Arozarena, Sandoval and Ohtani were included in the Ideal Team of the World Baseball Classic

shohei ohtani not only ended up leading Japan to his third championship within the World Baseball Classic 2023, but he was recognized multiple times for his great work. “Sho-time” was selected as JMost Valuable Player of the tournament and at the same time was included in the Ideal team as a starting pitcher and designated hitter.

As a hitter, the Japanese finished with a batting average of .435 and an OPS of 1.345, a home run, hit four doubles and drove in eight, while scoring nine times and as a pitcher he finished with a 1.82 ERA in 9.2 innings with eleven strikeouts and a salvage.

For Japan, together with Ohtani, the gardener was recognized Masataka Yoshidawho ended up batting .409 and leading the tournament with 13 rounds.

By Mexico were able to be placed within the All Stars, the opener Patrick Sandoval after his two appearances against the United States and Japan, as well as the man who “stole” the show at the tournament, Randy Arozarenawho hit .450 with a 1.507 OPS.

In the case of the United States, Mike Trout was selected as an outfielder and Trea Turner as the shortstop for the Ideal Team. The shortstop tied the tournament-high for home runs with five, while Trout’s solid defense at center, along with a productive group stage propelled him into the spotlight.

Cuba, on its side, was able to put Yoan Moncada like third base now michael romero as the third pitcher of the all-star team.

The list is completed Salvador Perez of Venezuela as receiver, Yu Chang from Taiwan and the Puerto Rican second baseman, Javier Baez.

The World Baseball Classic will have a sixth edition in March 2026 and organizers have determined that the weeks that coincide with Major League Baseball preseason training outweigh the other options: after the World Series or in the middle of the regular season.

Ahead of Tuesday’s final between the United States and Japan, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said club owners and general managers will have to be persuaded to facilitate more pitching on national teams.

Since its premiere in 2006, the Classic has been staged in March, shortly before the start of the regular season in MLB, Japan and South Korea.

“Our heads hurt from talking so much about dates,” Manfred said. “There is no perfect moment. You really can’t after the playoffs due to the long inactivity of many players. He considered doing something in the middle of the campaign. At a halfway point, even if it is not perfect, this is the best moment ”.

Many MLB teams have locked out pitchers so they can focus on kicking off the season with their clubs.

“From a competitive perspective, I think the most important thing is to continue to work with our clubs, on pitching,” Manfred said. “Of course, the players we have now are great, but we’d like to see the pitchers have the same quality as the position players.”

Unlike the World Cup in soccer, Manfred doesn’t intend for the Classic to go one magnitude above the playoffs and the MLB World Series.

“I don’t anticipate it and really don’t want the tournament to overtake our traditional format,” he said. “I think the World Series will continue to be the World Series… This is another contest. We do it so that baseball grows and has a greater international reach.”