Big leaguer WBC injury insurance paid, why Japan is so desperate

The World Baseball Classic (WBC) Japan Baseball Team pays injury insurance money for major league players to join the camp early.

Japanese media outlets such as ‘Sports Hochi’ said on the 1st that after negotiations with the WBC Organizing Committee, which oversees the tournament, five major league players belonging to the Japanese national team could join the Miyazaki camp early on the 17th.

The Nippon Baseball Organization (NPB) reached an agreement on the condition of paying insurance money for injuries to major league players. The insurance money is jointly borne by the 12 NPB clubs. At the league level, they agreed to support the WBC.

The WBC Organizing Committee has set March 4 as the official convening date for the players from Group B (Korea, Japan, Australia, China, and the Czech Republic) who will play the first round at the Tokyo Dome in Japan. After an official evaluation match from March 5, the first round schedule will begin on the 9th. Major League players are allowed to participate in official evaluation matches for up to two games four days before the start of the tournament. 먹튀검증

Japan, which will set up a national team camp in Miyazaki, Japan from the 17th, wants major league players to join as soon as possible. Japan selected five major leaguers, two more than Korea, including pitchers Yu Darvish (San Diego), Shohei Ohtani (LA Angels), and outfielders Seiya Suzuki (Chicago Cubs), Masataka Yoshida (Boston), and Lars Nutba (St. Louis).

In particular, the main outfielders Suzuki, Yoshida, and Nutba all belong to the major leagues. If these players fail to join the camp early, the only professional outfielder is Kensuke Kondo (Softbank). Even if Shuto Ukyo (Softbank), a utility player who can play both in and outfield, enters the outfield, one spot remains empty. It is difficult to properly conduct the training during the camp and the evaluation match starting on the 25th. During this period, one additional outfielder can be summoned as a helper player, but it is not a player to participate in the tournament. Japan wants to resolve this awkwardness in the preparation process.

Darvish, the oldest, officially declared joining the national team from the first day of camp due to the club’s special treatment, but the other four members decide whether and when to join the team early in consultation with their club. The sooner they join the camp, the higher the insurance premium. Japan, which is aiming for the third WBC championship since 2006 and 2009 with the best power ever, is not regretful at all.

The Korean national team, which is set to camp in Tucson, Arizona from the 14th, also has three major league players: infielders Kim Ha-seong (San Diego), Tommy Edman (St. Louis), and Choi Ji-man (Pittsburgh). However, joining the camp early is not as urgent as Japan, where there is a hole in the outfield right now. Korean big leaguers are expected to train in the US camp where their respective teams are located, then come to Korea in early March and join the Gocheok Dome training.

The World Baseball Classic (WBC) Japan Baseball Team pays injury insurance money for major league players to join the camp early. Japanese media outlets such as ‘Sports Hochi’ said on the 1st that after negotiations with the WBC Organizing Committee, which oversees the tournament, five major league players belonging to the Japanese national team could…