Pitching in the World Baseball Classic is a great opportunity for players, but there’s also the inherent risk of injury.
Mark DeRosa is making clear he’s going to do everything he can to return Team USA's pitchers back to their MLB teams healthy.
For the excitement that comes with the tournament, which will be played for the first time since 2017 next month, most teams are terrified about the potential health impact. Players who participate have to begin ramping up earlier than they otherwise might, and they start playing meaningful games in early March.
Further, if an MLB team is sending a player to the WBC, it probably means they’re hugely impactful on their roster -- and very well might be eating up a sizeable chunk of the payroll. For teams eyeing deep runs into October this season, having an ace making starts that early can be concerning.
DeRosa said on “The Show: A NY Post Baseball Podcast” that he is aware and respectful of those concerns.
“I’m not going to jeopardize anybody’s season for personal accomplishment and us trying to win this thing," DeRosa said. "I have and am in the process of when somebody commits, I call their pitching coach and their manager and get a feel of exactly how they want them used, exactly what the rules are to the tournament.
"The first round of pool play you can’t throw more than 60 pitches – so where are you at, whether you are a starter or a reliever, where are you at on that day? March 11th, March 12th, wherever it may be, I will follow to the letter of the law what these teams want.”
The letter of the law changes from team-to-team and player-to-player. DeRosa cited a team like the Kansas City Royals, a young group sending two rising stars in Bobby Witt Jr. and Brady Singer to Team USA, as a team that wants their players to be pushed so they can get familiar with big stages.
Clayton Kershaw, Lance Lynn and Adam Wainwright are among the other starters on Team USA. Elsewhere, Shohei Ohtani, Julio Urías, Yu Darvish and Sandy Alcantara are among the other pitchers on WBC rosters.
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