A small WBC update today, with just two pieces of news:
First off, David Peralta of the Diamondbacks is unlikely to play for Venezuela next year due to wrist surgery.
Secondly, according to the the excellent “Pinceladas del CMB” Twitter feed and Twitter’s translation feature, there is the news that tickets for the Guadalajara pool will go on sale in November.
…And that’s it for this installment. If you have any WBC news, let me know! Thanks!
Due to my trip and other responsibilities, I’ve been slacking on WBC updates. So, here is one.
The Pools for the 2017 WBC have been revealed:
The biggest piece of WBC news in the past few weeks is probably the reveal of the actual pools and locations for the tournament. They are:
Pool A (Tokyo Dome): Australia, China, Cuba, Japan
Pool B (Geocheok Dome in Seoul, South Korea): Taipei, Korea, Netherlands, winner of Brooklyn Qualifying pool (more on that later)
Pool C (Marlins Park in Miami): Canada, Colombia, Dominican Republic, USA
Pool D (Estadio Charros de Jalisco in Guadalajara, Mexico): Italy, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Venezuela
Pool E (Tokyo Dome): Top two of Pool A and Pool B
Pool F (Petco Park in San Diego): Top two of Pool C and Pool D
Semi-Finals and Finals are in Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
Rosters for the Brooklyn Qualifier have been revealed:
Late in August, the rosters for the final qualifying pool were revealed. Baseball America has a good rundown of them, and I’ll go more in-depth on them when I do my preview of the group later in the month. But my early impressions say that Brazil and Israel will be the main teams to beat in the pool, although the UK could surprise.
Other WBC News:
Kim In-Sik, the manager for Team Korea, is pessimistic about the team’s chances due to a lack of pitching, especially right-handers. He hopes to get Seung-Hwan Oh, but problems with a gambling situation in Macau that led to his suspension from KBO and NPB (it’s complicated and I’m not entirely sure if I fully understand it, but it has to do with rules in Korea and Japan that frown upon gambling even if it’s in a place where it’s legal) make that less than a slam-dunk. On the position player side, Dae-Ho Lee and Byung-Ho Park have been supportive, although Park’s injury makes it unlikely he will take part. Among the KBO players Kim is looking at is Jae-Kuk Ryu, who had some time in the majors from 2006 to 2008. Another article suggests that Hyun-Soo Kim of the Orioles is a certainty to be on the team, but that other MLB players besides him and Dae-Ho Lee are iffy due to the fact they all have had injury problems throughout the year.
Ervin Santana is eager to represent the Dominican at the next WBC, and hopes that Miguel Sano can join him. However, based on conversations that Sano has had with Latin American scouting sources for the Twins, it’s possible he’ll be the odd man and might be better served staying with the Twins, since the DR likely will have players like Adrian Beltre and Edwin Encarnacion filling the roles that Sano would likely would be most fit for.
Noah Syndergaard is likely to receive an invitation from Team USA, although it’s unknown if he would accept.
21-year-old Tyler O’Neill, named the Mariners’ best Minor League player this season by the Seattle Times, is a candidate for Team Canada.
Ken Rosenthal speculates that Clayton Kershaw and A.J. Ellis may have a reunion on Team USA next spring. However, he notes that there are plenty of “ifs” connected to that, especially related to Kershaw’s health and whether Ellis would even be considered for Team USA given America’s depth at the position.
Russell Martin has said he intends to play for Canada if he is healthy. John Axford is also excited to participate.
Omar Vizquel will be scouting the Venezuelan League to keep an eye on people who are on Team Venezuela’s shortlist.
It’s time for a WBC update!
Taiwan has abandoned plans to bid for a WBC pool, likely ensuring that Korea will host something.
Aroldis Chapman is now a US Citizen and says he’d play for Team USA if asked.
And if he is going to take part in the WBC, it’s going to have to be on Team USA, since Cuba has announced that, despite some negotiations to make it happen, defectors will not be allowed on the Cuban national team.
Bryce Harper is in so long as some of the other top US players are going to be playing.
Manny Machado is now on record as being on Team Dominican Republic next year.
And, finally, in what I believe is the first appearance of the WBC in a English-language fictional work, Japanese-American author Naomi Hirahara’s latest book involves a amateur detective trying to solve a murder that takes place at the 2009 WBC finals between Japan and Korea.
My apologies, but the WBC update has been delayed until tomorrow. Sorry.
It’s been awhile, but it’s time for a World Baseball Classic update!
General News:
A possible change in the WBC rules will be introduced in order to entice more pitchers to play. It would allow teams to add extra players the further they advance, so it could be possible, for example, for Clayton Kershaw or David Price (who both have passed on the tournament in the past because they didn’t want to rush their throwing schedule) to join later in the tournament.
At least two pools will take place in Asia during the 2017 Classic, with one in Japan and one in either Korea or Taiwan.
Connected to that: earlier this year, Twins broadcaster, Hall of Famer, and occasional Netherlands pitching coach Bert Blyleven said that the Dutch were expected to start their WBC campaign in Korea. Apparently that isn’t official yet, but definitely possible. This is mainly because Korea has a domed stadium and Taiwan does not.
While I can’t find the exact tweet/article about it, apparently the locations of the first round of the “main” World Baseball Classic will be revealed on May 10, so presumably all these questions will be put to rest then.
Pakistani coaches have attended a clinic in China in preparation for their qualifying pool.
Players on possibility of WBC play:
Mike Trout says it’s too early to say whether he’ll play in the WBC, although it sounds like he does want to do it, it’ll depend on how he feels.
Staying on Team USA, the dream of a Team USA Madison Bumgarner–Buster Posey battery apparently isn’t a pipe-dream. Although neither of them have said definitively, both of them said they were open to it.
Sonny Gray, meanwhile, thinks it’d be “awesome” to be on Team USA.
Francisco Lindor is excited to play for the Puerto Rican national team.
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Look later this week as I make another projection for Team USA! And if you see any WBC news I missed, let me know by tweeting me at @DanJGlickman or e-mailing me at Djgwriter@yahoo.com!
The Baseball Continuum Continuucast’s ninth episode with special guest Stacey Gostulias (and her cat)! Hit play above, download by right-clicking here, follow the RSS feed here or follow on iTunes here or Stitcher here (if the latest episode isn’t up yet, it will be shortly).
The 9th Continuucast, now able to fill a NL starting lineup!
First, Dan talks to Stacey Gotsulias (and her cat) about the Yankees, New Yankee Stadium, the super-expensive seats in said stadium, the possibility that baseball may one day have ads on uniforms, baseball’s attempts at broadening it’s fanbase, and more. Big thanks to Stacey, who can be followed on Twitter at @StaceGots!
Next, Dan give his opinions on Jim Leyland being hired for Team USA in 2017.
Finally, Dan previews the next Continuucast, and makes a special announcement about another area that the Baseball Continuum is expanding into! Fans of BIZARRE BASEBALL CULTURE will want to hear this!
Music/Sounds Featured:
“The National Game” by John Phillip Sousa
“Here Come The Yankees”
The World Baseball Classic Theme
“Flight of the Bumblebee” (AKA The Green Hornet Theme) by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov performed by the US Army Band (special “Bizarre Baseball Culture” remix by Dan Glickman featuring the Pablo Sanchez Theme and clips from previous and future Bizarre Baseball Culture pieces)
The Theme from Fallout 4
All sound and music used is either public domain or is a short snippet that falls under fair use.
It’s time for the return of the Baseball Continuum’s Continuucast! Hit play above, download by right-clicking here, follow the RSS feed here or follow on iTunes here (if the latest episode isn’t up yet, it will be shortly).
Dan Glickman returns to bring the Baseball Continuum Continuucast BACK from obscurity! And, for the first time, he has a guest, as he speaks to Rich Grisham, the Chief Marketing Officer of OOTP Developments, the creators of Out of the Park Baseball. Their latest version, OOTP 17, is now available on Steam and on the OOTP website (https://www.ootpdevelopments.com/out-of-the-park-baseball/). Dan asks Rich about what’s new in OOTP, just how big/small the development team is, OOTP’s modding community, fan feedback, their partnership with MLB Players Association, and whether we may one day see the WBC in a OOTP game. After that, Dan talks a bit about how impressed he was with South Africa, France and the Czech Republic in recent WBC qualifiers, before previewing next week’s guest: Brandon DuBreuil of CPBLEnglish.com.
Music/Sounds Featured:
“The National Game” by John Phillip Sousa
The sound of the TARDIS from Doctor Who
Excerpt of the theme of Hardball Baseball 5
Excerpt from the World Baseball Classic theme
Excerpt of “Pennant Fever” from the Major League soundtrack
All sound and music used is either public domain or is a short snippet that falls under fair use.
Like the Mexicali pool, this is a pool that will pit Latin America and Europe. However, in some ways the only European team will be France, as Spain weighs heavily on imported talent. This should be the most competitive WBC qualifier bracket so far, with only France being a team that I can say has no chance.
Go below the jump for more:
Another round of WBC qualifiers starts on Thursday, with two pools going. One of them, in Mexicali, is a odd mix of two Latin American countries mixed with two European nations. While Mexico is most definitely the favorite, it’s not inconceivable that a shocking upset will take place… just very unlikely. You can see the rosters here.
Go below the jump for more:
Finally, the rosters for the Panama and Mexicali qualifiers of the WBC have been unveiled. I’ll go deeper when I do the previews for the tournaments, but a quick rundown:
Finally one last other piece of news:
There is some exhibition action, as Germany split a two-game series with the Tijuana Toros, France beat Seminole State College, and the Czechs lost to a Brewers’ minor league squad.
The Baseball Continuum 