Including Trout Otani Kershaw MLB stars are ripe for the declaration of participation
Mike Trout, Otani Shohei (L.A. Angels) and Clayton Kershaw (L.A. Dodgers). Star players who dominate Major League Baseball are announcing their participation in the World Baseball Classic (WBC). There is still three months left, but the atmosphere is already ripe.
MLB said on the 20th (Korea Standard Time) that Kershaw will play for the U.S. national team at the 2023 WBC.
Kershaw has played only for the Dodgers since his big league debut in 2008, with a career-high 197 wins and 87 losses and a 2.48 ERA. He won the National League Cy Young Award in 2011, 2013 and 2014, and won the Cy Young Award as well as the MVP in 2014.
This season, when he entered his mid-30s, he still showed off his skills with 12 wins, 3 losses, and a 2.28 ERA.
It is the first time for Kershaw to participate in the WBC, which marks its fifth anniversary. Kershaw’s appearance has added more weight to the starting pitcher for the U.S. national team
The U.S., the “defending champion,” has been confirming its WBC players one by one since this summer, when the season was already underway. The list is not released at once as the players have to sound out their intention to play, but the list released so far alone is like an “all-star” where a large number of players who command the league have participated.
Trout, who has won the American League MVP three times, Bryce Harper (Philadelphia Phillies twice), Mookie Betts (Dodgers once), and Paul Goldschmidt (St. Louis Cardinals once), are four batters with MVP experience.
On top of that, Kyle Schwarber (Philadelphia), Pete Alonso (New York Mets), and Nolan Arena (St. Louis) are big guns with experience as home run kings.
Pitchers, including Adam Wainwright (St. Louis), Merrill Kelly (Arizona Diamondbacks), Ryan Pressley (Houston Astros), and Daniel Bard (Colorado Rockies), were relatively less colorful, and Kershaw’s joining quickly increased the weight.
Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander (the Mets), and Aaron Judge (the New York Yankees), who are at the “superstar” level, have not yet heard of their participation, but they have set up a roster that will attract the attention of fans around the world
Japan is also announcing that major leaguers will join the national team one after another. In particular, Otani, who is successfully performing a “two-hit job” in the big leagues, will play in the WBC for the first time, with Darvish Yu (San Diego Padres) and Suzuki Seiya (Chicago Cubs).
In addition, Senga Kodai, who recently signed a five-year, $75 million contract with the Mets, is also hoping to participate in the WBC. It is an important time ahead of his major league debut, but he has a strong will to join the national team.
It is not just the United States and Japan. The Dominican Republic, the winner of the 2013 WBC, will also participate in this year’s National League Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara (Miami Marlins) against strikers such as Jose Ramirez (Clible Guardians), Juan Soto, Manny Machado (San Diego), and Rafael Devers (Boston Red Sox).
In the case of the South Korean national team led by head coach Lee Kang-chul, the roster is outlined last month by announcing the preliminary 50-member list. With KBO leaguers as the main players, there is a possibility that players who play in the Major League will also play.
Ryu Hyun-jin (Toronto), who is injured, is difficult to join, but Kim Ha-sung (San Diego), who has been the main shortstop this season, first baseman Choi Ji-man (Pittsburgh Pirates), and utility infielder Park Hyo-joon (Atlanta Braves) are all included in the list 토토추천사이트
In addition, Tommy Edman (St. Louis) and Rob Leffsnider (Boston), who are of Korean descent, are also included in the preliminary list, raising expectations. If Edman, who is recognized for his outstanding defense as the starting second baseman of St. Louis, joins, he is expected to achieve a “big leaguer keystone combination” with Kim Ha-sung
