Baseball hasn’t been a regular Olympic sport since the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing (though it was played during the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo as a one-off event because of the importance of baseball in Japan), and won’t be again until 2028 in Los Angeles. For sports fans and patriots alike, the World Baseball Classic has become the best chance to see your favorite players put on the colors of their country or territory and compete to see who reigns supreme.
The WBC holds a higher standard of play than Olympic baseball: because the summer Olympics take place during the MLB regular season, major leaguers weren’t allowed to participate. Instead, players from the minors leagues, college teams or other unaffiliated leagues make up the rosters, making it a tournament to see who’s the best of the rest of the best of the best.
The WBC, on the other hand, takes place during spring training so major league players can take part, giving them a chance to ramp up for the season by contending for a title.
The Dominican Republic is favored to win it all, listed at +210 at Massachusetts’ BetMGM Sportsbook. BetMGM’s Massachusetts bonus code will keep you covered throughout the World Baseball Classic. The opening round will take place from March 7 to March 15, kicking off right in time for the launch of online sports betting in the state of Massachusetts, which begins on March 10.
The WBC takes place every four years, like the Olympics, but hasn’t been held since 2017, when the United States won their first ever title: the 2021 competition was canceled as a result of restrictions stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, later rescheduled for this year.
(source:https://www.mlb.com/world-baseball-classic)
The full rosters for each team were announced on February 9, so it’s possible to see exactly who will be playing for each team. Nine players on the New York Mets’ 40-man roster will represent four of the 20 teams, most of them playing for American soil: four players for the United States itself, and two more for Puerto Rico, which is given its own status because of the many major leaguers who hail from the territory. The other territory included in the competition is Taiwan, recognized as a sovereign nation by the United States but not by the United Nations.
First baseman Pete Alonso and utility man Jeff McNeil will represent the United States, as will relief pitchers Adam Ottavino and Brooks Raley. Star closer Edwin Díaz will pitch for Puerto Rico in addition to shortstop Francisco Lindor.
Starting pitcher José Quintana has withdrawn from the WBC due to tightness in his arm. He was initially going to pitch for his native Colombia. Meanwhile catcher Omar Narváez, third baseman Eduardo Escobar and starter Elieser Hernández will vie to bring a title home for Venezuela.
In addition to Hernández (who almost certainly won’t start the season on the big league roster, more likely to be assigned to Double A Binghamton or Triple A Syracuse), the Mets will send farm members like infielder Jonathan Araúz (Panama), righty starters Dominic Hamel (Puerto Rico) and Humberto Mejía (Panama), and relievers Cam Opp (Great Britain) and Claudio Scotti (Italy) to the competition, bringing the number of teams a Mets player or affiliate will represent to seven.
It’s important to note that players don’t just play for a country because that’s where they hail from: some will opt to play for teams where baseball isn’t as big of a sport in order to secure a roster spot. Take Opp, for instance, born in Denver and a West Point graduate. He’s an American through and through, but went to a prep school in the United Kingdom. Given that it might be tough for a Double A arm to make the final roster with a wealth of talent in the United States, he decided to pitch for Great Britain instead.
Another notable addition when the rosters were announced was former Mets’ ace Matt Harvey. The Dark Knight is a free agent these days, but will suit up for Italy because he has some Italian ancestry.