Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye out for around the baseball world throughout the day:
1. World Baseball Classic kicks off:
The World Baseball Classic is officially kicking off in Tokyo later today. At 10pm ET, Australia will face off against Chinese Taipei. Team Australia features White Sox infielder Curtis Mead and Guardians top prospect Travis Bazzana, the No. 1 overall pick from the 2024 draft. Outfielder Stuart Fairchild, righty Chih-Wei Hu, and infielders Tsung-Che Cheng, Yu Chang and Tzu-Wei Lin are all current or former big leaguers representing Taiwan. Prospects Hao-Yu Lee (Tigers) and Yu-Min Lin (D-backs) are on the roster as well, and fans surely recognize bullpen coach Chien-Ming Wang.
At 5am ET tomorrow morning, Czechia will face off against Korea. Of the four teams kicking off the WBC in these first two games, South Korea’s roster carries the most familiar names to the average MLB fan. Former All-Star Hyun Jin Ryu, now 38 years old, is one of the leaders of the pitching staff. Right-handers Dane Dunning and Riley O’Brien have considerable big league experience as well. Position players with major league experience include Hyeseong Kim, Jung Hoo Lee, Jahmai Jones, and Shay Whitcomb. Czechia’s most recognizable player for MLB fans is former Orioles infielder Terrin Vavra.
2. Suspensions impacting the NL East:
Yesterday, it was announced that Braves outfielder Jurickson Profar is facing a 162-game suspension for performance-enhancing drug use. Phillies center fielder Johan Rojas reportedly faces an 80-game suspension for failing a PED test of his own. Profar served an 80-game suspension for PED use last year. This is the first offense for Rojas. Both suspensions are expected to be appealed.
The pair of suspensions leaves both Atlanta and Philadelphia somewhat in limbo regarding their outfield plans. For the Braves, Profar’s likely suspension opens up DH at-bats for a non-roster invitee like Dominic Smith, Ben Gamel, or Tristen English. The Phillies will now lean even more heavily on top prospect Justin Crawford ahead of his likely big league debut on Opening Day, with Pedro León and non-roster invitee Bryan De La Cruz among the possible fourth outfield options.
3. Could Profar’s suspension change things for Atlanta?
The Profar suspension could have significant ramifications in Atlanta. Profar wouldn’t be paid his $15MM salary, and the Braves would also be spared another $3MM in luxury taxes as a result. With early injuries to Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep, Atlanta is running low on starting pitching. They haven’t been inclined to pursue right-handers Lucas Giolito and Zack Littell yet, but perhaps the sudden influx in cash would change that approach. Both seem like a better bet to provide stability in the rotation than current fifth rotation candidates like Bryce Elder, Joey Wentz and José Suarez. It’s also possible the Braves could look to bring in another bat to help with the DH and corner outfield mix in the wake of Profar’s likely removal from the roster.
