The World Baseball Classic, held once every four years, is just around the corner. This baseball world championship event which will be held at three locations simultaneously in the US, Japan, and Taiwan, will commence its first round on March 8th, 2023.
On February 9th, exactly one month left before the event, the final rosters of each participating country were announced and it is noticeable that in countries that are considered strong front runners for the championship, some of the team’s key members will not appear in the tournament.
There are many reasons for their absence, including injury and family matters. However, many of the players from these countries are playing in MLB in the US, and there are many cases that the declines from the tournament are based on the teams’ intentions.
In this article, we would like to look at the players who have decided not to participate in the WBC by country.
Let’s start with Italy in Group A. Italy is not necessarily the closest team to winning according to one of the major sports bookmakers, William Hill, who provides the odds of 101.00 as the winning team. But all the members of the national team included in the roster have played in MLB. So they are not to be underestimated.
In Italy, New York Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo was announced to be out of the game on February 6. Nimmo has just closed an eight-year deal worth $162 million with the Mets at the end of the last year, and his pulling away from WBC is said to significantly reflect the team’s intention. Besides Brandon Nimmo, Chicago Cubs’ outfielder and first baseman Trey Mancini and Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Jordan Romano have both withdrawn from the Italian national team.
Next is Japan in Group B. Japan is definitely one of the closest teams to winning, or so considered as some WBC bookmakers offer odds of up to 3.50 along with the United States and the Dominican Republic. Currently, Yomiuri Giants infielder Hayato Sakamoto announced that he withdrew from the game, as reported by Japanese media, but there is no news of any other players pulling away from the big tournament due to injuries.
The Japan national team has Shohei Ohtani, one of the most watched players in MLB currently, but their roster includes other strong players such as Masanao Yoshida and Seiya Suzuki both of whom play in the MLB. If all of them are allowed to participate in WBC, it would be safe to say that Japan is in the closest position to winning the championship, in which case, it will be Samurai Japan’s third time since the second in 2009.
In South Korea, another team in Group B, the team announced on February 6 that Choi Ji-man who plays for the Pittsburgh Pirates would be out of the national team. The infielder underwent surgery on his right elbow in November last year, and the absence most likely is tied to the operation.
In Group D, several players from Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic were announced to be skipping the games. First in Puerto Rico, Minnesota Twins’ infielder Carlos Correa due to the birth of his second child conflicting with the tournament.
Furthermore, since the beginning of February, the Dominican Republic had to drop three players, including L. Castillo of the Seattle Mariners and Severino of the New York Yankees. The Houston Astros’ pitcher Valdez reportedly withdrew from the game as well.
Group D is said to be the Group of Death, with the above two countries that are considered to be the favorites to win, as well as another powerhouse, Venezuela. The absence of players can significantly affect the outcome of a tournament, and the lack of their key players could lead to major surprises.
In this article, we took a look at players from each country that have decided not to participate in the WBC. The tournament is its fifth edition since 2017 and was originally scheduled to be held in 2021, but was postponed due to the Covid pandemic.
