SURPRISE, Ariz. – A new World Baseball Classic champion will be crowned Tuesday in Miami. As far as the Royals are concerned, they’re already winners no matter the outcome.
Kansas City is one of five teams with at least one player remaining on all four semifinal rosters, joining the Brewers, Mariners, Mets and Phillies. The Red Sox also had representatives on the United States, Italy, Venezuela and Dominican Republic rosters, though Brayan Bello left the D.R. team to return to Boston’s spring camp, leaving the Dominican team without an active Red Sox player.
“I was thinking last night, just looking at some of the highlights over the last week, it’s really exciting to see our guys excel in the WBC,” John Schreiber said. “It feels like all the highlights are from guys from the Royals. It makes everybody here excited about what we have in store for the season.”
From Vinnie Pasquantino's three-homer game for Italy to Maikel Garcia’s big home run in Venezuela’s quarterfinal win over Japan, the Royals are leaving their imprint on this year’s Classic. When Bobby Witt Jr. flashed his Platinum Glove at shortstop for Team USA against Mexico, Patrick Mahomes gave him an excited social media shoutout. Carlos Estévez has one perfect inning for the Dominican Republic, though the D.R. hasn’t had much need for clutch relief work, winning all but one of its games in blowout fashion.
“It’s been a lot of fun watching our guys go out there and have big games, come through in clutch moments,” Michael Wacha said. “That’s building confidence for them coming into the regular season, finding their swings, finding their pitches, it will only help us out during the regular season.”
“That's the buzz that has been going around here, seeing what those guys have been doing over the last two weeks,” Schreiber said. “We’re super proud of them.”
Wacha threw three innings in relief of Logan Webb in Team USA’s 15-5 win over Brazil on March 6 before returning to the Royals. His early departure from the tournament had been planned in advance, but just getting a taste of the WBC atmosphere got him amped up for the season.
"We’ve just been in Spring Training games, so getting into that atmosphere again where there's something on the line, it’s very beneficial,” Wacha said. “To feel those nerves, it preps you for the regular season.”
“The competition aspect is so intense that you want [the players] to bring that back,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “I don't know if you could do that for 162 straight, but you want that ‘no pitches off’ kind of mentality.”
Starling Marte played for the D.R. in the 2017 Classic, which he called “an incredible experience.” Listening to him talk about each inning or each at-bat, one would think it happened last week, not nine years ago.
“Just the experience, it feels like the World Series,” Marte said. “I have never played in the World Series, but from what I’ve seen on TV, the energy in those games is great.”
That energy can indeed create a Postseason-like atmosphere, giving players a feel for what they may face if they’re fortunate enough to play important games down the stretch.
Quatraro has watched those big at-bats closely. Given how the Royals’ players have continually come through for their respective countries, the manager is intrigued to see how they handle similar situations when the season begins.
“They have to be nervous or they have to be excited in these moments, so how have they contained that?” Quatraro said. “As big league games are going and you're in big moments, whether it's regular season or Postseason, you’ve had that ability to channel that – now how do I do it again here and continue to do it over and over?”
Whichever Royals return to Surprise later this week with a WBC title added to their résumé, one thing is certain to accompany that championship: bragging rights.
“There was trash talk before they left,” Matt Strahm said. “I'm sure it's going to continue when they get back.”
Strahm came up with the Royals' organization, making his MLB debut in 2016 – one year after Kansas City’s most recent World Series title. He’s pitched in the Postseason four times with the Padres and Phillies, and after being traded back to the Royals this winter, Strahm has enjoyed watching his new teammates thrive on an international stage.
“It's playoff baseball in March, so getting to see those guys experience it and see how well they're doing is hopefully some good foresight for the season,” Strahm said. “You can have the cliché saying ‘It's still baseball’ or whatever, but you can't replicate those moments or the atmosphere. For them to get to experience that, it’s as valuable as anything. Hopefully, that just keeps them hungry for the season to make The K like that in October. The city can be pretty special if you give them something to cheer for.”