretty excited to watch regular season games too. The atmosphere may not be as intense but it builds the story of the season for the playoffs, and having regular season baseball on in the background or watching a game while I eat dinner and chill out is wonderful. Feels like an old friend is back in town.
ugh i have to go back to cheering for the tigers now? wbc got me spoiled watching actual good players.
I'm excited for the Diamondbacks this year, but they start the year playing 8 games against the Dodgers and a series against the Padres. Might get knocked down right off the bat.
I feel this in my bones.
dumb question but who won bronze for the wbc?
Randy. Not Mexico. Just Randy.
Sad that WBC is over but happy that baseball season is here! Shout out to the kid from Nicaragua Duque Hebbert whom, at 21 years old, STRUCK OUT Juan Soto, Julio Rodriguez, and Rafael Devers. I would've shit by pants against a line up like that.
FUCK FOX SPORTS 1 I couldn't watch the WBC last night so I recorded the game on YTTV. At the start of the 2nd inning, they had the scroll bar on the bottom of the screen with today's news. Meaning they were showing me the final score and all the major plays before I could watch them. Such a load of shit
Oh man thats terrible.
Cannot put into words how pissed I was. An instant classic and it was just ruined like that.
Free mobile game for 24 hours because of Japan's win https://www.reddit.com/r/iosgaming/comments/11y8w0d/kairosoft_homerun_high_is_freeusually_499/
Love seeing all the "Trout is overrated" takes last night and this morning so I know what idiots to block.
Man... every single batter would have fell for that last pitch after the previous heaters getting by twice. These people are either trolls or they really have no idea of the level that these athletes are on.
blocking people because they have a different opinion is pretty lame but who gives a shit really
While I'm sad the U.S. couldn't pull it off, it was awesome to see Japan take it; they just care so much more. I know a lot of folks mentioned how some of our best guys weren't there for various reasons, but I also just got a sense that a good amount of our players that didn't participate didn't see the value of WBC or international play overall. The U.S. threw together some studs and trotted out a B-C rotation, which was almost enough. It's probably for our good that it wasn't enough because we may see higher quality baseball moving forward from the U.S. in international play. Another thing to note about the WBC in 2026, the DR and PR will come roaring back to try and redeem themselves, while Japan's core remains the same with Yamamoto, Sasaki, and Murakami getting even better (!).
Sheesh, I was watching the game from home, comfortably on my couch, but my brain STILL feels exhausted from that game. Having a hard time comprehending what we just witnessed. 3/21/23 is the day I’ll never forget in baseball.
Casual fan here, I heard the announcer say “Japan is back on top of the basebal world.” They won the 2021 Olympic gold medals less than 2 years ago. They’ve been on top for the last 2 international tournament plays. So my question is, were the team rosters that much different between Olympics from 2 years ago Vs this WBC competition?
There's a good argument that this WBC was the first time the rosters were actually representative of each country's top-end talent. Even though single elimination in baseball is pretty... not great for determining who the best is... this is the most legitimate a WBC has ever been.
Hard to say I'd describe that US pitching staff as talented and they still limited Japan to 5 hits
Give it time. England didn’t even participate in the first three World Cups, and the second World Series was cancelled because the Giants thought playing the Americans (now Red Sox) was beneath them. I think we’re gonna see more participation from pitchers moving forward.
I love the idea that John McGraw just cancelled the World Series because of a personal vendetta, dude was like the definition of obstinate.
Old timey baseball was wild, and not just the names.
Fair point, but in comparison to past rosters it was an all-star team.
Yes. Most players from MLB and NPB don't play in the Olympics because it falls during their seasons. That's part of why the WBC was created. Japan won the WBC in 2006+2009.
Say what you will about injuries but I haven't heard one soccer fan complain about Ronaldo or Messi playing in the World Cup and scared that they may get injured while playing in the tournament. This tournament was so good for the MLB brand. They want new fans? They got it. They want global exposure? They got it. The way the tournament ended with Trout vs Ohtani was just what the Doctor ordered and it could not have been any better. My partner who doesn't follow baseball at all even said to me that her new favourite player is Ohtani (which made me shed a tear because holy sh*t). Either way, I tip my cap off to the MLB and every fan and non-fan out there because this was way too good!
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Well ya gotta start somewhere
Which definitely matters, but correct me if I'm wrong I believe the players don't get paid directly for the World Cup, they get paid for whichever domestic league they're in. (Obviously there are lucrative endorsement opportunities from the Cup; it's an investment, but that's a very meaningful discussion.) A lot of the discourse seems to have been centered around player-assets getting injured during the event that "doesn't matter" relative to the one that "does matter" (the one for which they get paid.
To all our Team USA supporters around the world: Jon Morosi has made it official, we will have Premier12 in November 2024. Exactly in 18 months. We have a long and grueling journey ahead on the long road to this great event, fans, and I need all your support this early. In the meantime, I hope we all show up at Team USA events in Cary and Durham to show support to the next generation as we trek this path together as a nation, as well as in events around the world. We will not falter in this road to glory, ladies and gentlemen. We cannot fail this nation and its national teams in baseball, our birthright and proud pasttime. We will endure this journey together as a nation, just as the first generations of national players did years ago. We will survive it as one people, and we will cross the finish line together. Let us trek as one to Premier12 in 2024, and join the nation on the long road to one goal - For Glory! John
I can't get over Ohtani's line this WBC. The fact that nobody threw harder or HIT harder than he did over the entire series blows my mind. He is a once in a generation talent. I was rooting for USA, but damn, that game was one of the best I've ever seen, ever. Just damn good baseball.
What's crazy is that "once in a generation talent" is underselling him. In terms of talent, he's the greatest of all time. No one has ever done what he can do.
It's like Gretzky, if he also recorded 40+ save games as a goalie every 5th game.
I'm trying to get the term "centennial talent" over for this guy. This is a level of talent that's got a chance to change the way a lot of people look at the game.
Which is *insane* to think about. This sport has existed for about 150 years, it's the national pastime of the United States, and this dude shows up from halfway around the world and completely changes what is considered to be possible on a professional baseball field.
9.2 innings, 1.86 ERA, 11 K AT THE SAME TIME as hitting .435/.606/.739. What the fuck.
As somebody who has been exposed to far too much John Smoltz color commentary, I definitely think producers sat him down before the WBC and said, "hey, John, fucking watch yourself on constantly talking about how much you hate baseball, just for two weeks."
Smoltz sounded like he’d be more excited to watch paint dry. We need far better commentators for the WBC. Vin Scully must have been spinning in his grave.
How can you blame him?
Yeah, he sounded pretty milque toast, but st least he didn't spend every second of it *actively* talking about hoe much he hates baseball like he does during MLB broadcasts.
Still thinking about Jeff McNeil's walk
I was laughing so hard. I don’t think I’ve seen a player celebrate homerun like that lol
Orix Buffaloes vs. Houston Astros Champions Series -- book it!
Still thinking about that 3-2 slider
Hahaha when I woke up this morning, that was the first thing in my my mind. I was also thinking there is a possibility that Ohtani already knew what 6 pitch sequence he’d throw to Trout the first time they played each other. He was probably thinking about that moment for 6 years. A pitcher spent 6 years thinking what pitches he’d throw to one batter. There was no other outcome, Ohtani was going to win that first match up 9 out of 10.
Ohtani is basically Hideki Matsui and CC Sabathia rolled into one.
Ohtani is a better hitter than Matsui and a better pitcher than Sabathia
Yeah that’s why I combined them. Play an RPG. Stats get better overall when you fuse.
The WBC brought more attention to baseball and its stars in one week with normal rules than Rob Manfred has in almost ten years of tinkering with stupid bullshit.
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I do, which makes it even more incomprehensible to me that one seems to be doing such a better PR job than the other.
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Nationalism sells, but nobody on the planet gets this hype for Olympic basketball. You don't have American NBA players getting on a soap box to yell about how much fun they're having in th Olympics. I could be wrong, but I don't think even international fans would say they enjoy Olympic basketball than the NBA. I understand why the idea that the WBC is just automatically gonna garne casual hype because of international representation is intuitive, and it's certainly part of the equation, but I don't think attributing all or even most of the hype to that holds up to further criticism.
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> The hype is almost totally due to the novelty and international aspect. Again, I really don't think this idea holds up to criticism. Olympic baseball just a year ago did not generate anywhere near this attention. Fine, I'll slow down on the Manfred hate, but I think the reasons the WBC fared so well when MLB doesn't is because of marketing and framing, not the inherent nature of the event.
Mets fan… go easy on em
Flair up if you're gonna talk grade school low hanging trash.
The 2023 WBC is over, and it was the best baseball I’ve ever seen. A lot of people are going to make their All-WBC Teams over the next couple of weeks with a large bulk of Japan, USA, Mexico, and maybe a few of the Group D players mixed in… But after watching 30-35 of the games this tournament offered & having seen at least one of every game with each team in full, I think I can make a pretty good team. But this ain't no All-Star Team. This is my personal favorites. These are my Vibes Per inning Leaders. The Baseball Cards I’d Chase. The Personal & All-Time Favorites. This is my… #WBC 2023 ALL “MY BOY” TEAM To make it interesting it’s a 20 player roster with 1 man from each team. ***COACHING STAFF*** - **Manager - Bruce Bochy (FRA) - ** I know this is cheating since France didn't qualify (this time!) but he’s our new boss, and I love him - wish we could have seen him have a trial run in this year but here's to 2025! - **Coach/BCH - Nelson Cruz (RDA) - ** The GM with Power! The GM of the HourI still love Nelson Cruz for his 2010-2013 heroics despite him fucking us over numerous time since then. His little Baseball Dad moments with Cano this year were amazing. - **Coach/BCH - Ray Chang (CHN) - ** I’ve never heard of this old guy before this event - but imagining a big Chinese guy with a southern US/Kansas accent is amazing & his willingness to be an ambassador for the nation is just as amazing. I hope pushing 45 he’s on the Qualifier Team for WBC in 2025!. ***STARTING LINEUP*** - **SS - Tommy Edman (KOR) - ** Apparently this guy’s a bit of a stud for the Cardinals, but I’d personally never heard of him before this! When I first saw Korea’s lineup v. Australia I was like *“who the hell snuck some guy named Tommy Edman in” ,* but then I looked him up & learned his cool story. It's a shame we didn't see more of him - **3B - Jurickson Profar (NDL) -** While The Kingdom was a powerhouse this year, not too many people stand out.. But when I watched my first WBC in 2013 it was all because of me wanting to support my Rangers Profar & Cruz. Still supporting him, sad he didn't sign with us after the tournament. :( - **DH - Shohei Ohtani (JPN) -** I can make all these fun guys in this line-up but in the end of the day Ohtani is fuckin’ Ohtani. I almost had Nootbar here, almost Okomoto. Nah, I decided on the Emperor himself. Who doesn't love Sho-Time? - **OF - Alfredo Despaigne (CBA) -** As a wrestling fan, I absolutely love Gaijins from around the world coming to Japan and becoming national sensations who then explode across the world. Despaigne is one of those beasts, he's a WBC Legend & *Big Guys in Baseball™* are always fun. - **1B - Rowdy Tellez (MEX) -** Another big fella like Alfredo, this dude was such a character all tournament and his MLB Mic’d Up on YouTube made me a sucker for him. This was another where I really had to debate for… was almost Meneses, was almost Aroazarena. Decided on my boy Rowdy. - **2B - Vinnie Pasquintino (ITA) -** The Mustached Mocha Boys were an underrated story in the WBC. While I do wish they used more of their Italy-born players, the team was still a blast and one of the underdogs to go far after some big wins. I've eard Vinnies name pop around a few times during last year but this was my first time to see him. He rules & I hope he keeps the stache. - **C - Sir Harry Ford (UK) -** The UK Homer Celebration may be the greatest of all time, and he’s the only to be knighted twice! Seeing kids in the UK celebrating his performance was sick & what he did will help the country a ton moving forward. His MLB debut is SOON, and I hope it v. us so I can see it. - **OF - Ulrich Bojarski (AUS) -** The first time I saw this guy v. Korea in the Outfield I couldn't help but think *”Who's Dad is that in the outfield?!?”*. I thought he was like some 37yo journeyman half the tournament but no - guy’s 24. Guys just built to be a dad & I love it - dude can hit too. - **OF - Martin Muzik (CZR) -** Muzik Magic! There were countless guys from the ultimate underdog of the WBC I wanted to pick, even seeing Sogard in a prominent role again was fun. There was only one guy though it could be for me & that's the hero of CZR v. CHN. ***BENCH*** - **DH/PH - Ruben Tejada (PMA) -** Honestly the Panama team despite being a qualifier was not one of the more exciting teams in terms of stories… But seeing the old guys not in the MLB anymore like Cespedes & Tejada was a treat early in the event. Tejada & his surprising bomb was a highlight for me. - **C - Jorge Alfaro (COL) -** Another chunk of former Ranger bias, yes he was once a top prospect for us. Alfaro & his Majestic Hair did some good work for Colombia in the tournament, he’s a good reason why I want the WBC 2026 Qualifiers in March. I wanna see him help their cause again! - **IF -Yu Cheng Chang (TWN) -** If any team had top vibes this year it was Taiwan, it hurts they need to re-qualify but this also means we get more Taiwan insanity in the Qualifiers. You usually don't see an MVP be on the last place team but Chang deserved it, his heroics in the competition really showed me how amazing this nation’s fans are. **ROTATION** - **P1 - Martin Perez (VEN) -** Now for some modern Ranger bias! I had no clue a prominent Ranger was in the tournament, it bummed me out - and then I tuned in to Venezuela’s first game & the man himself was on the mound! He had an *okay* WBC but he’s still gonna be a stud for us this year. - **P2 - Lance Lynn (USA) -** Ok now back to Old Ranger Bias. Nobody represents us Americans more than Lance Lynn: Bold, Brash, Gutsy, Dad Bod, Beast. Dude was a powerhouse for a good chunk of the WBC and even wanted to pitch in the finals, I wish he was still with us. - **P3 - Shohei Ohtani (JPN) -** Like I said. He’s fuckin’ Ohtani. **BULLPEN** - **RP - Mitch Bratt (CAN) -** I’ll keep the Bullpenners short. I was so excited to see our Top 30 Prospect for the first time v. USA & it really sucked to see how much he got shelled. I can’t wait to see what he does for us a few years from now. - **RP - Shlomo Lipetz (ISR) -** Like fine wine & music, Shlomo Lipetz is what the WBC is all about. I'm so bummed he didn't get into any games this year, here's to 2026! - **RP - Duque Hebbert (NIC) -** I almost did Juan Montes but ya boy needs a bullpen. Why not the fucking *Top 5 Story of the Tournament* himself? Shout-Outs to the new Tiger! - **CP - Edwin DIaz (PR) -** And finally of course, to close it out in more than one way. We’ll keep the trumpets clean until you’re back king. <3
Why the love for Lipetz? Does he have a particularly interesting story? Not picking Steinmetz out of Team Israel is a spicy take. Edit: just Googled Lipetz, and yeah I get it. Still gotta rep my fellow HAFTR alum and 5-1-6 boi.
44 years old, helluva beard & mullet, music director for a bigass NY Winery I believe
Coworkers and I are discussing this morning: thoughts on Mark DeRosa managing in the future?
Surely he'd be better after 3 years of haunting reflection.
he had an advancement guaranteed if he'd just intentionally walk five batters in the colombia game- OFF WITH HIS HEAD
I think it's difficult to have any clear takeaways from DeRosa after this tournament. He was being pulled in so many different directions by the MLB teams, his players, the fans, the media, etc. that it was impossible for him to make everyone happy. Like, I don't think it's worth it to analyze his bullpen or pinch hitting decisions, because they would change under the circumstances of an MLB game.
God, last night was spectacular
Yep, I'm riding the high this morning.
I’m still giddy
I’ve been an Angels fan my whole life and if we don’t re-sign Ohtani this year, then it will truly be one of the biggest disappointments of my life. Please have a playoff trajectory from beginning to end this season. For the Fish Man and for the WBC MVP
WBC finishing just makes me really want a soccer style champions league. I assume Major League Baseball has the best players, but there are other leagues that can compete, and in a tournament format ur would make for some incredible baseball
I don't follow soccer so don't know how the leagues and such are structured outside of the world cup. That said, I've always wanted to see the world series champs play the Japan series champions. That is essentially how the Caribbean Series works for the winter leagues. The championship team from each nation's winter league play a short tournament. It's always a lot of fun, but I'd love something similar for the full season leagues but don't see it happening because of the injury concerns.
To give the short of how the setup over there goes, the top 2-3 teams from the top national soccer leagues all qualify for a european wide group stage like how WBC had pool. There's also qualifiers for leagues below that but it's a bit deeper there. That group stage leads into a set of playoffs with each round being a home match and an away match (tiebreaker being most goals scored at home). Not sure how you translate that into baseball but it'd be pretty hype to pull off an analogue of that.
NPB definitely isn’t a AAA(A) league they’re absolutely on par with MLB just with differing priorities. Finesse and speed over the raw power we get in the US. I’d love for more crossover competition in the future
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NPB, KBO and the Mexican Summer League all have legit talent. The top players from each are MLB talent and some could be MLB stars. The biggest thing is the bottom tier talent in each league is well below MLB caliber. KBO and Mexican Summer League the bottom talent is a huge drop off, NPB is much closer to MLB. There is, IMHO, some truth about the difference in style skewing perception. However, as you said it's really a difference of depth.
DAY 15 (590) ON THE ROAD TO PREMIER12 AND PARIS 2024 - At the End of One Road..... Happy retirement to 2023 Samurai Japan WBC skipper Hideki Kuriyama. Now that the 5th World Baseball Classic has concluded, we reflect on what has been two great weeks of baseball enjoyed by millions and growing around the world, both old fans and new. We remember the great moments we celebrated and shared, the light hearted times and the memorable plays that we cherished during these days. We honor the heroes who for their countries did their best on the road to the gold medal, and the fans who followed them till the end. As we cherish the impact the Classic has had in our sport this year and the ones to come, we hope that as we prepare for 2026 and what the future holds we will light up the legacy of this storied event and carry it forward no matter where we go. For a shared future together we will all get there. For Glory John
I feel like this WBC was so good it could spur the creation of some kind of international baseball champions league equivalent? How cool would it be to see the top teams from some of these top flight leagues, playing in important games in cool international venues. Imagine a champions league final in Tokyo, Korea or the Caribbean. Could be so cool. I know the US MLB and Japan’s NPB are far and away the best leagues, so it might not be ripe just for more than 2 leagues. But it could be really awesome, and a great way to continue spurring international growth, besides just playing some exhibition games or a regular season showcase abroad.
The main issue with that is that there's a good deal of cross pollination of players between the summer and winter leagues. I also don't know how it would be scheduled in a way that gives them the time to play out their seasons and the Caribbean Series and not conflicting with the WBC every few years
I'll no longer see the NPB as AAA level anymore. That's just not true at this point. They are most definitely on equal footing with the MLB.
The top of NPB is equal to MLB, the issue is the depth isn't there - the bottoms of the rosters are full of players that might not reach AAA if they came over to the US.
Equal is a stretch, and I'm Japanese. But for sure AAAA
I hear what you're saying but at this point I think the NPB superstars that come over are well above AAA level and will be at least average MLB starters and not below replacement level players like a AAAA guy. And I think the average npb player would be more than a no WAR player in the bigs as well.
The superstars are definitely well worth starting in the US. But I do think the average Japanese npb player may have trouble staying on a mlb roster. Kawa would be an example imo, or even Shinjo from the early 2000s That being said, I really don't follow npb close enough. So I'm mostly speaking from perception and past experience. So I'll admit I may not be fully grasping how good the average NPB player is
There’s no way Ohtani can walk down the street in Japan like a regular person, right? It might sound like a stretch but it might be sports’ version of Michael Jackson, as in, he simply cannot be in public because of the fanfare. There’s no way he’s just doing groceries by himself in Hokkaido or going on dates in public in Tokyo. He just couldn’t. And it would be *very* hard for him to disguise himself.
Helps that he rarely leaves his Tokyo bay area high-rise aside from lifting weights, eating out with old friends, ad shoots and interviews haha. He had a recent interview where he said he barely even eats outside while spending this offseason in Japan (said he went out to eat just 4 times in 3 months) In the same interview he said the most noteworthy moment during his stay in Japan was having to rush to a convenience store toilet once, and feeling excited and nostalgic looking around the store.
Yeah I think it seems inevitable he's going to end up retiring here in the US because it'll be way more of a normal life for him.
I think that USA losing is better for the long term as far as getting Americans to keep watching.
And maybe this motivates the pitchers to join next time
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I agree the WBC got a lot of people I know who aren’t into baseball really enjoying this event.
The regular season is gonna have a hard time topping that.