Ways to improve world baseball classic?

by WyoRanger on Mar 16, 2009 12:09 AM CDT Comment 22 comments

I've watched a good portion of the games and have enjoyed them. But I was wondering how they could improve it. One idea I had was to limit the number of MLB players on the rosters somehow (like 8-10 positional players, 2-3 starters and 3-4 bullpen arms) then fill out the roster with minor league players. To me, this would help with a few things:

1) It would make selection more elite. Perhaps MLB players would be more gung ho with going since they'd be selected as the best US CFer for example.

2) It would help with making sure the MLBers get their ABs to get ready for the season.

3) Guys wouldn't be playing out of position to get them playing time. The way I would see it, you'd be selecting the best 3rd baseman you can get and best SS, etc., so that's where they'd be playing.

The minor league players probably wouldn't be getting as much playing time but that should be a far lesser concern for organizations than their stars not getting ABs or having to play out of position (so not getting ready for the season at their position). This wouldn't solve the Max Ramirez situation but I don't think that's too critical.

I'm mostly thinking this more from the perspective of the US, DR, Venz, and countries with more proven stars. The downside might be that teams like Japan and even Cuba would have a competitive advantage because their total roster might be stronger than the minor league players.

Anyhow, I've really enjoyed watching but was wondering if this might be something to reduce the complaints.

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I think some of these problems will go away with time

After this series, teams like the Dominican and the US (because lets not kid ourselves, they are about the 5th best team in the tournament right now) are going to ask themselves why they keep failing. And I really think the answer is that you just can’t build a competitive tournament club out of a full roster of all-stars. The US tried to counter that a little this year, with guys like DeRosa on the club. But there need to be more guys like that. For example, there is no point to having Jeter & Rollins on the US roster. The Dominican had to play Ortiz at 1st because both Reyes and Ramirez needed to be in the lineup. Something is dumb about that.

I don’t think limiting the # of major leaguers is a good idea, for the exact reason you say. How do you treat Japan, whose roster is all pro Japanese players? Korea and Cuba – whose leagues are difficult to really judge? And yet those teams are doing well.

I guess I don’t get what the complaints are based on – the fact that the US isn’t dominating makes it illegitimate? Heck, if the US and DR were as good as these people expect, the whole tournament would be a farce. Maybe if the US pitchers would work on getting into playing form before February, and the Dominican would actually worry about scouting Netherlands pitchers they wouldn’t be embarrassed like this. I guess I don’t get why people are whining about this, other than the same reason people still whine about the wild card and the designated hitter.

by JBImaknee on Mar 16, 2009 12:24 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

oh, and as for MaxRam

I could really care less. The guy choked a bit at the big league level last year – maybe being around a Venezuela club that is deadly serious and intense about winning will be good for him. Take a little of the pressure off next time he’s in Arlington. Why people think the only good experience to come from the WBC is in the game at bats is beyond me. He’ll be a better player because of this experience.

by JBImaknee on Mar 16, 2009 12:27 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree with parts of what you are saying but...

…Max does need AB’s and they did promise the Rangers he would get them. If for no other reason the Rangers need toknow what they have in Max and if he had a big spring or a very good WBC and first half of AAA the catching would sort itself out. The Rangers will not be able to keep all of their prospects so give them playing time and find out who to keep.

Keith Law on Greg Golson, "He's similiar to Cameron and Hunter in that all three are black."

by boomer1 on Mar 16, 2009 7:51 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Opinion

Admittedly casual. Some items:
- don’t over regulate by prescribing how many of x type major leaguers can take part. If there is legitimate grounds for playing for your nation of birth or citizenship, and you are invited, go or don’t go. If too much stress is put on which national flatg is stitched to the laundry, it puts politics ahead of baseball. I wouldn’t care much for that.
- maybe one MLB player per position on a team makes sense re playing time and position splits
- the date for the WBC is spurious. Bad to interrupt things mid-season, equally bad to conflict with spring training, probably not real good immediately after a season. If held entirely in warm weather climate, post season makes some sense. Immediately after the AllStar game also makes sense, but only if MLB regular seasons are shortened by 8 to 14 games. There is enough trouble with weather in October already, and sometimes troulbe in early April.
(Shortening regular seasons by 14 games would also permit travel time so the WBC could be held in rotating host countries – but it couldn’t affect player payroll or the MLBPA would go into spiral orbit)
- if the real purpose of holding to WBC is to promote baseball world wide, concessions beyond being excused from spring training would seem to be necessary.

I guess it could be argued that disrupted spring training is the least harmful of the opportunity and financial considerations. However, if really major changes are considered, it amounts to a CTL-ALT-DEL type of reboot of the WBC.

"He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts... for support rather than illumination." - Andrew Lang (1844-1912)

by Ed Coffin on Mar 16, 2009 12:57 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I think artificially limiting the number of ML players a team can have is a pretty terrible idea, no offense.

The 40 Trumps All!!!

I love you, Marcus Lemon.

"I don’t have any respect for anybody on here. Everyone on here is a fucking asshole who thinks they’re god compared to everyone else." -iorange555, throwing one of his patented sandy-vagina'd hissy fits.

by thedirkatron on Mar 16, 2009 5:45 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

yup

that would kill any sort of ratings they have

"He will not coddle them. Nolan Ryan doesn’t coddle." - Jeff Passan

by Dirk Diggler on Mar 16, 2009 7:21 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

7mill to tazawa?

rangers also offered most to inoa 5mill

Rangers GM Jon Daniels told Gammons his team bid $7MM for Junichi Tazawa, but the Red Sox signed him for $3MM due to their presence in Japan. According to Larry Stone of the Seattle Times, the Rangers also offered more money to reliever Chad Cordero but he preferred the West Coast.

by Asfan4ever723 on Mar 16, 2009 8:27 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Huh?

thats really old news.

"It doesn't look like he's trying. It kinda pisses me off," "He could throw 110 if he tried. The way it explodes out of his hand is really something special." ~ B-Mac on Feliz.

by Kinslerhomer on Mar 16, 2009 8:56 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Why did you post this?

The 40 Trumps All!!!

I love you, Marcus Lemon.

by thedirkatron on Mar 16, 2009 10:55 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Because the loser Rangers can't even money-whip prospects to come here

A’s rule Rangers drool WOOOOOOOOOOOoOOOOO

by LiamP on Mar 16, 2009 11:10 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Obviously

the Rangers will bid higher to improve the WBC, or something.

G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....

by t ball on Mar 16, 2009 11:58 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Zing!

Now blogging again (temporarily) at "Hello Win Column".

by lonestarJon on Mar 16, 2009 8:33 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm Ron Burgundy?

by Horns130 on Mar 17, 2009 12:26 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Play it sometime else rather than during ST

I just dont care about it now because ST is going on. Play it in December or some other boring part of the offseason. To paraphrase Jimmy Biffet its warm somewhere. Play it in domed stadiums, South America, Australia, wherever.

by BEW on Mar 16, 2009 8:37 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

why is spring training holy?

Seems like a perfect time to me. It isn’t like anyone actually cares about spring training games. All we hear every year is “Don’t pay attention to Kansas City’s 21-6 record, its only spring training.” I guess we wouldn’t want to overshadow the Cactus League pennant race…

Pitchers getting real meaningful game time isn’t a bad thing if they actually do something in january and february other than fish and play golf. MLB players with jobs secure get more out of playing these games than just tinkering with their swing a few ABs before hitting the golf course. The only guys who are hurt are guys who are actively competing for a job in camp.

by JBImaknee on Mar 16, 2009 11:34 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

winning team gets

100 MEEEEEEEELLION dollars.

Stability is key, and JD is a Beast.
Jindal - 2012
"AMMIITAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABHH!!!"

by Longhorn on Mar 16, 2009 8:43 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

run it like a baseball tournament

none of this two teams win a double elimination tournament crap. They should run it like the NCAA tournament. Have a best of 3 series to narrow it down to 8 teams, then two 4 team double eliminations, then the finals another best of 3. Also it shouldn’t conflict with spring training, that way you wouldn’t have to playing time issues.

exploding highfive

by sarnold on Mar 16, 2009 12:50 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I was thinking they need to do something to fill up the stadiums ‘cause it’s not as much fun to watch a game when you see 10 people in the stadium.

by GregoryM on Mar 16, 2009 10:01 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I've been at 2 of the games in San Diego

and the crowd certainly is weird. There were maybe 5,000-6,000 fans in the place. It was great though – they basically made it open seating after the 3rd inning, so we all went down to the field level. Anyway, those 5-6K fans were far more passionate about the game than any 4-5 times larger San Diego crowd I normally see there.

I think they charge too much for the games (and the 8pm starting time doesn’t help any either). $35 for the cheapest seats prices out most people. They should make the games far cheaper just to get people enthusiastic about it, because once you go to a game like these, you’re sold on the WBC.

by JBImaknee on Mar 17, 2009 1:58 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

$35

for bad exhibition baseball?

Get off my lawn.

by DJCahill on Mar 17, 2009 11:08 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I wouldn't agree with the term "bad exhibition baseball"

I don’t know where you’re getting that.

I for one find it fascinating to watch the Cuban, Korean, and Japanese teams, which all mostly have players who aren’t in the MLB. Maybe they aren’t all major league quality players, but some of them are. Those guys are not playing exhibition games – they care more about these games than any major leaguer cares about games in April and May. This is playoff baseball to those guys.

The problem is how you keep the teams loaded with pros from treating it like an exhibition. I don’t disagree that the US and Dominican teams are kind of pathetic. When you construct teams like all-star teams, you get exhibition play. If you watch only the US and DR games, then yeah, I can understand you thinking its bad exhibition play. The games I have seen are anything but.

Nevertheless, $35 is a lot of money to pay for watching players you don’t know. I love baseball, and like the concept, so I’ll spend it. But I’m stuck in the cheap seats. Its no wonder the stadium is 75% empty – most people don’t have the cash to take that leap of faith.

by JBImaknee on Mar 17, 2009 1:22 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ways to make the WBC more interesting.

1) Let the Russian team come…… Armed.

2) Allow the East German womens baseball team to come. (old joke from the olympics)

3) Ban Cuba

4) Invite the english, but remind them to a) use round bats b) not hit or catch the ball on one bounce, c) never ever say, “that was a wicked googly”

5) Give out french women to the winners.

Seriously though, folks. the WBC is for those pepole who’ve been grousing about how Spring training games seem to be so lackadasical and non-competitive. WBC teams are competitive, exciting, and hard fought from the first pitch to the final googly, er.. I mean out.

by iblum on Mar 17, 2009 2:15 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs