The 2023 MLB season is off and running after a long Spring Training, but it was a spring that was a bit different than most. Baseball has started to lose some fans over the last few years, but MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred is trying to get those fans back.
While many people are just sitting around and waiting to make NCAAF picks this fall, some fans are returning to baseball after rule changes appear to be working. The rousing success of the 2023 World Baseball Classic should also help to bring fans back, and that event isn’t going anywhere.
Manfred recently confirmed that the World Baseball Classic will be returning in 2026, and that’s the right decision after what transpired this spring. This event does tend to mess up the everyday routine for teams in Major League Baseball, but it’s a risk that Manfred believes that the league must take.
There could be some changes coming to the WBC in the future though as trying to find the perfect time to host the event isn’t easy. It was held during Spring Training this year, but there were some major complaints made.
Most of the games are held in the United States, but there are games held in other parts of the world as well. Because most of the rosters tend to be made up of players that are currently in MLB, players are forced to leave their professional teams to travel.
There has been some talk about hosting the WBC during the middle of the season, but that could create some additional issues. Players that don’t participate in the WBC would then be forced to sit idle for a long period of time, and that tends to lead to some injuries.
The WBC dates all the way back to 2006, and this past event was the fifth version of the event. There have been changes made to the format throughout the years as MLB tries to get more of the world involved with the sport of baseball.
One of the biggest arguments to keep the event during the month of March is that it tends to be a down time for the other major professional sports. Competing against March Madness isn’t ideal, but this year’s version proved that the WBC can definitely compete.
It can be hard to keep track of where players are playing during the WBC as well, and that is something that the league is hoping to clear up. As long as players have some family ties to an international country then they are able to suit up and play for that country.
Japan Looking to Repeat
When the 2026 WBC does take place, the country of Japan will be looking to defend its crown. Japan defeated the United States in the 2023 championship game, and it was a game filled with some of the biggest stars in the game.
Shohei Ohtani was named MVP of the 2023 WBC after doing a bit of everything for team Japan. Ohtani struck out Los Angeles Angels teammate Mike Trout to end the 2023 event in a game that was viewed by millions from around the world.
This was the third championship for team Japan as they have been dominant in this event. They won the first two versions of the WBC before the Dominican Republic was able to come away with a win in 2013.
The United States was looking to win their second straight WBC title in 2023 after coming away with a win in 2017. The reason that there was such a long gap between the last two events was due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Manfred Wants More Stars
Another big change that Manfred wants to see in 2026 is getting more stars involved in the event, especially when it comes to pitching. There was little complaint about the offensive stars that decided to participate this time around.
Some of the top pitching stars just aren’t willing to start their throwing routines early enough in the offseason to be ready to pitch in competitive games in March. Team USA was one of the countries that was without all of its top stars, but other countries were missing great pitchers as well.
This article was provided by Petra Maya
