20 national baseball federations will be playing for the right to be called champions of the 2023 edition of the World Baseball Classic (WBC).
Before the MLB season, from March 8-21, countries such as the United States, the Dominican Republic, Japan, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Canada, Korea, and others will be vying for glory.
A myriad of big leaguers will be playing because of the honor that representing their country means to them.
However, they will also be playing for a nice piece of hardware.
The trophy that will be handed to the 2023 champs has already been revealed.
The 2023 World Baseball Classic trophy has been revealed 🌎⚾️🏆
📷: @WBCBaseball pic.twitter.com/N9MOvLSMb5
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) February 22, 2023
It’s a clear representation of the competition’s logo, and actually looks a lot like the one given to the United States in 2017.
The Americans won the last edition of the tournament, and the Dominicans took the crown in 2013.
Japan was the winner of the first two editions of the international event, in 2006 and 2009.
This edition will host 20 participants for the first time.
Team USA and the Dominican Republic are seen as the favorites to win it all again, but Japan is very, very dangerous.
The Americans will have Mike Trout, Mookie Betts, Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, Pete Alonso, Kyle Tucker, Will Smith, J.T. Realmuto and other impressive hitters.
Run scoring won’t be an issue for the Dominicans either, with Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Manny Machado, Jose Ramirez, Rafael Devers, and many more.
Miguel Cabrera will captain Venezuela’s talented team, and Japan will have Shohei Ohtani, Yu Darvish and other big leaguers.
It should be an amazing conglomeration of talent.
NEXT: 2 Cardinals Teammates Have An Intriguing BP Battle
