The two biggest takeaways from an incredible 2023 World Baseball Classic

The World Baseball Classic ended in the most dramatic fashion when global superstar Shohei Ohtani defeated Angels teammate Mike Trout in an unforgettable attack with a vicious slider that will go down in history.

The swing-and-miss was Japan’s third WBC title, but its first since 2009. No other country has more than one.

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But the 2023 WBC bore little resemblance to the 2006 and 2009 versions of the tournament, with Japan winning the first two times, and that’s a good thing. Here are the two biggest takeaways from this year’s event.

2023 is the year the WBC made the jump

All signs pointed to this being the year that the WBC finally picked up some serious momentum. Maybe it’s because in the United States, the last WBC title was won by Team USA and the perception was that there was a bit of a deadbeat momentum. Perhaps it’s because the WBC’s return represented another step back towards normality after the 2021 event was delayed by two years by the pandemic. Maybe it’s just an event whose time had come.

But an important reason was this: the players involved seemed more “in” for want of a better word. Mike Trout jumped on board last summer, followed closely by Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt. The big names kept coming, and not just for the United States. The Dominican Republic lineup was stacked, as were Venezuela and Puerto Rico. Mexico had their best squad ever and that was the case for most teams.

Because the players—star players—were really excited, the WBC felt less forced, less makeup, and that counts. And when the games started, the excitement was justified. Big moments, intense competition and huge crowds at all four venues (not every game, but to be expected).

TV ratings were crazy, especially in Japan.

social media Numbers were better than anyone could have imagined.

That’s what the powerful envisioned when they came up with the idea for the WBC so many years ago. And the 2026 event is set to be even better.

Shohei Ohtani will be worth every penny on his next contract

The best player in the world – sorry, Aaron Judge – has long spoken of wanting to play in important games, to be part of a team fighting for championships. He didn’t get that in his time with the Angels, but he got that taste in the WBC and he’s shown the world what he’s capable of on the biggest stage.

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At the plate, he hit .435/.606/.739 with nine runs scored, eight RBIs and a home run in seven games. On the mound, he had a 1.86 ERA with 11 strikeouts – including one to clinch the title for his team – in 9 2/3 innings, with two wins and a save in three appearances.

And there is this:

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Yes, he’s pretty incredible. And he’s a post-season free agent. He will not be staying in Anaheim but will be looking for a new home in a location where he will be competing regularly in October.

How much will he earn? Assuming he’s healthy when he hits the market, he’ll get a total contract value of $500 million or more.

And, folks, this is going to be a bloody bargain.