The “¡Mexico! Mexico!” Chants erupted in the hall on Sunday as soon as the gates of Chase Field opened. The chanting was so loud that people in the field turned to see what was going on. It took two hours until the first trip between Mexico and the US, and the excitement was already simmering.
A sell-out crowd of 47,354 – evenly split between the passionate teams – saw Mexico shock the US with an 11-5 win. The show was a huge success for the World Baseball Classic, in its fifth edition and first since 2017.
Interest in the WBC, a topic endlessly discussed in the weeks leading up to each WBC, is present in groups of fans and players. This was evident from Miami to Japan, where at times more than half of Tokyo-area households watched the home team play against South Korea. There was an exciting atmosphere and raw emotions. October environments reappeared in March.
But the event is not yet where everyone involved envisions it. There are creases that need to be ironed out. Most are off the field, but one prominent obstacle remains on the field. The team manager, Mark DeRosa, who played for the US at the 2006 WBC, has touched on the subject more than once in the past week.
“From a pitching perspective, they had to get going a little earlier and get going a little earlier,” DeRosa said. “But I think if it’s going to get where it needs to be, some of the major league clubs have to be willing to be a little bit more… OK, mentally with the guys playing.”
There was an elephant with stars and stripes in the room.
The problem DeRosa outlined is not all-encompassing. While Team USA’s group of positional players is the most talented in WBC history this year, only Team USA has an acute hurdle to attract the best available starters. Watch the tournament. The best pitchers of the other participants participate.
Shohei Ohtani plays both ways for Japan and begins a contracted season with the Angels. Julio Urías, who also plans to play in free agency this winter, started for Mexico in Saturday’s opener. Sandy Alcántara started the Dominican Republic’s opener after winning the NL Cy Young Award last season and leading the majors in innings pitched (228⅔).
Pablo López (Venezuela) and Jose Berríos (Puerto Rico) were the best starters in their respective countries last season and both are participating. Even veteran southpaw José Quintana, who is on a rebounding season, was set to play for Colombia before suffering a rib injury last week.
Team USA, meanwhile, has one of the best rotations of the tournament – but nowhere near the best they could have put together.
Last season, 13 American pitchers finished in the top 20 in ERA among qualified pitchers in the majors and 14 finished in the top 20 in FanGraphs WAR. Neither pitches in the WBC. Only one, San Francisco Giants right-hander Logan Webb, was originally signed for Team USA. He retired before spring training began.
Of the seven foreign-born pitchers who finished in the top 20 in the ERA, two are not in the WBC: Quintana and Framber Valdez, who initially said he would pitch for the Dominican Republic, but withdrew after a heavy blow, had a low workload. in October for the Houston Astros.
The Team USA rotation suffered two hits as Clayton Kershaw and Nestor Cortes were forced to retire. Cortes suffered a hamstring injury last month. Kershaw was unable to obtain the required insurance for participation. Kershaw posted a 2.28 ERA in 126⅓ innings for the Dodgers, while Cortes had a 2.44 ERA in 158⅓ innings for the New York Yankees. Due to the developments, the star power of the location staff decreased.
Without them, the starting options in the America roster are Adam Wainwright, Nick Martinez, Merrill Kelly, Lance Lynn, Kyle Freeland, Miles Mikolas and Brady Singer. The group reunited for seven All-Star Game appearances.
There are 10 active American-born major leagues with Cy Young Awards. Neither is part of the Team USA recruiting team.
Wainwright, 41, held off Great Britain in a four-inning run in Team USA’s opening win on Saturday. Martinez, a late addition to the squad, gave up three five-goal runs in 2⅔ innings against Mexico on Sunday.
Wainwright enters his 17th and perhaps final season with the St. Louis Cardinals. He is approaching 200 career wins after winning 11-12 last season with a 3.71 ERA over 191⅔ innings. The right-hander explained that pitching for Team USA was a long-standing goal after being cut from the 2004 U.S. Olympic qualifying team. It was his last chance.
“It’s a big part of my story, but it’s also left a void in me that I want to fill,” said Wainwright. “I am happy to represent our country.”
The tournament has workload restrictions, but major league clubs already view pitching at the WBC as high risk – and rightly so. Throwing a baseball is an unnatural arm movement. Injuries are common. Franchise companies invest millions of dollars in the best startup opportunity. Front offices rely on them to get and keep job security. The timing – during spring training just before the start of the season – adds to the concern.
Because of this, teams in the tournament are careful with starters and helpers. Managers are tasked with executing plans in conjunction with the Pitcher’s Clubs in preparation for Opening Day as they attempt to win adrenaline-packed competitive games. It’s a difficult balance. That’s what DeRosa experienced in Sunday’s loss.
“There are a lot of people who mean a lot to these big league ball clubs and their seasons,” DeRosa said after the game. “I will do nothing to endanger her.”
There is no perfect place on the calendar for this event. Major League Baseball is determined to make this tournament a success, and that requires a certain amount of risk in every game. Wainwright wants the parties involved to know that the Team USA pitchers are in good hands.
“I think one thing that people need to understand, understand the fans and understand the teams is that the coaching staff there is a professional Major League Baseball coaching team that knows how to coach their players the same way they would a normal one. ” tenacious training rod.
“When we come in here, we’re not together [unqualified] professionals to keep us where we need to be. … Whatever program we have with our own teams, they are ready to put it into practice here.”
MLB clubs were allowed to disqualify players from participation if they met certain injury-related parameters. This may explain some absences. But that doesn’t explain why so many of the top American starting pitchers of the 2022 season don’t participate in this tournament.
“If it goes where it’s going, all teams, all countries will want their so-called best players,” DeRosa said. “And it shouldn’t be that hard to put together a roster. But I totally get it.”
It’s not a requirement for the WBC to be successful in attracting top US starters – the United States produces more than enough talent for a strong rotation – but it will further legitimize the event as it continues to grow. The interest is already there. The proof was there Sunday night at Chase Field.
Source: LA Times