Which MLB stars have been ruled out of the World Baseball classic?
Ji-Man Choi has been “deeply hurt” by the Pittsburgh Pirates request that he not represent South Korea in the World Baseball Classic, and he isn’t the only one.
When the Pittsburgh Pirates picked up hard-hitting first baseman Ji-Man Choi from the Tampa Bay Rays in November, they decided to take something of a gamble. He underwent surgery to his right elbow to correct a nagging injury, and while it has been successful and Choi is working his way back to full strength, the Pirates are nervous.
With this in mind, the organization has asked him not to represent his country, South Korea, in the World Baseball Classic next month. Choi has said that the request from his club has “deeply hurt” him.
Exacerbating this feeling is the fact that the two sides are currently headed for an arbitration hearing over his salary. So far, the two have not found any middle ground on numbers, with Choi holding out for $5.4 million and the Pirates standing firm on $4.65 million.
It is understandable from the Pirates end that the request be made, but in light of the pay dispute, it certainly is a bitter pill for Choi and the South Korean national team to swallow.
But Choi is not the only MLB player to have a fractious relationship between club and country. After a promising performance in the Venezuelan winter league, Ronald Acuña Jr suddenly announced via Instagram that he was immediately retiring from the Venezuelan league, apparently due to the welcome that opposing fans showed him and his family.
The Atlanta Braves took that as a sign and said that they do not want him representing Venezuela at the WBC, a decision that Acuña is not too happy with.
“I have always said that I want to represent my country, but that’s not a decision I can make. The team, the medics and the staff will take care of that.”
His loss will be felt in the Venezuelan lineup, traditionally a favorite to advance out of the group stage.
Other teams will have to do without players by their own volition, as Carlos Correa has announced that he will not represent Puerto Rico due to the expected arrival of his second child. According to the Minnesota Twins, this is an entirely family-oriented decision, made by Carlos and his wife, and has nothing to do with them or the ongoing health concerns that have dogged the shortstop’s free agency.
Mets starter Kodai Senga is circumspect about playing for Japan, reportedly due to some ill will between him and the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, his former NPB team. They were something of an obstacle to his leaving Japan for the Show and he is not committing one way or the other.
With Shohei Ohtani, Yu Darvish, Seiya Suzuki, and Lars Nootbar on their squad, Japan are one of the favorites to win the WBC and the ride will be one of great emotion for everyone involved.
The USA is also stacked with stars and can put up a serious challenge to the Japanese, but will have to contend with some stiff competition from the Dominican Republic to get there.