World Baseball Classic: Played at Wrong Time of Year?

Image Credit: World Baseball Classic/MLB

NEW YORK, NY — I look forward to this time of year. A new baseball season and warmer weather coming soon, green grass, sounds of a ball hitting the bat, pitchers throwing heat with a repertoire of other pitches to their arsenal. But every three or four years, baseball in March has a different spin.

The World Baseball Classic (WBC), not to be confused with a boxing organization (World Boxing Council) takes center stage before MLB’s Opening Day on March 25 and 26. Basically, the WBC is a great concept, though played at the wrong time of year.

So, I am not an advocate of this partnership tournament with the WBC, MLB, Major League Baseball Players Association and world wide sponsored event this time of year. Don’t get me wrong because the WBC is good for world wide baseball exposure, attention that generates immense revenue—something MLB and players will never reject.

However, this is not the FIFA World Cup that will gain immense headlines in the summer and also not the height of MLB which is the All-Star game break and midpoint of their season. Soccer and baseball fans are different, one can’t debate the other as to what sport is more popular.

And as much as Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Mexico, Nicaragua, Japan, South Korea, the United States and other nations bring together top professional players to represent their home countries, this is the premier international baseball event. They will crown a world champion and the tournament is highly competitive.

And, yes to my contention, this should be the World Series of baseball and MLB as I always stated should rename the Fall Classic the “MLB Championship,” then again who said you can’t break tradition in 2026?

And my contention, the WBC is played at the wrong time of year. Years have passed and no resolution as to when is the appropriate time? It’s a question posed to MLB, the players and their strong union. A question to the networks that televise and stream the two-week tournament that is played in pools of 20 teams and culminates with a championship game on March 17 in Miami, Florida.

Advantage of one with a passion for baseball? The WBC is in the right place. Can’t argue the theatre in 2023 when Shohei Ohtani struck out Mike Trout in the final at bat as Japan won the championship over Team USA.

But played the wrong time of year, and I am not the only baseball purist who has other alternatives and why. To begin spring training is preparation for the long haul of a 162-game grind to October. Managers, coaches, rosters are coming together and 30 MLB camps are disrupted with principal players on the roster headed to a tournament of exhibition games.

In the meantime, spring exhibition ballgames continue during the Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues of Florida and Arizona sunshine, a grind, perhaps too many, but the local economic boost for municipalities is every February and March.

A time of year when baseball meets and the countdown to Opening Day, the WBC diverts that interest. The major names on rosters headed to a tournament to represent their nation with pride, nothing wrong with that.

But I am sure a GM, manager, or fan would not want to witness an unfortunate injury to a multi-million contract and star player during a game that means nothing with a season of meaningful baseball ahead. I am sure baseball executives have addressed this issue because this has occurred, though Edwin Díaz celebrating a Team Puerto Rico win and sustained a tear of his right patellar tendon was a freak injury and the Mets lost their star closer for the season, then again who is to say an unfortunate injury can’t occur during a meaningless spring training game?

It has happened more than once, hence the debate why the WBC is not played at the wrong time in March.

Forgive me as a pessimist but I hope Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, Juan Soto, Fernando Tatis Jr., Bryce Harper, Cal Raleigh, Julio Rodríguez, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and others return to their respective teams without a bruise or tear. I am sure every GM and manager are once again crossing their fingers for the best.

And I applaud Detroit’s Tarik Skubal with a pending lucrative contract opting to pitch four innings for the USA and return to camp, that works for his benefit and of course the Tigers’ ace is their anchor to the postseason.

However the WBC does not work under that circumstance of a cameo appearance, a tournament for the players and pride of their country though pitchers do have an innings limit that will be monitored with coaches and their respective MLB manager.

Solution to play another time? There are none with all the proposals back-and-forth. The WBC has popularity, more so with Latin American representation, indicating it with strong attendance and televised ratings each time. MLB players first began participating in the WBC during its inaugural tournament in March of 2006.

Then not as many high profiled contracted players, still played in March and that risk of an injury. Regardless the players go with the plan as alternative scheduling can’t seem to have a solution. But some baseball players of the past, scouts, and a few executives have informed me in the past there could be a solution.

Do as the NHL does and shut down the MLB schedule for two weeks during the All-Star break, then again that rids tradition of the All-Star Game that is meaningless and TV ratings are not breaking records. It’s a good concept but MLB and the players would never look at a two-week hiatus of the schedule.

Because players not involved in the WBC would be idle, pitchers and hitters would require another spring training period to ramp up again, and I don’t see that as a solution. But to those who depart for a few weeks they say the WBC gets them into the competitive mode of a 162-game season of meaningful baseball.

Again, a nice tournament for baseball. I will watch some of the games but not 6:00AM ET. A tournament of games for a championship but should be played another time. Baseball always seems to find solutions, always has and will continue to make adjustments for the better.

A solution though to the WBC and schedule? That will remain a dilemma.

Rich Mancuso is a senior writer and columnist at LatinoSports.com with coverage of MLB, boxing, and MLS – X:@Ring786, Facebook.com/Rich Mancuso

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