I am not a fan of the World Baseball Classic. Never have been.
I never understood the fascination of starting spring training, then suddenly asking players to leave their respective teams in order to turn up the intensity to MAX for two weeks to go "all in" for God and Country in a tournament Major League Baseball devised.
That's just me.
But as the throws of the W.B.C. in 2026 are about to come to a conclusion with Team USA taking on Venezuela in the W.B.C. Final later tonight, it's hard to ignore the facts that it continues to increase in popularity.
According to reports, FOX Sports slayed in the ratings:
"3.17 million viewers watched the four Team USA World Baseball Classic pool play games across FOX, FS1 and FOX Deportes, the best showing ever for Team USA WBC pool play games and up 183% vs. USA’s 2023 four-game average (1,121,000 viewers).
"2.07 million viewers watched on FS1 and FOX Deportes as Italy upset the United States 8-6 in World Baseball Classic pool play on Tuesday night. On FS1, the telecast averaged 1,905,000 viewers, the most-watched WBC pool play telecast on FS1 ever.
"2.98 million viewers watched Great Britain at USA on FOX (Saturday, March 7), up 101% vs. USA’s 2023 WBC game vs. Great Britain on FOX (1.48 million viewers) and the most-watched non-final WBC telecast on any network ever.
"2.64 million viewers watched USA at Brazil on FOX (Friday, March 6), up 78% vs. 2023’s lone USA WBC pool play game on FOX (1.48 million viewers) and the most-watched sports event of the day on any network." (SVG.org)
Meanwhile mid-west cities like Kansas City tuned in just to see their favorite members of the Kansas City Royals play in this tournament. K.C. averaged 3.46 million viewers for USA Pool play.
And the games have been pretty darn good. USA beat the Dominican Republic 2-1 on Sunday night while up against another boring rendition of the Oscars. The game ended on a controversial called strike three as home plate umpire Cory Blaser rang up Geraldo Perdomo on an off-speed pitch that appeared to dive down low of the zone.
And to think people have already been complaining about the use of the ABS in baseball this Spring, which now allows teams to challenge balls and strikes? People just can never be satisfied with anything.
Couple that controversy with the overblown reaction to USA manager Mark DeRosa's press conference gaff where he said Team USA punched it's ticket to the quarterfinals when, in fact, it had not and proceeded to lose to Italy 8-6. Team USA needed Italy to beat Mexico just to get into the quarterfinals.
So there have been plenty of headlines.
But as much as Major League Baseball, the media, and die-hard W.B.C. fans want to claim to the contrary, at the end of the day the W.B.C. is just one big exhibition. That's all it is. That's all it has ever been.
The players like to say and think otherwise. Unintentionally Aaron Judge all but threw shade at Yankees fans this week when he said the World Baseball Classic has a "bigger" atmosphere than the World Series. Funny, considering the Bronx was ready to erupt for Judge and the Yankees two October's ago, but the All-Star misjudged a fly ball that ignited a huge Dodgers rally in Game 5 of that World Series.
If Judge only knew how much "bigger" the atmosphere in the Bronx could get in October? Maybe he should ask Derek Jeter next time he sees him?
Then there is Mets' left fielder Juan Soto, who not only has played this W.B.C. with the kind of flare and joy we did not see at all last season in his first year in Flushing, but he felt the need to say that despite the loss to Team USA, the Dominican Republic is "the best team in baseball."
I get it, ball players hate, and I mean HATE Spring Training. It's monotonous. Sometimes the minor league facilities in Florida and Arizona aren't all that great (although that has been changing in recent years, just Google the Blue Jays updated digs in Dunedon). I get it. Players work out all year round; they are ready to go by the second week in March. Yada, yada, yada.
I have heard it all before. But the facts are this: tonight while USA plays Venezuela in the W.B.C. Final, you will have 30 different General Managers, and 30 different managers all on pins and needles. Not because of the final result, but because of injury.
In 2023, then Mets closer Edwin Diaz tore up his knee in celebration of a victory for Puerto Rico. He would miss the entire 2023 season for the Mets. Was it really worth it to celebrate a virtually meaningless game in March like it was October? Of course not.
When asked about watching Nolan McLean pitch the championship game for team USA, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza admitted he was nervous. "I have mixed feelings, I'm not gonna lie," Mendoza said with a smile.
You bet your ass he's nervous. McLean is the best thing about this Mets rotation. Outside of newly acquired Freddy Peralta there isn't much to write home about for the Amazin staff as the season is nine days away.
And that's why I have always had a tough time getting excited for this tournament. The timing couldn't be worse.
As boring and monotonous as Spring Training is, it's had its place for a reason. It's about working on timing, chemistry, and fundamentals. Pitchers are paced differently to get their arms slowly and methodically up to speed for the long grind of the season.
Don't worry I am not arguing that Baseball should dump the tournament. They'll never do it. The ratings are too good, and I am sure they are making boatloads of cash in ticket sales and merchandise. Major League Baseball is a business after all. "If you build, he will come" was replaced long ago with "If build, they will come with loads of cash to spend." Good on baseball for trying to grow the game.
But to me, the W.B.C. could be better, and more reasonably scheduled to increase its significance.
Baseball has a lot of things to work on come next off-season when negotiations on a new collective bargaining agreement hit full throttle, but I hope that one thing that is considered is perhaps moving this tournament to end of the season in November after the World Series. It's not a perfect solution, but it's better than what's in place.
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