World Baseball Classic buzz at an all-time high

SAN DIEGO -- A World Baseball Classic event that, in the past, has inspired as much apprehension as excitement is finally leaning distinctly toward the latter.

From the time of its 2006 inception through its most recent run in 2017, the injury risks associated with the WBC have caused a number of marquee players to stay with their MLB squads for Spring Training, rather than representing their country. But with a staggering number of stars having committed to the 2023 installment of the event, the excitement in the air at a gathering of WBC managers and general managers at the Winter Meetings on Tuesday was palpable.

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“I believe the 2017 WBC created a ton of interest amongst the players,” said longtime big leaguer turned Team Israel manager Ian Kinsler. “Because they saw the excitement, they saw the environment, they saw the crowds and the intensity of it. And Team USA winning helped, as well. You see the stars committing to this. It definitely has its place in baseball.”

The international embrace of this event -- which in 2023 will run from March 8-21, with the finals at Miami’s loanDepot park -- has always been strong. And it’s stronger than ever now that two-way unicorn Shohei Ohtani has committed to Team Japan (an ankle injury kept him out of the WBC in 2017, his final season before transitioning to MLB).

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“This tournament should be happy he’s playing,” said Team Netherlands manager Hensley Meulens. “The Japanese community should be elated that he’s playing. Shohei is going to be a showstopper like he always is.”

The Dominican Republic roster could read like a Dream Team, with Manny Machado, Juan Soto and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. fronting the loaded lineup and reigning NL Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara, Luis Castillo, Cristian Javier and Framber Valdez among the potential rotation options.

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The Dominicans have always had strong turnout for this event, and now that enthusiasm is being matched by others -- competition that D.R. player/general manager Nelson Cruz welcomes.

“Everybody wants to see the best players versus the best players,” Cruz said. “And in this case, the best countries versus the best countries.”

It’s Team USA’s roster that represents the biggest improvement in sentiment toward this tourney.

Coming off the Americans’ big win in 2017, megawatt talents Mike Trout, Mookie Betts and Bryce Harper -- all of whom had abstained in years past -- agreed to participate (Harper did so prior to the Tommy John elbow surgery that will render him to the spring sidelines).

Trout announced at the 2022 All-Star Game in Los Angeles that he would not only compete but serve as Team USA captain. The big dominoes fell from there. In addition to Trout and Betts, the developing U.S. roster features the likes of Kyle Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto, Pete Alonso, Paul Goldschmidt, Trevor Story, Nolan Arenado, Trea Turner and Tim Anderson.

Pitchers will always be more difficult to pry, but Nestor Cortes is on board following his first All-Star season, Adam Wainwright has agreed in advance of his 2023 farewell tour and Logan Webb is taking part on the heels of two fantastic seasons for the Giants.

“The roster does have some moving parts on it still,” Team USA manager Mark DeRosa said. “But I notice, at least from my phone’s perspective, every time an #AllIn tweet goes out [announcing another Team USA participant], I get two phone calls [from other players interested]. So it’s like, ‘Oh, he’s playing? I want to be a part of it.’ I can’t imagine bypassing an opportunity to be in this locker room.”

World Baseball Classic rosters have not yet been finalized. For now, every country has a 50-man “interest list,” which will be whittled down to a 35-man provisional roster on Jan. 6. The final 30-man rosters will be unveiled Feb. 7.

There is no getting around the risks associated with the timing of this event, and therefore there will always be club executives smiling through gritted teeth when the WBC comes around.

But as was envisioned when the WBC was conceived, momentum has built up over the years. And the 2017 run for the U.S. -- the first time the Americans had even reached the finals, let alone won them -- had a particularly inspiring effect. Team USA’s intense win over the Dominican Republic -- highlighted by an epic home run-robbing catch by Adam Jones -- to reach the semifinals that year was a seminal moment in terms of increasing interest among fans and players, alike.

Now the stars are aligned for the WBC stage. The apprehension has been overtaken by the excitement.

“Even from 2017, there’s more buzz about this tournament,” Team USA general manager Tony Reagins said. “I think we’re going to market it better than we have in the past. And the talent level across several teams has been enhanced. I think this tournament has legs, and it’s going to add to the attraction of baseball around the world. There’s a lot of energy around this tournament.”