MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred on Thursday "dismissed speculation that the upcoming World Baseball Classic will be the final one," insisting that MLB's commitment to the event "remains strong," according to Shi Davidi of SPORTSNET.ca. Manfred reiterated that the 16-team tournament "still has untapped potential and underlined his desire to build it into a premier sporting event." Since debuting in '06, the WBC has "faced resistance from club executives, managers, coaches and player-development staff reluctant to see their players take part in the event." Concerns about injury and the "inability to keep direct track of players have prompted that, leading to subtle pressure against participation." Players have also been "reluctant to buy in to the concept as well, leading to often depleted rosters." Manfred: "The rosters are clearly better this time than they’ve ever been in the past. We made progress on that. We need to continue to make progress on it. Owner commitment ... is crucial to making sure that baseball operations people make the best players available to play in the event." Davidi noted the timing of the event is a "challenge, as one past participant described playing games of such intensity so early in the spring as 'brutal.'" Players "tend to enjoy the experience, but questions remain as to what time of year it might face less resistance" (SPORTSNET.ca, 2/16). Manfred said, "I would like to get the WBC to the point where everyone views it as a premier international event. I'm going to both Korea and Japan. One of the reasons that I'm making that trip is those countries show tremendous support and interest in this event, and we need to make sure we get the same kind of interest and support in the United States" (MLB.com, 2/16).
GOING DUTCH: Orioles 2B Jonathan Schoop will represent the Netherlands in the WBC, and in Baltimore, Eduardo Encina writes the Curacao native "takes special pride in representing his home country." Schoop "hopes another strong showing" for the team will "create more opportunities for the next group of young players" in Curacao. Schoop: "For us, it’s important so we can send more scouts to Curacao, so we can sign (more players) so their dreams can come true, too. For us to go and represent the country, it’s really nice for everybody that we’re going to go play for the Netherlands." Schoop is one of 14 players "born in Curacao to play" in MLB; nine of those players have debuted since '06 (Baltimore SUN, 2/17).
