“Can’t let our players go”… Big League Clubs, WBC Tackle Still
The World Baseball Classic (WBC), which celebrated its 5th inning, still has not solved one chronic problem. It is the passive attitude of the clubs belonging to the original country that have to send players to the national team. Following the public dissatisfaction of the coach of the Japanese national team, the Dominican Republic national team came to the fore this time.
Multiple local media, including ESPN Deportes, reported on the 29th (Korean time) that it was difficult for 18 players on the Dominican Republic’s WBC 50-man preliminary roster to play, citing Nelson Cruz, the oldest active big leaguer. It is said that major league clubs are opposed to their selection. Cruz is the general manager of the Dominican Republic national team for this tournament.
The Dominican Republic has done well in the WBC so far. In the third competition held in 2013, he even lifted the championship cup. It was expected that a number of prominent big leaguers would be sent to this tournament as well. A large number of all-star players such as National League Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara, Juan Soto, Manny Machado, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. were included in the preliminary roster. However, due to this bad news, it is in a position to worry about a significant weakening of power.
It is not new that major league clubs and officials are putting the brakes on drafting players for the WBC. Rather, there is a rational side for the club. This is because of the risk of injury to players belonging to the team, as well as the fact that the tournament is held at the time of preparation for the new season, so there may be a problem of ‘spreading’ in the regular season after raising the pace unreasonably. New York Mets coach Buck Showalter and others publicly expressed concern in the past, saying that the WBC could disrupt players’ biorhythms.온라인바카라
However, some point out that clubs must show a more active attitude in order to truly establish itself as a world-class baseball tournament. Japanese national team coach Hideki Kuriyama complained to Nikkan Sports, a local media outlet, that big leaguers might be delayed in joining the national team training. He emphasized, “For the (WBC) to be a good tournament, the wishes of the players must be reflected.”
In the Korean national team, ‘Gold Glove Keystone’ Kim Ha-seong and Tommy Edman are not expected to join the national team training early. Choi Ji-man’s situation is worse. This is because they have not yet received a final confirmation from the club regarding whether to join or not. Although he is determined to participate, his position in the team is unstable and there is a possibility that he will not be selected for the national team as he underwent surgery to remove a bone fragment in his elbow at the end of last year.
Meanwhile, clubs belonging to the Korean Professional Baseball (KBO) league have also started preparing for the new season in earnest. On the 30th, teams from four clubs, including SSG Landers and KIA Tigers, boarded the plane for an overseas spring camp that had been suspended for three years due to Corona 19. Including KT Wiz and Hanwha Eagles, which left the country earlier the day before, 9 clubs departed for training camps. The Lotte Giants will finally board a plane from Busan on the 1st.