Gabriella Tolve '23
After a COVID-induced six-year hiatus, the World Baseball Classic is returning this year. Twenty international teams are set to compete from March 7 until March 21 of 2023. The Classic is set to be held in Taichung, Tokyo, Phoenix, and Miami. The international competition will be kicked off on March 8 in Taiwan.
Spring. The time of flowers, a heck of a lot of rain, and…baseball season! Amidst the onset of spring training, this year’s World Baseball Classic’s date and team rosters have finally been announced!
This year’s World Baseball Classic has released the 2023 teams and brackets for the competition. This year in Pool A (March 8-13 in Taichung) consists of Chinese Taipei, Cuba, Italy, Kingdom of the Netherlands, and a TBD qualifier. Japan, Korea, China, Australia, and a TBD qualifier make up Pool B (March 9-13 in Tokyo). In Pool C, a TBD qualifier, the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Columbia will be competing in Phoenix, Arizona from March 11-15th. Finally, Pool D (March 11-15 in Miami) will feature Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Israel, the Dominican Republic, and a TBD qualifier country.
When it comes to the World Baseball Classic, teams are often very particular about who they add to the competition’s roster. Injuries for the upcoming MLB season are often of great concern for coaches and team managers. If a player is prone to injury, a coach/manager is unlikely to add them to the roster for this competition. Similarly, if a player is injured in or before the pre-season, they likely will not be participating in the Classic.
Surprisingly enough, a great deal of baseball fans don’t actually watch this event. Some fans are not even aware of the Classic taking place. As it happens, some fans devoted enough to watch both the preseason and postseason, don’t even watch the World Baseball Classic. Victoria Bruno, a huge New York Yankee fan said she “was too busy watching an NBA game to keep up with the Classic last time.” Bruno continued, “It’s still technically football season…even though the Super Bowl just ended, I’ll need some time to recover”.
With the twenty stacked rosters released, those who keep up with the classic are excited to see how it unfolds. I encourage you – whether a devoted fan or just a casual watcher – to take notice of the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
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