Who are the players with the most participations in the World Baseball Classic?
As the fifth World Baseball Classic is upon us, we look at which players and managers have participated in the most tournaments
When the World Baseball Classic was unveiled in 2006, largely in response to the Olympics yet again removing baseball from the games, there was a concerted effort to get it right this time.
The idea of a global baseball competition has been around for a long time, since 1938 in fact, and while there have been several iterations of the theme, it had never fully captured the full beauty of pitting the best in the world against each other, with each playing for national pride.
So from the outset MLB and the Nippon Professional Baseball Organization were at the center of the conversation. No longer a contest of amateurs, nor would players have to compete against the wishes of their clubs. The two biggest baseball leagues in the world would give their blessing and it was hoped that the rest of the world would fall in line.
Fast forward to seventeen years later and that has largely come to pass, and some of the biggest names in the game are competing for their country. There are two players who are on the active roster and, if they suit up, will have played in every single WBC competition.
These are Mexico’s Oliver Pérez and Venezuela’s Miguel Cabrera.
Puerto Rico’s Yadier Molina played in the previous four, and will be a coach in this one, which is pretty impressive, but not quite the same thing. Cuba’s Frederich Cepeda also participated in the first four tournaments, and set the record for base hits by a single player at 32.