Bryce Harper would play in WBC if U.S. roster is built to win
The United States has never won the World Baseball Classic, but the best player in the U.S. would like to change that.
Washington Nationals outfielder and reigning National League MVP Bryce Harper said he is open to the idea of playing for the U.S. team next year in the fourth edition of the WBC but he would do so only if other American stars from around the major leagues decided to join him. He wants to be a part of a team truly built to win the title.
[Rookie phenom Trevor Story on pace to make wrong kind of history]
“I think when you really look at it, if the guys play that you really want to play with, then definitely I’ll play. But if we’re not going to have the opportunity to win, then I don’t want to play,” Harper told CSN Mid-Atlantic. “If we do that, then I’m definitely in. If not, I probably won’t do it.”
Harper said he would like to see other young stars such as New York Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard, Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant and first baseman Anthony Rizzo and Colorado Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado
The WBC is contested every four years. It features a group of 16 teams, 12 of which are automatic qualifiers based on their performance in the 2013 tournament and the other four earn their place through qualifying tournaments. The WBC will take place next March during spring training.
The most recent U.S. team in the WBC featured a slew of players from major league rosters, but the U.S. failed to finish in the top four despite having players such as Giancarlo Stanton, Adam Jones, Ben Zobrist, Eric Hosmer, David Wright, Joe Mauer, Gio Gonzalez, Glen Perkins and Derek Holland among others.
Of course, Team USA isn’t the only team that features major league talent.
[Tigers desperately need Justin Upton’s bat to wake up soon]
Harper might actually have things backward in his view of the situation. He is the best young player in the game at the moment and a guy a lot of other players would love to play with, especially in an event such as the WBC. If Harper were to commit to playing, he would probably attract others to join him as opposed to waiting for others to commit and then joining the group.
It will be interesting to see if Harper comes around to that way of thinking. Having a player of Harper’s caliber would certainly drive more interest in the tournament and give the U.S. hope for a title.
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Kyle Ringo is a contributing writer to Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KyleRingo
