Minasian: What the WBC has been and could be
From SABR member Isabelle Minasian at The Hardball Times on March 3, 2017:
The World Baseball Classic (WBC) should, ostensibly, be important. It’s a huge tournament that occurs only once every four years and features some of the best Major League Baseball talents and national stars, all competing to best represent their country. The preliminary rounds take place throughout the world, which theoretically should make them more accessible to a wider audience, and a number of MLB’s greatest international talents first gained fame on the Classic’s stage.
So why is it nearly impossible to find in-depth information on the WBC? What is the fate of the World Baseball Classic beyond 2017? Would changes to the tournament give it greater success, and is it even worthwhile to implement those changes? Why have they considered ending the WBC after this year?
To begin to grapple with these questions we must understand the basic structure of the WBC, and we must look back at the state of baseball over a decade ago, when the WBC was first announced.
Read the full article here: http://www.hardballtimes.com/39326-2/
Originally published: March 8, 2017. Last Updated: March 8, 2017.