Now that the 2023 World Baseball Classic has come and gone, we can do a bit of reflection on the action over the past two weeks. The event proved to be a major success, as we not only received a chance to some of the game’s rising stars, but also several of MLB’s best put on a show for their countries.

Related: Is MLB The Show 23 coming to PC?

1. Kids Are For Real

We’ve already written about some of the game’s top prospects that participated in the event, but let’s go over a few of those names again. Mariners prospect Harry Ford showcased pop, and advanced bat-to-ball skills with Great Britain. Sal Frelick, who will most likely join Garrett Mitchell and Christian Yelich in the Brewers outfield in the near future, racked up seven hits for Team Italy. Twins prospect Eduoard Julien hit .538 with two home runs for Canada in pool play.

If there’s one thing we learned about these prospects, it’s that the likes of Ford, Frelick, and Julien look like bona fide stars in the making.

2. Yoshida Impressive for Japan

The Red Sox signed Masataka Yoshida to join a re-aligned Boston outfield this past winter. While the slugger didn’t hit a home run in the tourney, he did lead all players with 13 runs driven in. The Team Japan outfielder hit .409/.531/.727 over seven games.

Yoshida wasn’t the only outfielder that impressed in the tournament — I believe someone named Randy Arozarena had a good WBC, as well — but he did give Sox fans a glimpse of what could be to come in 2023.

3. The Phillies Will Be Scary

While Philadelphia will be without Bryce Harper for the first few weeks of the 2023 season, the Phillies lineup should just fine without him in the meantime. New Phillie Trea Turner proved to be arguably the best player in the tourney, as he hit an event-high five home runs and drove in 13. Kyle Schwarber added a pair of home runs, while J.T. Realmuto went 6-12 for Team USA.

Those three, alongside Nick Castellanos and Alec Bohm, should give the Phillies plenty of offense in the early goings of the season.

4. What Happened to Venezuela?

Team Venezuela dominated Pool D, as its team went 4-0 thanks to a high-powered offense that included Ronald Acuna Jr., Salvador Perez, and Eugenio Suarez. In the quarterfinal against US, a sloppy defensive performance and a rough start from Martin Perez was nearly negated by its bats. New Marlins infielder Luis Arraez, who hit ten home runs between 2021-22, hit two against the United States. Venezuela entered the eighth up by two, but failed to close the door.

Unfortunately for Venezuela, it could not get through a deep US lineup to move on to the semis. While Venezuela should bring back a strong group again in 2026, one has to look at that team’s performance as a missed opportunity.

5. Will More High-End Pitchers Participate in 2026?

Before we get into what Rob Manfred stated about the 2026 event, let’s go over some quick numbers. Here’s a look at the top ten pitchers in 2022 in ERA+, and their status for the 2023 event:

Number	Name	ERA+ (2022)	Participate in 2023 WBC?	Birth Country
1	Justin Verlander	220	No	USA
2	Julio Urías	194	Yes	Mexico
3	Dylan Cease	180	No	USA
4	Sandy Alcantara	178	Yes	Dominican Republic
5	Alek Manoah	174	No	USA
6	Shohei Ohtani	172	Yes	Japan
7	Max Fried	164	No	USA
8	Tyler Anderson	163	No	USA
9	Zac Gallen	158	No	USA
10	Shane McClanahan	142	No	USA

Out of the top ten in adjusted ERA+, just three opted to take part in the World Baseball Classic. This list doesn’t even take into account the likes of Shane Bieber, Corbin Burnes, and Gerrit Cole — three pitchers that would have easily made Team USA’s roster.

Before the start of the final, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred hopes that come 2026, more elite starters will take part in the WBC. That viewpoint, from a Major League Baseball perspective, is not hard to figure out.

But, can anyone blame high-end starters for not signing up for the event? Not really, considering the risk that is involved with it. However, one can’t help but think of what a “Dream Team”-esque roster of Trout, Goldschmidt, and Arenado in the lineup and a collection of incredible starters would look like.

6. A Near-Perfect Ending

The matchup that a lot of baseball fans dreamed of came to fruition in the ninth inning of the final. Angels star Shohei Ohtani faced his LA teammate Mike Trout with one out to go. The result? An incredible ending to a thrilling tournament.