Venezuela’s WBC Win Exposed What Team USA Must Fix

Team Venezuela winning the gold medal at the World Baseball Classic earlier this week set off alarms in two different hemispheres.

Not long after the Venezuelans eliminated his team in the quarterfinals, Samurai Japan manager Hirokazu Ibata reportedly announced his intention to resign. Ibata's departure comes amid criticism that Team Japan's offense strayed too far in the WBC from a "small ball" style that served them well in previous international competitions.

Team Venezuela also knocked off Team USA in the finals, which of course has American supporters asking what the U.S. needs to change to win at their own game the next time the WBC comes around.

For his own part, Team USA manager Mark DeRosa said he's game for another try when the WBC returns in 2030. It would be his third turn at the helm, which so far has produced two silver medals. DeRosa's enthusiasm isn't likely to be met by many fans disappointed by his team's performances. In addition to the end results, DeRosa received criticism along the way for his lineups and in-game decisions—like many managers do.

There are also the comments DeRosa won't ever live down—the ones indicating he didn't understand the rules of advancing beyond pool play and how he prepared the team as a result.

That mistake aside, let's be fair about the limitations every WBC manager works under. Considering the time of year the tournament is played, the influence major league teams have over how their players are used, and the realities of pitchers preparing for the long regular season ahead, WBC skippers are in an impossible spot. They serve too many masters.

The WBC already has proved to be a great tournament, no matter who wins. Record TV ratings, record attendance, anecdotal but powerful reactions from a plurality of competitors on every team. It's the best baseball tournament yet devised. It would be even better with some tweaking—and the right changes would benefit the U.S. by coincidence.

How could WBC change?

Some have suggested moving the WBC to July to coincide with the MLB all-star break every other year. That's one solution, but a better one might be what right-hander Max Scherzer suggested to Fox Sports.

At least play the knockout rounds around the time MLB usually schedules its opening week. Reduce the regular-season schedule by eight games, or so, going back to the old 154-game calendar. Remove a bunch of regular-season games from the last week in March and the first week in April, when it's often too cold in too many U.S. cities to really enjoy baseball anyway.

Is Scherzer signaling some details to negotiate during the upcoming collective bargaining talks between owners and the players association? Sounds like it.

Moving the WBC to the end of Spring Training and the beginning of the regular season would reduce fears MLB pitching coaches have about interfering with their starting pitchers' preparation time. The entire kerfuffle with left-hander Tarik Skubal, for example, could have been muted if he and the Detroit Tigers weren't afraid to let him go a little full bore for Team USA.

Changing the timing of the WBC would let the U.S. fully use its greatest advantage over every other country: starting pitching.

It might be difficult for some U.S. fans to accept, but much of the world is about as good at baseball as their country is. Starting pitching still separates the U.S., though, and having Skubal, Paul Skenes and any number of other starters ready to pitch six or seven innings multiple times, instead of what we have now, would give a future U.S. team a huge advantage.

It's true the U.S. could have won the 2026 tournament too, had the players in their lineup not been pressing so much. Nobody should buy that the Americans didn't care enough. If anything they caught themselves caring too much. They just don't express themselves like players from Venezuela or the Dominican Republic do. It would be great if they did, but only if it came naturally. Maybe it will one day.

Give Team USA full use of its greatest asset, strong starting pitching, and next time the hitters likely will perform better. And the U.S. will win gold at the WBC. No matter who is managing them.

Moving the tournament finale to around April 1 will benefit every team in the field, trim some fat off the MLB schedule, and make it all even more enjoyable for fans. It should be a priority.