Cubs News: Injuries can happen anywhere, don't blame WBC |
The World Baseball Classic has been a polarizing topic in sports over the last week or so. While March Madness — rightfully so — has been a hot topic, it is impossible to ignore the records the World Baseball Classic has generated in terms of fan interest.
The numbers are nearly incomparable compared to the last World Baseball Classic in 2017. It has been an electric display of baseball's brightest stars on the world's stage and set records in terms of attendance and TV ratings in the United States of America, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, and Puerto Rico, amongst other places. Plus, fan engagement on social media has also been off the charts. You can attribute that to better baseball being played, more countries well represented, better parity in the tournament, or a multitude of other elements — but the fact of the matter is: elite baseball is being played by elite players, and a record number of fans are watching and talking about it. All 30 MLB teams have representatives in the World Baseball Classic — which is baseball's version of the Olympics or soccer's World Cup — which means all 30 MLB teams, who have these players under contract to play for them, have to agree to allow these players to leave Spring Training to represent their country in the World Baseball Classic That is all excellent news. However, with high-level competition, unfortunately, also brings injury. Some elite players choose not to play. Aaron Judge is coming off a historic season and is not at the World Baseball Classic. Willson Contreras prioritized getting to know his new Cardinals pitching staff instead of playing for Venezuela in the WBC. Some of the MLB's best pitchers, like Jacob deGrom, Justin Verlander, and Max Scherzer, have also opted not to participate. The risk is that an organization could lose a player whom you pay millions of dollars for, playing the sport you pay them to play, albeit for a different team. That risk has proven costly for teams like the Mets and Astros. The Mets lost Edwin Diaz, assumedly for the season, after he suffered a freak leg injury celebrating Puerto Rico's upset of the Dominican Republic. Coming off his best season yet, Diaz earned himself a chunky three-year, 64 million-dollar deal to stay with the New York Mets in the offseason. After saving 64 games the past two seasons, Diaz will not be able to help the World Series-hopeful Mets in 2023. Jose Altuve just won his second World Series ring with the Astros. However, Altuve will miss the beginning of the Astros' title defense because of a broken thumb from a hit-by-pitch while playing for Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic. This has left some fans and debaters in dismay — arguing that the leagues best shouldn't play in the World Baseball Classic because: the MLB is more important, because the WBC is an exhibition, because the WBC is meaningless baseball, because players do not have a contract with the WBC — to name a few of the arguments. But the fact of the matter is, with record attendance, skyrocketing TV ratings, and unparalleled engagement on social media — the World Baseball Classic is wildly essential, unexplainably meaningful, and matters unequivocally to the fans and players alike. If the whopping numbers of fans in the stadiums, watching on TV or tweeting about the World Baseball Classic doesn't do it for you — maybe see what the players have to say. "I can't believe anybody would rather stay in spring training than play in a game like that," said Phillies catcher JT Realmuto after the United States defeated Venezuela. "[It's] way better than getting four at-bats on the back fields," said former MVP and World Series Champion Mookie Betts. Trea Turner, who has competed in the playoffs almost yearly and has trips to the World Series under his belt, called his go-ahead grand slam 'the biggest hit he's ever produced in his career' and said 'this was the loudest baseball crowd he's ever witnessed.' Reigning NL MVP Paul Goldschmidt said after his homer against Cuba: "That's one of my favorite homers I've ever hit." "There's no reason stars shouldn't be playing in this," Cardinals third basemen Nolan Arenado told USA Today's Bob Nightengale before the United States defeated Cuba. Reliever Adam Ottovino, who has been to the playoffs with four different teams, said, "That was the best atmosphere I've been in. It was just so fun to be a part of, even if we would have lost it," after the US topped Venezuela. Plus, baseball is not a sport filled with immense contact — yet it has produced some of the flukiest injuries outside of the World Baseball Classic: like while putting on pants, flying a drone, getting bruises from champagne bottles, or having bicycle/motorcycle accident, or punching a wall, or making a sandwich, or putting on shoes, or playing video teams — yeah, all of those have happened in recent MLB history. Not to mention, Spring Training has seen players suffer injuries — which is where these players would be if not at the World Baseball Classic. And, to nobody's surprise, you can get hurt running the bases (Gavin Lux), being hit by a pitch (Justin Turner), sliding (Brandon Nimmo), and the list goes on. There is no way to fully protect or predict injuries in sports — whether on the back fields of Spring Training or the biggest stage of the World Baseball Classic. And nobody has ever suggested canceling Spring Training or not allowing players to dress themselves, play video games, or make a sandwich — so don't direct your injury frustration to the World Baseball Classic — which has been great for baseball. Take it from Captain America Mike Trout: "This is the most fun I've had on a baseball field in a while."