WORLD’S THEIR OYSTER
Many of MLB’s best to play in international classic
PORT ST. LUCIE — For Yankees fans, the World Baseball Classic likely is known mostly as “that spring tournament where Mark Teixeira got hurt.”
That was in 2013, and the next version starts on Monday in Seoul, South Korea, with the host team facing Team Israel — a surprising entry whose roster features some familiar names like Ike Davis.
The U.S., which hasn’t had much success in previous tournaments, opens on Thursday against Colombia in Miami. The championship game will be held on March 22 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
And though many high-profile major leaguers have opted out of the tournament to either stay with their team for spring training or from fear of injury, plenty of others will be on display. Here is a look at what is coming up:
TEAM TO BEAT After winning the tournament in 2013, the Dominican Republic looks to be in good position to repeat. Even without Hanley Ramirez, who will sit out with a shoulder injury, the DR lineup is impressive — with Robinson Cano, Adrian Beltre and Manny Machado just some of the big names involved. The rotation is less dynamic, especially with Johnny Cueto sidelined at least for the first round.
TEAM TO WATCH People who would like to make sure there is a WBC in 2021 probably should root for the U.S.. The Americans haven’t done better than a fourth-place in 2009. A run to the title game might help the tournament gain some traction — perhaps even from U.S. players. Though the U.S. features All-Stars such as Giancarlo Stanton, Buster Posey and Nolan Arenado, and the pitching staff has standouts like Chris Archer and Andrew Miller, others — such as Clayton Kershaw, Kris Bryant and Mike Trout — stayed away.
PLAYERS TO WATCH The Cuban team isn’t what it used to be, as more players have defected to the U.S. and are playing in the majors. Unless MLB and Cuba come to an agreement to let those players participate for their native country, Cuba likely won’t be a threat to win it all. In the meantime, though, there are at least two intriguing prospects slated to play: Outfielders Victor Mesa Jr. and Yoelkis Cespedes. The speedy Mesa, 20, is considered to have the brightest future, and Cespedes, 19, is the half-brother of the Mets’ Yoenis Cespedes.
YANKEES TO WATCH The last WBC didn’t do the Yankees any favors, when Teixeira suffered the wrist injury that bothered him for the better part of two seasons. They will have two important arms pitching for the Dominican Republic: Dellin Betances and Luis Severino. Betances has been the most used relief pitcher in the majors over the past three years and recently was the target of some harsh words from team president Randy Levine after the Yankees beat Betances in arbitration. For someone whose arm already has been taxed considerably, it will be interesting to see how the extra work in the tournament affects him.
Severino is looking to bounce back from a horrid season, and this will be his first real opportunity to show his changeup is back and he is a viable option for a spot in the Yankees’ rotation.
METS TO WATCH At some point before the regular season begins, the Mets expect to learn Jeurys Familia’s fate stemming from his October arrest on domestic violence charges. A suspension almost certainly is coming, so pitching for the Dominican Republic may be Familia’s only competitive action for quite a while.
Jose Reyes will play short for the Dominican Republic and Gavin Cecchini and Brandon Nimmo, who the Mets hope will be a part of their future, will play for Team Italy.