US WBC Team not built to win

[mweir145]

player selection: after watching this year's wbc, i say don't try to recruit all the big name players for the sake of putting together an all star lineup. but pick the players who are gonna play hard and with passion. more guys like derosa and less players like jeter.

I think that is what they tried doing this year, selecting guys like victorino, youkilis, dunn and pedroia. Even David Wright and Jimmy Rollins seemed to hustle at times. I agree Jeter looked like he didn't give a damn and should of never gotten PT over Rollins. To be honest I think that no matter what players USA selected, Japan and Korea would still put together better teams. Those teams just want it more.

The American players that were actually there seemed to want to win pretty badly to me.

[Yoda]

To be honest I think that no matter what players USA selected, Japan and Korea would still put together better teams. Those teams just want it more.

Yep because now you can just will yourself to a W despite the talent. That should be the new slogan for the WBC.

[MasterX1918]

Talent doesn't mean much if it's not applied. Look at Jake Peavy's ERA.

[AussieDodger]

I agree Jeter looked like he didn't give a damn and should of never gotten PT over Rollins.

+1

All I saw from him was a couple of lackadaisical ground-outs, and that brilliant throw to 1st.

[Yoda]

Talent doesn't mean much if it's not applied. Look at Jake Peavy's ERA.

How many starts? 3? 4? Maybe he was just having a bad day? Tournaments like WBC doesn't necessary take the talent to win. It's all luck. Ask the Dominicans didn't want to lose against the Netherlands. Baseball is all they have in that country.

[killertofu2222]

whats the difference between getting hurt in the WBC and getting hurt in ST? i ask this only because everyone is making such a big deal out of players getting injured during the WBC. is straining an oblique while playing for team USA different than straining an oblique while playing for team B in a boston red sox intrasquad scrimmage? someone inform me!

[MasterX1918]

Talent doesn't mean much if it's not applied. Look at Jake Peavy's ERA.

How many starts? 3? 4? Maybe he was just having a bad day? Tournaments like WBC doesn't necessary take the talent to win. It's all luck. Ask the Dominicans didn't want to lose against the Netherlands. Baseball is all they have in that country.

I guess your last post was actuality then. I took it as sarcasm.

[Ender]

The asian teams started getting ready in January, the US team started getting ready in March. You do the math? I wish we took it more seriously but we don't, stop trying to rag on our team for it. If we took it as seriously as Japan or Korea we'd be very competitive, not saying we would win but it would be very different than it is now. We take it semi serious atm and having major league players on your roster is probably a disadvantage at this point.

[The Artful Dodger]

This team was built to win just fine IMO. We might not have had the very best U.S. team possible but it was good enough. I can definitely agree that our manager needs to be able to play to win rather than massage egos and make MLB GMs happy but it was still good enough. They just didn't play well enough last night.

I think so too. The US may not have drawn their best possible team but they also had a wide pool to begin with from which to add quality players from.

whats the difference between getting hurt in the WBC and getting hurt in ST? i ask this only because everyone is making such a big deal out of players getting injured during the WBC. is straining an oblique while playing for team USA different than straining an oblique while playing for team B in a boston red sox intrasquad scrimmage? someone inform me!

I believe it's because managers want to have that internal locus of control in how they pace their players, especially when it comes to pitchers.

[Ender]

Players don't play as hard in spring training, they get into game shape as a slow progression. A guy like Braun might play 2 AB his first couple games, 3 AB a few and never get 4 AB in a game until the end of spring training. He's probably taking swings a bit easy since he is coming off a ribcage injury. in the WBC he is playing full games and playing them at full speed and reinjures himself.

There is definitely a difference between playing a real game and playing part of a spring training game. The pitching is even more exaggerated. Pitchers really should be getting ready by pitching in game situations in early Feb to pitch in the WBC. Right now they dont' start doing that until almost March. The Japanese team started getting ready in December.