WCB Opportunities Continued
They are the next rung on the ladder. Not the bottom rung, far from it, but the middle rungs. The players who wouldn’t normally stay in spring training beyond the second week. Usually they are sent to the back fields where the minor league camps are taking place. I’m talking about players who’ll get a chance to play more in spring training than they ordinarily would have because of the World Baseball Classic - the players who will pick up the slack for those who’ve gone to play in it. These are the guys who will get every extra chance to show the coaching staffs what they can do. Whether its the middle reliever who is fighting for that 12th spot in the rotation or the utility infielder who’s looking to secure the backup, its their chance to show their stuff. Otherwise they will have to wait for the next World Baseball Classic to occur, which could be four years from now or never depending on the success of this year’s event.
On a team losing as many of its regular players as a team such as the Detroit Tigers are losing to the WBC, there are a lot of them. For every regular who’ll be away a week or two, or in some cases three, there’s a prospect or a backup more than willing to jump in and show what he can do. Take for example Vance Wilson, last year he hardly played and when he did he showed little. I know he’s a better player then he showed last year, but its tough for a player to get going when he’s got less then 50 at-bats by the end of June. So this spring is important to a player such as Vance. Pudge Rodriguez is playing for Puerto Rico and the Tigers top two prospects, Chris Robinson and Maxim St-Pierre are both playing for Team Canada. He will have every opportunity to show the Tigers new coaching staff that he belongs in the big leagues.
As for which pitchers will get more work because of the WBC, it’s not as easy to determine. Roles aren’t as clearly defined in spring training as they are during the regular season. Todd Jones of the Tigers won’t have to worry about losing his role as closer because he is playing for Team U.S.A. because he is a veteran pitcher whom the coaching staff already knows about. However, a guy like Fernando Rodney who was the closer last year in his first season and who is pitching for the Dominican Republic is in a different situation. Sure he will probably make the team, but will he be the setup man the team expects him to be? Maybe, maybe not. He won’t have as much time to show the coaches what he is about and what he can do. Say a guy like Matt Mantei, who used to be the closer for Arizona and has been sidelined for the last couple of years, is lights out during the spring and makes the team. With his experience its easy to make him the setup man, while Rodney will have to work his way up through the bullpen from say a long relief or specialist role.
The way its shaping up we’re going to see at least two dozen players on major league rosters come opening day who usually would not make it if not for the World Baseball Classic and the doors its opening to many fringe players.