Will an additional big leaguer join the Japanese baseball team aiming for the top spot in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) in 14 years?
While Japanese players active in the Major League (MLB) have announced their participation in the WBC one after another, the Japanese national team is also seeking to join St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbar (25).
According to a report by Japan’s Sankei Sports on the 12th, Japanese baseball team manager Hideki Kuriyama attended a symposium commemorating the 150th anniversary held at the Japan Baseball Hall of Fame Museum held in Tokyo, Japan on the 11th and revealed the progress related to Nutbar’s joining.
Director Kuriyama said, “We have made inquiries to the MLB Secretariat, the organizer, as to whether there is a problem with the rules,” and said, “We are waiting for an answer.”
The WBC can choose a country to compete based on parental or grandparental lineage, not current nationality. As a result, Japan has been pushing for Nutbar to join.
Noutvar is a second generation of Japanese descent with an American father and a Japanese mother.
Nutbar, who was nominated by St. Louis in the 2018 MLB draft, first stepped on the big league stage last year and is attracting attention as a leadoff for future St. Louis. In 108 games this year, he posted a batting average of 0.228, 14 home runs and 40 RBIs, and an OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) of 0.788. 토토사이트
Sankei Sports predicted, “With the club’s permission and his own intention to participate, there is a high possibility that Nootbar will join the national team.”
Earlier, in an interview with the American media, Nutvar said, “Japan is part of my identity. I am proud that Japanese blood flows.”
Japanese major leaguers such as Shohei Ohtani (LA Angels), Yu Darvish (San Diego Padres), and Seiya Suzuki (Chicago Cubs) have already announced that they will join the national team.
If Nutbar joins, the power of the Japanese national team is expected to be further strengthened.
Japan was placed in Group B along with South Korea, Australia, China and the Czech Republic. Japan, which won the WBC in 2006 and 2009, is dreaming of regaining the top spot in this tournament for the first time in 14 years.