Yankees: Didi Gregorius’ Risky Move to Play for Netherlands In WBC

According to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi, Yankees shortstop Didi Gregorius will suit up for Team Netherlands in the upcoming World Baseball Classic.

If you’re headed to Yankees Spring Training in Tampa this year and hoping to get a glimpse of Didi Gregorius, you’ll want to get there sooner rather than later, as Gregorius will be joining his fellow Dutch teammates in representing the Netherlands in the WBC, beginning on March 6.

Gregorius, 26, is coming off a career year in 2016 where he hit .276/.304/.447 with 20 home runs and 70 RBI. Maybe the most important stat of all was that Didi hit a career-high .324 against left-handed pitching — up from his career .248 average.

A native of Curacao, Gregorius will be joined by Xander Bogaerts, Jonathan Schoop, Andrelton Simmons, and Jurickson Profar. That’s an awful lot of middle infielders on Team Netherlands if you ask me.

Gregorius was previously slated to play in the 2013 WBC when he was a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks. But after straining his ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing elbow in preparation for the tournament, he was forced to withdraw from the team.

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The issue I have with any player partaking in a preseason exhibition tournament — let alone a valuable member of the Yankees, is that while these guys certainly stay in shape during the offseason, they are now tasked with immediately jumping into intense gameplay while only having participated in a handful of team-centric activities.

Hitting off a tee, or taking live batting practice from a coach can only do so much in regards to getting you ready to face Shohei Otani of Japan, Chris Archer and Marcus Stroman of the United States, Julio Teheran of Columbia, or Felix Hernandez of Venezuela.

I get that all the players involved in the WBC are at a disadvantage — it’s what happens when you hold a preseason tournament. But this is precisely why if reports are accurate, I’ll be more than OK with the WBC being done away with after this year.

While the idea of playing for national pride is a noble one, this isn’t the Olympics (where baseball will return to in 2020). Perhaps the WBC is held in higher esteem in other parts of the world — here in the US, it’s just a distraction from Spring Training.

Didi and Dellin Betances (who will be playing for the Dominican Republic) would be better served working out alongside their Yankees teammates, building camaraderie that undeniably comes in handy during the course of 162 regular season games.

I hate to say it, but if you’re going to risk getting injured, you’d better do it while playing for your employer. Because without the support of the professional organization that allows you to develop and show off your skillset, suiting up for an intermural team of sorts, would be impossible.

Next: Tanaka Will Not Pitch for Japan In WBC

While the Yankees couldn’t justifiably discourage their players from participating in the upcoming WBC, they can’t be happy about the wear and tear their guys may experience before the MLB season even begins.