World Baseball Classic still trying to make an impression

NEW YORK (AP) — The World Baseball Classic returns Monday for its fourth edition, growing slowly yet still far from rising to the prominence of soccer’s World Cup or the Olympics.

South Korea hosts Israel at the opener of the 16-nation tournament in Seoul, and the Dominican Republic starts its title defence March 9 against Canada in Miami.

“The tournament remains very much in the early innings of its development,” Chris Park, Major League Baseball’s senior vice-president of growth, strategy and international, said Thursday.

“Our ultimate ambition is to watch and supervise this tournament as it matures into a truly global platform for our game and a real competitor with the top international tournaments around the world.”

Japan won the initial tournament in 2006 and repeated as champion in 2009, but Houston Astros outfielder Norichika Aoki is the only Japanese player in MLB who will be at the WBC this time.

First-round games also are being played at Tokyo and Guadalajara, Mexico; second-round games at San Diego and Tokyo. The championship round is March 20-22 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

The 2013 championship on the MLB Network averaged 843,000 viewers; it was the most-watched sporting event in the Dominican Republic in at least a decade, averaging an 11.2 rating on CDN. And in Puerto Rico, there was a combined 39.0 rating for telecasts on Telemundo, MLB Network and ESPN Deportes.

The tournament is run by MLB and the players’ association. In total, 171 countries will receive WBC broadcasts, and more than 50 sponsors have reached agreements.

Revenue is forecast to top $100 million for the first time. Still, that is less than two per cent of the $5.5 billion projected by FIFA for next year’s World Cup in Russia.