Welcome to Snyder’s Soapbox! Here, I pontificate about matters related to Major League Baseball on a weekly basis. Some of the topics will be pressing matters, some might seem insignificant in the grand scheme of things, and most will be somewhere in between. The good thing about this website is that it’s free, and you are allowed to click away. If you stay, you’ll get smarter, though. That’s a money-back guarantee. Let’s get to it.
The 2026 World Baseball Classic begins this week. I’m excited and I’m not alone. It really feels like this tournament started kind of gimmicky early on but has gained steam progressively through the years. There remains a contingent of vocal haters on social media and we continue to hear the same utter nonsense from these people.
First off, it isn’t an increased injury risk. It’s just not. The players would be taking part in spring training if they weren’t playing in these games and anyone who thinks there’s somehow an increased injury risk in the WBC is suggesting that players half-ass things in spring training games. That just isn’t true. Every time a player steps on the field, his pride takes over and he plays his hardest. Edwin Díaz’s freak injury was just that. We see freak injuries, unfortunately, in sports. If a player hurts himself climbing out of a hot tub or separating frozen hamburger patties (and we could keep going and include a sneeze), it doesn’t mean they should never be doing that activity. That’s just not how life works.
Past that, and I get asked about this every single WBC, people will say there are better times to do it. When? In the winter, when the players are resting and rehabbing? During the season, we’re going to take two weeks off? Don’t you remember how much people freaked out about baseball being a rhythm sport when a few bye teams lost in the playoffs? This is the only time the WBC works and it works just fine. Players are ramping up for the season and the best way to ramp up in this sport is to play games.
But, hey, the WBC isn’t going to be for everyone. If you don’t like cheering for your country in baseball, that’s cool. To each their own. If there are claims that it isn’t exciting, man, I don’t know what to tell you. Did you not see Trea Turner’s grand slam?
Just look at the USA players! That was so amazing. How about Kyle Schwarber going deep in the finals to cut the Japan lead to one…
… setting up the tournament ending with Mike Trout vs. Shohei Ohtani, MLB teammates at the time.
What an absolute blast.
I can’t wait for this year’s iteration.
Just look at some of the rosters. The Netherlands has Xander Bogaerts and Ozzie Albies. Italy has sluggers like Vinnie Pasquantino and Jac Caglianone. Canada and Mexico are strong. Venezuela has the Contreras brothers alongside Ronald Acuña Jr., Jackson Chourio and Salvador Perez. Japan is loaded again. Have you seen the Dominican Republic offense? Let’s just name some of them: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Juan Soto, Fernando Tatis Jr., Julio Rodríguez, Junior Caminero, Ketel Marte, Manny Machado and Geraldo Perdomo.
USA is my rooting interest, of course, and this is the best USA team ever assembled in this event. The pitching staff last time was headed up by Merrill Kelly. No offense to him and his admirable career, but this time around there are Tarik Skubal, Paul Skenes and Logan Webb at the top with Matthew Boyd and Nolan McLean also available. The bullpen is anchored by Mason Miller. The lineup? There’s thunder with Aaron Judge, Cal Raleigh and Kyle Schwarber. The shortstops are Gunnar Henderson and Bobby Witt Jr. The speed and defense guys are Brice Turang and Pete Crow-Armstrong. I haven’t even mentioned Roman Anthony, Byron Buxton, Alex Bregman, Will Smith or this guy named Bryce Harper.
This is gonna be awesome.
If you don’t like it, enjoy chirping on social media about how stupid you think it is. That’s an exhausting way to go through life, but hey, you do you.
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