With the submission of the final entry for the 5th World Baseball Classic (WBC) approaching in two weeks, the names of the national teams are being outlined.
In Korea, the KBO selected 30 people on the 4th (hereinafter Korean time) and is waiting for the submission deadline. Japan has virtually confirmed a list of 30 players, including major leaguers such as Shohei Otani and Yu Darvish, and NPB’s best stars such as Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Munetaka Murakami.
Participating countries such as the winning candidate USA, Dominican Republic, Cuba, and Venezuela have submitted an interest list of at least 50 people to the WBC. The final entry submission is on February 7th.
However, some major leaguers who expressed their intention to participate in the tournament are changing their stance by not participating for one reason or another.
The representative player is Trevor Story (Boston Red Sox), shortstop of the US national team. He underwent right elbow ligament surgery on the 12th and will have to rest the entire season. Participation in the WBC naturally went away.
Dylan Seads (Chicago White Sox), who was in the limelight as the ace of the U.S. national team, also recently decided not to attend. In an interview with MLB.com, he said, “I was looking forward to participating in the WBC, but I thought it was more important to prepare for the season. It’s a great honor to be selected for the national team and participate in the tournament, but it’s a pity that I really have to prepare. It is realistic to avoid risks and prepare diligently for the season.”
Siege finished 2nd in the American League Cy Young Award voting last year with 14 wins and 8 losses, a 2.20 ERA and 227 strikeouts. He has struck out 453 in 349⅔ innings over the last two years. He averaged 11.66 per 9 innings. He is regarded as the representative Doctor K.
According to MLB.com, Ciez will start pitching late in the bullpen this offseason, as he did last year, and is honing his changeup. He said, first of all, he should focus on strengthening his arm muscles and building his body. The White Sox team may have stopped participating in the tournament, but the fact that Seads himself explained it must be seen that he did not want to participate. Siege is in its 4th full-time season this year.
In addition, Nathan Ivaldi (Texas Rangers), who is evaluated as another American ace, cannot guarantee participation in the tournament. He signed a two-year, $34 million contract with Texas in this free agency market and transferred. For Ivaldi, who stopped playing 20 games last season due to back and shoulder injuries, adapting to a new team and preparing for the season are more urgent tasks.
From the club’s point of view, it is unacceptable for a player who receives an annual salary of tens of millions of dollars to take the risk of injury by participating in the WBC unreasonably. Athletes, of course, prioritize the club over the country.
Venezuelan outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. (Atlanta Braves) is also uncertain about participating in the tournament. He failed to meet expectations with a batting average of 0.266, 15 home runs, 50 RBIs and an OPS of 0.764 in 119 games last year. He underwent knee ligament reconstruction surgery in July 2017 and returned in April last year, but he could not recover his skills. It is time for Acuna, which has continued to grow rapidly by winning Rookie of the Year in 2018 and MVP in 5th place in 2019, to change its mind. It seems that the Atlanta club is against it. 헤라카지노도메인
It is said that the San Diego Padres recently notified WBC players such as Kim Ha-seong and Darvish to go through spring training for at least two weeks. As a result, Kim Ha-seong will not be able to participate in the Korean national team training in Arizona in February.
Whether he is absent from national team training or competitions, it is impossible for a player to rebel against the team’s policy.