The World Baseball Classic format continues to raise some eyebrows among baseball purists. World Cup or grand international show? The question is worth asking.
Because unlike classic competitions run by an international federation, this tournament is not organized by the World Baseball Softball Confederation, but by a private company: Major League Baseball.
A direct consequence: the show sometimes takes precedence over sporting orthodoxy. Choice of stadiums, calendar, tournament format, and especially player recruitment… everything responds more to a show logic than to that of a national championship as seen at the Olympics.
So yes, the question regularly comes back in the stands as in the editorial offices: is it really a World Cup?
The favorites are here… or almost
The group stages have just rendered their verdict and, overall, the predictions of sports journalists around the world are being confirmed.
The great powers are at the rendezvous: Japan, USA, Dominican Republic
The presence of Venezuela and Korea was also expected.
But like in any self-respecting competition, a few surprises have come to spice up the menu.
First, the qualification of Puerto Rico, less obvious than expected. And especially that of Italy, the real sensation of the first round.
On the other hand, the absence of Cuba in the quarterfinals constitutes a small seismic shock in the world of international baseball.
Italy, queen of the first round
On the European side, one team has clearly stood out: Italy.
Four games, four wins.
A perfect course, tied with Japan and the Dominican Republic.
Meanwhile: Great Britain loses three out of four, the Netherlands suffers the same fate, Israel barely misses out on qualification with two wins and two losses, and the Czech Republic finishes with four defeats, but with a roster largely composed of national players
And that’s where the purists start coughing into their glove again.
A World Cup… very MLB
Because behind the flags and anthems, the reality is simple: the tournament often looks like a big family reunion of MLB and Japanese baseball players.
We’ve known for a long time that the Caribbean is a fantastic talent pool for the MLB. But some selections rely almost entirely on dual-national players.
This is the case, in particular, with: Italy, Israel, Netherlands, Brazil, and Australia
In this little game of filiation and sports passport, Italy has clearly found the right formula.
And to be honest, France is not innocent either: during the 2023 qualifications, under the leadership of Bruce Bochy, it also largely drew on foreign players who have been playing in France for a long time.
Japan always at the top
While some are tinkering with their rosters, Japan continues to play… baseball.
It always impresses with its technical mastery and the depth of its roster.
As the defending champion, Japan can count on stars like: Shohei Ohtani or Seiya Suzuki
Ohtani has so far been used sparingly… but knowing the taste for spectacle of the tournament, we wouldn’t be surprised to see him take the mound in a final.
After all, in this competition, the show is never far away.
The Caribbean, eternal outsiders
On the Caribbean side, the hierarchy is evolving.
Once dominated by Cuba, regional baseball now sees the emergence of:
- the Dominican Republic
- Venezuela
- Puerto Rico
Three nations that remain among the largest suppliers of MLB players.
Italy’s feat against the United States
Among the highlights of the group stage: Italy’s victory over the United States.
But some observers are already ironic:
did the US/MLB team B (Italy) beat the US team B?
It must be said that the American manager perhaps thought he was already qualified and largely rotated his roster.
Meanwhile, Vinnie Pasquantino, a player for the Kansas City Royals, had a historic moment with a triple home run in the game.
A growing competition
Despite all these discussions, one thing is certain: the tournament is seducing.
The global audience of the World Baseball Classic is sharply increasing compared to the previous edition.
International baseball is becoming increasingly multipolar, with several development models:
- strong national league model: Japan
- diaspora model: Italy, Israel
- talent export model: Caribbean
- global super league model: MLB
And now?
The quarterfinals promise some interesting scenarios.
We could see: Italy trying to surprise Puerto Rico and Japan getting rid of Venezuela
On the other side of the table: Canada facing the United States and Korea against the Dominican Republic
The United States/Canada confrontation even has a small diplomatic and economic flavor these days… but on the field, the gap remains real.
An Italian dream semifinal?
At the bottom, we remain big kids — especially when it comes to baseball.
So yes, seeing Italy make it to the semifinals wouldn’t displease us. Even if this team is only half Italian on paper.
And while Europe discovers this somewhat strange tournament, get your coffee ready.
Because after a weekend of quarterfinals and semifinals, the final — very probably a remake of the United States vs. Japan duel — will be played in the night from Wednesday to Thursday.
And as always with baseball:
we promise to go to bed early… and we end up in front of the screen until the last pitch.
