This Cub is ready to lead Japan's outfield at Classic

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Earlier this month, Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki shared an image of the Sloan Park scoreboard on social media. In the post, Suzuki’s name was in the lineup for Japan and his likeness was featured wearing the uniform for his home country. He announced his intention to play in the upcoming World Baseball Classic.

This was no surprise for the Cubs, who are also looking forward to Suzuki building on his rookie season and being a key part of the 2023 offense. The challenge ahead for both Suzuki and the Cubs will be balancing his participation in the Classic with Japan and preparing for the 162-game season ahead for the North Siders.

“We've had a lot of conversations about it,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said at the Winter Meetings. “I certainly want him to play. I think it's a great honor to be able to represent your country and he's done that a couple times -- in the Olympics and in the WBC -- which is fantastic.

“What I want is the best for both worlds. I want him to be able to represent his country and I want him to have a really smooth Spring Training and get ready for the season. Hopefully, we can accomplish both.”

Japan is part of Pool B in the World Baseball Classic, along with Australia, China, the Czech Republic and Korea. For those teams, pool play will take place from March 9-13 at the Tokyo Dome, followed by the quarterfinals on March 15-16 at the same site. The Classic semifinals (March 19-20) and finals (March 21) will take place at loanDepot park in Miami.

That means Suzuki could be in Japan (and Florida) for a considerable chunk of Spring Training, while the Cubs train at Sloan Park and their Mesa, Ariz., facility. This comes after Suzuki signed a five-year deal with Chicago on March 18 last year, following baseball’s lockout period. It would mark two irregular springs in a row for a player who just experienced the Majors for the first time.

Some injury setbacks limited the 28-year-old Suzuki to 111 games last season, when he finished hitting .262/.336/.433 with 14 homers, 22 doubles, 46 RBIs and nine stolen bases. His season consisted of a great April (.934 OPS), a strong final month (.847 OPS) and a some trials in the period in-between (.703 OPS).

“It's been a rocky year with everything and health concerns and playing time and everything considered,” Team Japan manager Hideki Kuriyama told reporters via an interpreter at the Winter Meetings. “But there's no doubt that he's the No. 1 outfielder in Japan, and we really want him to play on this team."

During a chat at the recent Winter Meetings, Cubs manager David Ross did not sound too concerned when asked about Suzuki’s participation in the Classic.

“I put myself in his shoes,” Ross said. “I would've loved to have played for Team USA. Like, how cool is that? You're going to get into the best competition in the world and be able to compete at a high level for your country. I would never want to take that away from anybody and always kind of push that experience. You should play if that's what your heart is.

“He's our starting right fielder. He's going to be in the lineup, whether you have a clean Spring Training, or things aren't perfect to start or whatever, if that was the case. Or, maybe he starts on fire because of already facing great pitching. None of us know that.

“But I don't think that'd be something we'll blame or make an excuse. It doesn't matter. You've got to go out and play and perform and win games. He’s our starting right fielder. He'll be prepared. He works his tail off.”