Guide to the World Baseball Classic

[mvp 78]

3 minutes ago, notin said:

5. Sign up to play for Italy.

I'd only play for DR because that team seems fun. 

[notin]

2 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

I'd only play for DR because that team seems fun. 

I’d love to play for the DR.  But everyone in that country is ahead of me on the depth chart. 
 

Italy?  Not sure they even have a word for baseball…

[mvp 78]

Sox could have nabbed a real power hitter this offseason: Luis Arraez. 

[mvp 78]

2 minutes ago, notin said:

I’d love to play for the DR.  But everyone in that country is ahead of me on the depth chart. 
 

Italy?  Not sure they even have a word for baseball…

IBL (Italian Baseball League) > MLB

Like most sports leagues in Europe, and unlike professional baseball leagues in North America and Asia, the IBL uses a promotion and relegation system; the bottom five clubs are relegated to the Serie B minor league. Winners of the league are awarded a scudetto, and earn the right to represent Italy in the European Champions Cup.

[JoeBrady]

1 hour ago, jad said:

What I've learned to say/think on many occasions following retirement -- something that has brought me great and unexpected peace-- "It's only a number."

Nothing to do with Ohtani, but you should open up your statement each month and scan it for withdrawals.  Even if you are dealing with the most reputable banks in the world, accounts do get hacked occasionally.  And scanning your statements is a one-minute job requiring no financial sophistication.

[jad]

30 minutes ago, JoeBrady said:

Nothing to do with Ohtani, but you should open up your statement each month and scan it for withdrawals.  Even if you are dealing with the most reputable banks in the world, accounts do get hacked occasionally.  And scanning your statements is a one-minute job requiring no financial sophistication.

Nope.  Because then I would give a sh*t, and all the peace I've achieved by not giving a sh*t would be gone.

[Behindenemylines]

On 3/10/2026 at 8:03 AM, Hugh2 said:

Sox have been well represented in the WBC, Anthony and Duran looking good.  Even Bello looked good and Whitlock has been good out of the pen. 

I know it's ST, but it's nice to see. 

I agree! Even some of the lesser-known Sox have had their moments. Nate Eaton's HR of Skubal being an example. I think in the long run this will be beneficial for the Sox season.

[moonslav59]

I've never put much stock into ST'ing and WBC numbers, but it does seem better to see so many players doing well than the opposite.

[jad]

Looks loike our own Abe Toro had an unfortunate night.

[notin]

On 3/12/2026 at 8:14 AM, mvp 78 said:

IBL (Italian Baseball League) > MLB

Like most sports leagues in Europe, and unlike professional baseball leagues in North America and Asia, the IBL uses a promotion and relegation system; the bottom five clubs are relegated to the Serie B minor league. Winners of the league are awarded a scudetto, and earn the right to represent Italy in the European Champions Cup.

Is your point that the IBL is better run than MLB?  Big deal.  Talk about a low bar.  My daughter’s old 14U softball league was run better than MLB.

Although to be fair, that 14U league did have issues before they implemented a salary cap…

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

Abreu, Anthony and Duran have had huge home runs for their teams, and Whitlock has been lights out on the mound. 

But we all knew the Red Sox star of the WBC would be Greg Weissert.

[moonslav59]

It's Gregorio Weissertoli.

[jad]

That Anthony guy, he just might be . . .

[Hugh2]

Anthony with the go ahead home run and Whitlock mowing down the heart of the order in the 8th.

Sox fingerprints all over that victory

[mvp 78]

On 3/14/2026 at 11:29 AM, notin said:

Is your point that the IBL is better run than MLB?  Big deal.  Talk about a low bar.  My daughter’s old 14U softball league was run better than MLB.

 

My daughter's isn't! 😵

[mvp 78]

11 hours ago, jad said:

That Anthony guy, he just might be . . .

Sox don't have any guys that can hit dingers. 

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

15 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Sox don't have any guys that can hit dingers. 

Let's get into it: three Red Sox have hit game-winning home runs in the WBC: Yoshida, Abreu and Anthony. Duran has been hitting HRs for a month. 

So do we take any of this seriously this year? Sure, not all of these WBC pitchers are MLB stars or even big leaguers, but the international competition and stage requires a little more clutch than a Grapefruit contest where guys are trying new grips or stretching their arms out.

No one can argue Eaton taking Skubal deep wasn't legit. Unless the two-time Sigh wasn't giving it his all while trying to protect his future free agency...

While considering if Boston is going to be more powerful than projected, also wonder this: why has a singles hitter benched Cora's clean-up hitter Contreras in Venezuela's batting order?

Now is the time to fortify -- center a trade with Houston around Yoshida and Paredes. Mayer may never stay healthy, and Durbin has had one decent rookie year (though announcers are pushing his D as if the administration is trying to rewrite Bregman from Sox history).

 

[mvp 78]

24 minutes ago, 5GoldGlovesOF,75 said:

Let's get into it: three Red Sox have hit game-winning home runs in the WBC: Yoshida, Abreu and Anthony. Duran has been hitting HRs for a month. 

So do we take any of this seriously this year? Sure, not all of these WBC pitchers are MLB stars or even big leaguers, but the international competition and stage requires a little more clutch than a Grapefruit contest where guys are trying new grips or stretching their arms out.

No one can argue Eaton taking Skubal deep wasn't legit. Unless the two-time Sigh wasn't giving it his all while trying to protect his future free agency...

While considering if Boston is going to be more powerful than projected, also wonder this: why has a singles hitter benched Cora's clean-up hitter Contreras in Venezuela's batting order?

Now is the time to fortify -- center a trade with Houston around Yoshida and Paredes. Mayer may never stay healthy, and Durbin has had one decent rookie year (though announcers are pushing his D as if the administration is trying to rewrite Bregman from Sox history).

 

Anthony can keep it up due to his exit velo and expected stats. With Duran, I don't think he can continue to do it against LHP as he has done so recently. Also, I think he loses a few HR's due to playing home games at Fenway. He could probably be a 25-30 HR guy in the right park (CIN). I think it has benefited him with the doubles though. Abreu is a legit power bat IMO. He's turning 27 this year so should be in his prime. He had 22 HR in a partial season last year and should be able to have more this year, especially if he can get his Hard Hit % closer to where it was in '24. 

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

13 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Anthony can keep it up due to his exit velo and expected stats. With Duran, I don't think he can continue to do it against LHP as he has done so recently. Also, I think he loses a few HR's due to playing home games at Fenway. He could probably be a 25-30 HR guy in the right park (CIN). I think it has benefited him with the doubles though. Abreu is a legit power bat IMO. He's turning 27 this year so should be in his prime. He had 22 HR in a partial season last year and should be able to have more this year, especially if he can get his Hard Hit % closer to where it was in '24. 

Merloni is also high on Abreu.

Making a trade at this point doesn't just make for a better balanced team, but it makes a better team, period.

Maybe they're just being extra cautious with Mayer, but if this is another nagging ish, it deletes the strongest infielder on a club built around pitching. We're not winning a ring with part-time utility guys platooning.

Even the front office has to be prepared to shift -- immediately -- if they finally concede the Sox can't rely on a guy who's been injured his entire pro career... while yet to prove he's a big league regular.

[notin]

1 hour ago, mvp 78 said:

My daughter's isn't! 😵

Maybe once they get revenue sharing and a mandatory drug testing program in place…

[JoeBrady]

2 hours ago, mvp 78 said:

Sox don't have any guys that can hit dingers. 

Every team has a construct where there is something they are not good at.  The Brewers finished 22nd in HRs (but 1st in OBP), Cincy 21st (but 15th in OBP), and the Padres 28th (but 9th in OBP).  It's the totality of the numbers that count.

[mvp 78]

51 minutes ago, notin said:

Maybe once they get revenue sharing and a mandatory drug testing program in place…

If the League President can Tony Clark himself, I think things would run smoother. 

[mvp 78]

10 minutes ago, JoeBrady said:

Every team has a construct where there is something they are not good at.  The Brewers finished 22nd in HRs (but 1st in OBP), Cincy 21st (but 15th in OBP), and the Padres 28th (but 9th in OBP).  It's the totality of the numbers that count.

I was being facetious. 

Guys that should hit 20 HR's this season:

Contreras

Anthony

Abreu

Story

Guys that might hit 20 HR's this season: 

Duran

Rafaela

Casas

[Maxbialystock]

1 hour ago, 5GoldGlovesOF,75 said:

Let's get into it: three Red Sox have hit game-winning home runs in the WBC: Yoshida, Abreu and Anthony. Duran has been hitting HRs for a month. 

So do we take any of this seriously this year? Sure, not all of these WBC pitchers are MLB stars or even big leaguers, but the international competition and stage requires a little more clutch than a Grapefruit contest where guys are trying new grips or stretching their arms out.

No one can argue Eaton taking Skubal deep wasn't legit. Unless the two-time Sigh wasn't giving it his all while trying to protect his future free agency...

While considering if Boston is going to be more powerful than projected, also wonder this: why has a singles hitter benched Cora's clean-up hitter Contreras in Venezuela's batting order?

Now is the time to fortify -- center a trade with Houston around Yoshida and Paredes. Mayer may never stay healthy, and Durbin has had one decent rookie year (though announcers are pushing his D as if the administration is trying to rewrite Bregman from Sox history).

 

We take everything too seriously and that's OK because we're fans.  

As one, I'm delighted to admit I completely underestimated the WBC, which which has MLB veterans scattered all over the planet--or so it seems.  When I finally looked up the sites, I was dumbfounded at what they are doing.  Genius!!  And it doesn't look as though participation is screwing up spring training.  

Upcoming soon is the world championship of soccer/football which absolutely dwarfs anything MLB can put together, but that's OK.  The point is to get your toe into the water.  

And last night I saw some of the gringos playing for the good old USA and they beat a very competitive Dominican Republic team to get into the championship round.  

What was that Walt Whitman quote at the end of Bull Durham?  "I see great things in Baseball.  It's our game, the American game.  It will repair our losses and be a blessing to us."  I believe those "losses" were from the American Civil War, the bloodiest war in American history. Whitman was a volunteer nurse in Washington, DC.   In some measure this WBC is helping to repair our losses.  

  

[Hugh2]

20 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

I was being facetious. 

Guys that should hit 20 HR's this season:

Contreras

Anthony

Abreu

Story

Guys that might hit 20 HR's this season: 

Duran

Rafaela

Casas

Duran is my darkhorse candidate to hit 30 HR's this year. 

[JoeBrady]

29 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

I was being facetious. 

So was I?  I'm getting a bad feeling that I need more caffeine.

[mvp 78]

32 minutes ago, Hugh2 said:

Duran is my darkhorse candidate to hit 30 HR's this year. 

TCC is my darkhorse candidate to get 1 SB this year. 

[moonslav59]

I think Abreu has legit 30 HR ability. He just needs 600+ PAs and to not suck vs LHPs.

Casas averages close to 30 HRs per 650, but what's the chances he even gets 325 PAs?

Contreras might get some "Fenway Homers" but he's only hit over 22 HRs once.

Story might get 20-25, if healthy all year.

Narvaez hit 15 in 445, but shouldn't get too many more PAs to be able to get over 20. I think Duran and Rafaela have a better shot at 20+ than Narvaez, due to many more ABs.

The wild card in Anthony, and it's hard to know how long it might take him to got to 25 or 30, but I think he does, someday.

[mvp 78]

16 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

I think Abreu has legit 30 HR ability. He just needs 600+ PAs and to not suck vs LHPs.

Casas averages close to 30 HRs per 650, but what's the chances he even gets 325 PAs?

Contreras might get some "Fenway Homers" but he's only hit over 22 HRs once.

Story might get 20-25, if healthy all year.

Narvaez hit 15 in 445, but shouldn't get too many more PAs to be able to get over 20. I think Duran and Rafaela have a better shot at 20+ than Narvaez, due to many more ABs.

The wild card in Anthony, and it's hard to know how long it might take him to got to 25 or 30, but I think he does, someday.

"Contreras has only hit over 22 HRs once." He's hit 20+ HRs SIX times though!

From 8/11 on, Anthony's pace was 41 HR per 650 PA. 

[Hugh2]

2 hours ago, mvp 78 said:

TCC is my darkhorse candidate to get 1 SB this year. 

I'll take Durans second greatest season of all time over TCC.