Worldwide Sports News

Almost nine years ago to this day, I wrote about the history of the World Baseball Classic, fearing its end and opining for its more thorough embrace. I opened with this:

The World Baseball Classic (WBC) should, ostensibly, be important. It’s a huge tournament that occurs only once every four years and features some of the best Major League Baseball talents and national stars, all competing to best represent their country. The preliminary rounds take place throughout the world, which theoretically should make them more accessible to a wider audience, and a number of MLB’s greatest international talents first gained fame on the Classic’s stage.

So why is it nearly impossible to find in-depth information on the WBC? What is the fate of the World Baseball Classic beyond 2017? Would changes to the tournament give it greater success, and is it even worthwhile to implement those changes? Why have they considered ending the WBC after this year?

Reporting to you now from 2026, I’m blown away by how different things are. There is no shortage of content or information about the WBC; many of the game’s biggest stars are competing; there were exhibition games all over the world against MLB teams. Heck, you can watch the games with relative ease and even hear some good announcers while you watch! It is an unmitigated joy to witness global baseball elevated in this way.

Here at LL, our intent is to create some game threads for the tournament, where you can caterwaul to your heart’s content about anything from Eduard Bazardo facing Andruw Jones’ son, Fernando Tatis Jr. looking radiant in the República Dominicana colors, Cal Raleigh catching Tarik Skubal or any number of other beautifully absurd WBC phenomena. But in the meantime, we thought it might be helpful to assemble a one-stop shop for all your WBC links and information. Enjoy!

• Brilliant Meet at the Mitt podcast listener Josh was inspired by our WBC talk in the latest episode and created this incredible site that allows you to easily click on an MLB team and see which players will be playing for which countries – and to then see what players might be playing on any given day. Plus a link to Gameday for said game. PLUS which network the game is being broadcast on!
• It’s truly amazing.
  • Since this is a volcano blog Mariners site, here’s a quick (there are 16, tied for first-most in MLB, plus two in the pitching pool for later play, italicized) list of M’s players and their teams.
    • Pedro Da Costa Lemos – Brazil
    • Josh Naylor – Canada
    • Guillo Zuñiga – Colombia
    • Michael Arroyo – Colombia
    • Julio Rodríguez – Dominican Republic
    • Luis Castillo – Dominican Republic
    • Charlie Beilenson – Israel
    • Dominic Canzone – Italy
    • Miles Mastrobuoni – Italy
    • Dane Dunning – Korea
    • Andrés Muñoz – Mexico
    • Randy Arozarena – Mexico
    • Dylan Wilson – Netherlands
    • Abdiel Mendoza – Panama
    • Cal Raleigh – USA
    • Gabe Speier – USA
    • Eduard Bazardo – Venezuela
    • Jhonathan Diaz – Venezuela
• Pool play began March 4 and runs until March 11. Quarterfinals and semifinals happen March 13 to 16 and the championship game is on March 17 at 5 p.m. PT. Here’s a simple link to the schedule.
  • Pool A (San Juan, Puerto Rico): Puerto Rico, Panama, Canada, Cuba, Colombia
  • Pool B (Houston): USA, Brazil, Italy, Great Britain, Mexico
  • Pool C (Tokyo): Japan, Chinese Taipei, Korea, Australia, Czechia
  • Pool D (Miami): Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Netherlands, Israel, Nicaragua
• You can keep track of the standings here.
• Curious about the rules within the tournament? Here’s a remarkably thorough breakdown of everything from player eligibility, to pitch limits (because yes, there are pitch limits. Gotta protect from The Sog), to tie break scenarios.
• Michael Clair, of MLB.com, has been covering baseball on a global scale for many years now (including a brilliant book about Czechia’s magical 2023 WBC run) and has a great archive of articles and is an excellent follow on whatever your preferred platform may be.
• Need some background music to get yourself jazzed for the WBC? Great news, they just dropped their first-ever WBC Soundtrack.

When Justin Crawford started out Grapefruit League games with a few strong games, there was a distinct sentiment that the rookie should not only be in the team’s starting lineup, but he should be batting at the very top of it from day one.

I understand the sentiment, because based on his performance in the minors last year, he is well suited to the leadoff spot. He had a .411 on-base percentage with 46 stolen bases.

The sentiment makes less sense when you remember that the Phillies already have a good leadoff hitter in Trea Turner, who is also very fast and won a batting title in 2025. But the move isn’t really about getting Turner out of the leadoff spot as much as it is getting Alec Bohm out of the cleanup spot.

One of the biggest narratives of the offseason was getting protection in the lineup for Bryce Harper in the three-hole. (This narrative has been partly fueled by Harper himself.) It’s clear that most people do not think that Bohm and his 15 home runs a year power belong in the cleanup spot, even though as has been written, the notion of what a “cleanup hitter” is has changed over the years.

Let’s take a look back to 1998. Back then, lineups were generally constructed as such:

• Fastest guy on the team batted leadoff
• Second was a guy without much power but usually put the ball in play
• Three-hole was the overall best hitter
• Cleanup was the biggest power hitter
• Batting fifth was the second biggest power threat

The Phillies of that year had a young shortstop named Desi Relaford. Normally, manager Terry Francona (exhibit A for never hiring a rookie manager) batted Relaford low in the lineup. But Relaford theoretically matched the expectations of a two-hole hitter, so every once in a while, Francona would try him out in that role.

It generally didn’t go well. In 21 games batting second that season, Relaford put up a .144/.179/.189 slash line. I’m not sure if the move caused Relaford’s downfall, or he was always destined to fail. He batted almost exclusively lower in the lineup the following season and continued to hit poorly. (He was eventually moved to help make room for another shortstop prospect named Jimmy Rollins who actually did succeed at the top of the lineup. To his credit, Relaford had a couple of decent seasons as a utility man for the Mets and Mariners a few years later.)

Last year, the Phillies similarly tried to get a new hitter into the mix at the top of the order. From April 11 to the first week of June, Bryson Stott was the team’s primary leadoff hitter. It went well at first, but soon, Stott’s production cratered. He went into a slump that lasted three months, even after he was moved out of the leadoff spot.

Did the lineup switch cause Stott’s slump? On one hand, he hit poorly throughout most of 2024 as well, so it isn’t like a lengthy slump was completely out of character. On the other hand, it’s possible that he was pressing a bit, trying too hard to justify his spot in the lineup? Or maybe he tried to be too patient at the plate, which isn’t necessarily a great strategy for a hitter with proven trouble hitting elite fastballs.

That is why I don’t necessarily want to rush Crawford to the top of the lineup. He’s got enough pressure as a rookie starter for a playoff contender. It isn’t that imperative to get Bohm out of the top four spots in the lineup to potentially harm a young player’s development.

Perhaps Crawford will start off the season strongly and replicate his minor league performance with the Phillies. If that happens, I could see them being tempted to move him up, especially if the Phillies’ offense isn’t doing well overall. But to avoid Crawford being another Desi Relaford, they need to be sure he can handle it, and the leash should be very short.

The Twins’ two best hitters this Spring have been, unquestionably, Alan Roden and James Outman, two players who were on the outside looking in coming into Spring Training. Roden has options remaining and may find himself in AAA to start that season anyway, but Outman can’t be sent to the minors without passing through waivers, where his defense and base running would almost definitely get him claimed. Too many outfielders is a good problem to have, but it’s a problem nonetheless. Let’s break it down by positions.

Italics = Non-roster invitee

Bold = change from Projection 1.0

Starting Pitchers

• Locks (4): Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober, Simeon Woods Richardson, Taj Bradley
• In contention (2): Zebby Matthews, Mick Abel
• Out (9): Pablo Lopez (IL), David Festa (likely IL), Andrew Morris, Connor Prielipp, Kendry Rojas, John Klein, Cory Lewis, Trent Baker, Christian MacLeod

Pablo is out for the season while Festa will miss the first couple weeks after a slow buildup in wake of his shoulder injury/thoracic outlet syndrome that cut his 2025 short. With Festa’s funky delivery and history of shoulder problems, I wouldn’t be surprised if he moves to the bullpen full-time when he returns, but until the playing time or statements from team officials makes that official, he’s a starter. Bradley was likely a lock before the injuries, but now he’s unquestionably in the rotation. Ryan, meanwhile, sounds like he’s on track for Opening Day after back tightness forced him out of his first Spring Training start.

That leaves Zebby and Abel fighting for the final opening day slot. Abel has been better this Spring, but Matthews has the experience edge and has had more consistent flashes against MLB hitters. Whoever loses out will undoubtedly see plenty of time with the Twins throughout the season. 

Marco Raya was removed from the list completely after officially moving to the bullpen full-time.

Relief Pitchers

• Locks (6): Taylor Rogers, Justin Topa, Cole Sands, Anthony Banda, Eric Orze, Liam Hendriks
• In contention (11): Kody Funderburk, Travis Adams, Connor Prielipp, Kendry Rojas, Marco Raya, Andrew Chafin, Julian Merryweather, Matt Bowman, Dan Altavilla, Cody Laweryson, Grant Hartwig
• Out (3): David Festa (likely IL), Matt Canterino (IL), Andrew Bash, Raul Brito

Hendriks made his first appearance of Spring Training and looked relatively strong coming off of his injury-riddled season. I think he will be on the roster as long as he looks relatively effective. The Twins’ new plethora of lefties also earns Funderburk a demotion due to the crime of having options remaining. From quotes made by both manager Derek Shelton and GM Jeremy Zoll, it sounds like they would really like to bring Chafin with them out of camp, and I don’t think it’s strategically smart to carry 4 lefties, especially with all but Funderburk being relatively ineffective against righties.

I would still expect the Twins to trade an outfielder for a right-handed reliever around the roster deadline, meaning Funderburk, Adams, and less likely Raya, Merryweather, Bowman, and Altavilla are competing for the final bullpen spot. Bash and Brito were already reassigned to minor league camp.

Catchers

• Locks (2): Ryan Jeffers, Victor Caratini
• In contention: none
• Out (6): Alex Jackson, David Bañuelos, Ricardo Olivar, Noah Cardenas, Patrick Winkel, Andrew Cossetti

No changes. Barring injury, we’re locked and loaded at catcher.

Infielders

• Locks (5): Josh Bell, Luke Keaschall, Brooks Lee, Royce Lewis, Kody Clemens
• In contention (5): Ryan Kreidler, Eric Wagaman, Tristan Gray, Orlando Arcia
• Out (4): Austin Martin, Aaron Sabato, Gio Urshela, Tanner Schobel, Kalen Culpepper

Martin is only out of the infield mix because he’s gotten all of his work exclusively in the outfield this Spring. He’s still in the mix for an outfield spot. Other than that, there’s been no clarity at all on who has a leg up between Kreidler, Gray, and Arcia for the backup SS role. Arcia looked like the early favorite, but he was one of the worst hitters in baseball last season and Kreidler/Gray have gotten more of the SS reps over the past week.

Wagaman is a mainstay in nearly every Spring lineup and absolutely has a role as a do-it-all platoon bat at both infield and outfield corners. I think the Twins would like to bring him out of camp, but he has options remaining while players like James Outman and Trevor Larnach do not.

Outfielders

• Locks (4): Byron Buxton, Matt Wallner, Trevor Larnach (for now), Alan Roden
• Near locks (2): Austin Martin, James Outman
• In contention (1): Eric Wagaman
• Out (6): Emmanuel Rodriguez, Gabriel Gonzalez, Hendry Mendez, Kyler Fedko, Walker Jenkins, Kala’i Rosario

As mentioned above, there’s a weird confluence of scenarios between the infield and outfield groups where you have to factor in options remaining, ability to play multiple positions, and off-field factors. For example, Kreidler can play CF, so if he wins the backup SS job, does that make it more likely that the Twins try to trade Outman or option Roden or Martin to St. Paul? It’s hard to untangle everything.

But let’s do our best. Roden has options remaining but has had SUCH a standout Spring that I don’t think you can keep him off the roster, increasing the need to find a Larnach trade partner. It’s also possible that Larnach could pass through waivers unclaimed and sit in St. Paul until the Twins need him, but that would be pretty disrespectful to a perfectly fine player who has been in the organization for a long time. We’ll keep him on the roster and deal with the fallout.

Final Roster Projection

Bold = New addition from 1.0

Asterisk = Camp battle

• SP (5): Ryan, Ober, SWR, Bradley, Matthews*
• RP (8): Rogers, Topa, Sands, Banda, Funderburk*, Orze, Hendriks, Chafin*
• C (2): Jeffers, Caratini
• IF (6): Bell, Keaschall, Lee, Lewis, Clemens, Gray*
• OF (5): Buxton, Wallner, Larnach, Martin*, Roden*

The Twins want Chafin, so he escapes with a role barring another addition. They do, in fact, bring 4 lefties thanks to Fundy’s ability to get righties out. Abel has been better this Spring but the Twins have historically treated the rotation as a seniority battle more than results, and neither has a great track record at the MLB level anyway. Gray retains his hold on the backup SS role while Roden and Martin can feasibly play CF well enough to put Outman on the waiver wire. 

The backup catcher is a fickle creature. Outside of an occasional opportunity to warm up pitchers in between innings, or perhaps to enter in the late innings after their manager mercifully pinch-ran for the starting backstop, they might only be seen once a week when they draw a start. Like a backup quarterback in the NFL, they can range from promising youngsters to sage veterans but invariably fade into the background as long as the starter is healthy.

Well, nearly invariably. Francisco Cervelli couldn’t fade into the background if he tried.

Francisco Cervelli
Born: March 6, 1986 (Valencia, Venezuela)
Yankees Tenure: 2008-14

Francisco Cervelli was born in Venezuela to an Italian father and Venezuelan mother. “The economy was good in Venezuela in the ‘60s or ‘70s,” Cervelli said of his father’s family’s emigration. “It was really good, so they just tried to make a new life.” He grew up playing middle infield and pitching, but the Yankees saw a future catcher in his build when they signed him as a 16-year-old. “I love it,” he would later say of his transition to catching. “I feel like I was born to do it. I just didn’t know before.”

Cervelli quickly worked his way through the Yankees’ system, appearing in only 21 games at Double-A (and none at Triple-A) before briefly getting the call to the Show in 2008. That offseason, he began to make a name for himself around the game as the catcher for a surprisingly potent Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic. After an upset 6-2 victory over Canada in the first round, Team Italy’s skipper — no less a source than Hall of Fame backstop Mike Piazza — raved about the youngster.

“He’s so talented back there, you can’t say enough,” he told the press. “His enthusiasm from the start of the game was just sky-high. He hustled. He’s got an amazing arm. I’m jealous — in a good way — because I see a player with a great future ahead of him.” This opportunity to face big-league competition with high stakes made an impression on Cervelli. “It helped me,” Cervelli said the following season. “How to call important games, how to concentrate hitter by hitter, pitch by pitch, everything.”

In 2009, with veteran catchers Jorge Posada and José Molina both missing time to injury, the 23-year-old once again found himself with the Yankees for large swaths of the season. He displayed a proficient hit tool, batting .298 in 101 plate appearances, and on June 24, 2009 in Atlanta, his first career homer helped light a spark for the club, which was in a slump and had just been addressed rather pointedly by GM Brian Cashman in a closed-door meeting.

Cervelli displayed a knack for both the physical and mental sides of his position, earning quick acclaim for his defense. “I think he receives the ball well, I think he blocks the ball well, I think he throws the ball well,” his manager, Joe Girardi, said. “He’s very mobile back there, so on bunts and slow-hit balls, he’s able to do that. I think he works very well with the pitchers. From a technical standpoint, there’s not a whole lot more to do.”

Cervelli ended up making the Yankees’ postseason roster but, with both Posada and Molina healthy, he drew no starts. Still, in a season that was characterized by the renegade exuberance of newcomers like Nick Swisher and A.J. Burnett, the passionate catcher emerged as a fixture in postgame pie celebrations and a key source of energy on the bench — also chiming in with one of the many walk-offs.

The following spring, Cervelli suffered a concussion. It was his second in four months and, by his own accounting, he had already taken at least 10 blows to the head over the course of his career. He was fatalistic about concerns around the repeated head trauma. “I think that things are going to happen, they’re going to happen, and that’s it,” Cervelli said. “I have to understand that and keep playing baseball. That’s my opinion.” As a concession to concerns around his concussion history, he began wearing the larger S100 batting helmet with a flap which would become soon standard but which earned him some David Wright-esque chiding at the time as “Gazoo” in reference to the Flintstones character.

Cervelli would stick in the bigs in 2010 and, by the end of the year, became A.J. Burnett’s personal catcher, an arrangement that would continue into the postseason. The future looked bright for the talented two-way catcher, particularly after the Yankees moved Posada to DH full-time, opening a possible path to increased playing time. But, after breaking his foot in the spring, Cervelli would cede reps to the just-signed Russell Martin, who ended up an All-Star while his backup was limited to 43 games.

With the team seeking more depth at catcher in 2012, the Yankees traded for Chris Stewart before the season and sent the 26-year-old Cervelli down to Triple-A. Cervelli reportedly exited the meeting in which he was informed of the demotion with red and watery eyes. “I don’t understand their reason,” Cervelli said. “I think you have to ask [GM Brian] Cashman or somebody else. Maybe they think the other guy is better than me right now.” The controversial decision to sideline the popular Cervelli was not only hard on him. “This was as tough as I’ve had to do,” Girardi said of breaking the news to Cervelli. He’d appear in only three games with the Yankees in what amounted to a lost season, made only more difficult by the fact that the Triple-A team didn’t really have a consistent home that year due to ballpark construction in the Scranton area. Cervelli was essentially on a season-long road trip.

Despite this setback, the spirited Cervelli would not relent. In 2013, with Martin gone, he won the starting job and slashed an impressive .269/.377/.500 through the season’s first month. Once again, it appeared his time had come. And, once again, injuries dashed those hopes. After that first month, he broke his hand on a foul tip behind the plate and then suffered an elbow injury during the recovery. Worse, Cervelli was caught up in the Biogenesis PED investigation that more famously ensnared Alex Rodriguez; the catcher was suspended for 50 games, officially ending his season.

Cervelli reported to spring training with a clean slate in 2014, firmly knowing his role as a backup to free-agent signing Brian McCann. He appeared in just 49 games but hit .301 with a 127 OPS+, easily his best showing yet among his four 100-PA seasons to date.

That offseason, Cervelli was traded to the Pirates for lefty reliever Justin Wilson. By the time he departed the team that had signed him as a teenager, he was the organization’s longest-tenured player. In his new uniform, Cervelli finally stayed healthy long enough to realize his potential, slashing .295/.370/.401 in 130 games and finishing second to Buster Posey among all catchers with 5.9 fWAR with a talented Pirates squad that won 98 games and a Wild Card spot (the Bucs’ most recent playoff appearance).

Extended on a rare eight-figure deal by Pirates standards, Cervelli would spend parts of four more seasons in Pittsburgh, remaining largely effective while healthy. Following brief stints in Atlanta and Miami, the 34-year-old was forced to retire after his seventh concussion at the MLB level alone. Cervelli has since gone into coaching, including succeeding Piazza as Team Italy’s manager in the upcoming World Baseball Classic.

While Francisco Cervelli never stayed healthy long enough to become the Yankees’ true starting catcher, what could have been should not take away what he provided. Cervelli was a reliable contributor on both sides of the ball whose passion for the game shone through every time he took the field, providing energy and verve to veteran squads throughout his time in New York.

See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.