Morning Briefing: World Baseball Classic Rosters To Be Revealed Thursday

Good morning, Mets fans!

With baseball around the corner, and spring training coming later this month, the world will be getting a special treat this year with the upcoming World Baseball Classic (WBC), which starts towards the beginning of March. MLB players from all over the league will be competing for the WBC title alongside their fellow countrymen.

Slowly, but surely, this offseason has seen players announcing their candidacy for the WBC, with Mets such as Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor lined up to compete.

According to Shawn Spradling, who covers all thing WBC, the WBC Roster Reveal Show, which will introduce the rosters for each national team competing in this year’s tournament, will air on MLB Network on Thursday, Feb. 9, at 6 p.m. EST. The WBC will start on Wednesday, March 8, and will air on the Fox Sports Networks.

Latest Mets News

After reporting that Mets infielder Mark Vientos would be playing for Team Nicaragua in this year’s WBC, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com is now reporting otherwise. Vientos will be practicing with his fellow Mets teammates throughout the spring. DiComo recently reported that Mets center fielder Brandon Nimmo would not be playing for Team Italy, whom he played for back in the 2017 WBC.

DiComo further made it clear about other Mets who would and would not be playing in the WBC. Recently acquired relief pitcher Brooks Raley, catcher Omar Narváez and third baseman Eduardo Escobar will be playing for Team USA (Raley) and Venezuela (Narváez and Escobar).

Moving along from the WBC, the Amazin’ Mets Foundation released their 2021 annual report today that highlights some of the incredible work the Cohens and Mets have done in the community. In 2021, the Foundation has raised over $3.9 million, with portions of that total going towards baseball and athletics, health and wellness programs and education, among other charitable causes. In particular, $1.6 million of that total will go towards grants awards to nearly 60 different organizations.

The @AmazinMetsFdn released their 2021 Annual Report today, highlighting some of the incredible work they have done in the community. The Cohen Mets continue to make a difference on and off the field.👏🏼👏🏼 pic.twitter.com/4pjU6WS2tg

— Metsmerized Online (@Metsmerized) February 7, 2023

Latest MLB News

MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince wrote an article detailing the changes that will be implemented during the upcoming MLB season. Of the changes, an added pitch timer, larger bases and restrictions to the shift will be seen firsthand during spring training and finalized by opening day. The WBC will not feature these new rules.

According to Castrovince’s article, these three new rules were tested in over 8,000 minor league as well as some independent Atlantic League games. In these games, the timing of the games overall were decreased by about 25 minutes, stolen base activity increased from 2.23 attempts per game to 2.81 and stolen base success rates increased by 10%. Batting averages went up a mere .02 points, which were a direct result of the restricted defensive shifts.

Castrovince’s article goes in depth about each of the three key rule changes this season.

The Athletic reporter Jim Bowden creatively came up with new divisions and leagues if MLB were to introduce at least two new major league ball clubs that would bring the total up to 32 teams. In Bowden’s experiment, MLB would include two brand new teams in Charlotte, NC and Nashville, TN, with both teams playing in the brand new eastern league.

That’s right. In this bold prediction, there would be no more American and National League. MLB would instead adopt a league, or conference, alignment similar to the NBA and NHL that divides the east and west coasts. There would be four divisions to each league with four teams in each division.

One of the notable division in the east would include the Mets, Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Red Sox, which in itself would imply the imminent implosion of the tri-state area.

While the rivalry of the Mets vs. Phillies and Yankees vs. Red Sox will stay in this assumed alignment, other rivalries will be disbanded due to this. The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants would no longer play each other as often due to them playing in competing divisions, as well as the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals.

According to Jason Mackey of the Post-Gazette Sports, the Pirates have signed pitcher Juan Minaya to a minor league contract. Minaya has made 160 appearances for the Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox since making his MLB debut in 2016. He went 2-1 with a 2.48 ERA in 29 games in 2021, striking out 43 in 40 innings pitched.