Who are the top hitters in the history of the World Baseball Classic? Full list
They say that defense wins games, but you still need to score. We look at the guys who put the points on the board in the WBC
The sixth instalment of the World Baseball Classic gets underway shortly and some of the biggest hitters in MLB and the world are going to be putting their skills on display. With some real bombers out there, we look at the ones who have made their mark on the tournament from years gone by.
The player who has played the most World Baseball Classic games as a hitter (i.e. non pitcher) is Puerto Rico’s Carlos Beltrán, with 28 appearances across four WBCs (2006, 2009, 2013, and 2017). A baseball legend, Beltrán is a switch hitter who finished his MLB playing career with a .279 average, amassing 2,725 hits, 435 home runs, and 1,587 RBIs. Were it not for his master minding the Astros sign-stealing scheme, he would be on a lot more lips as a Hall Of Fame candidate.
It is not all rosy for Beltrán, however, as he also holds the WBC for the most strikeouts by a batter at 20.
When it comes to plate production in the WBC, however, it is hard to ignore two Cuban players: Frederich Cepeda and Alfredo Despaigne. Cepeda has the WBC record with 32 hits in the tournament over two appearances (2006 and 2009) apart from being part of Cuba’s Olympic baseball team who won gold in the 2004 Athens games and silver in the 2008 Beijing games.
Despaigne has swatted seven home runs to lead that category at the WBC over three campaigns (2009, 2013, and 2017). Also a member of the 2008 Beijing silver medal team, Despaigne, like Cepeda, played his club ball in Mexico and Japan.
Cepeda also holds two other WBC records with 23 RBIs and 19 runs scored.
On the base paths, the high-water mark for speed is a three-way split between Japan’s Nishioka Tsuyoshi, the USA’s Jimmy Rollins, and the Japanese legend that is Suzuki Ichiro. Each of these players has stolen five bases over the competition.