We are still a few weeks away from the start of the 2023 MLB season. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t meaningful baseball games going on. The World Baseball Classic (WBC) is back for the first time since 2017, with the first game of the tournament taking place last night. The WBC is a fan-favorite event that features the talent and passion that baseball fans love to see. That is why it is no surprise that there will be plenty of WBC content in MLB The Show 23 when it launches later this month.
WBC Comes to MLB The Show
There will be tons of WBC content in MLB The Show 23 Diamond Dynasty when it releases this month. In a blog post on the MLB The Show website, it was announced there will be a WBC program featuring tons of WBC items. The program will include moments, a conquest map, a WBC event, and more.
The items players will be able to earn are very exciting. First, the uniforms from all 20 nations competing in the 2023 WBC will be unlockable in the program. There will also be plenty of Flashback cards for the MLB players currently participating in the WBC. These cards include
- Tigers 1B Miguel Cabrera (Team Venezuela)
- Dodgers 1B Freddie Freeman (Team Canada)
- Cardinals 1B Paul Goldschmidt (Team USA)
- Cardinals 3B Nolan Arenado (Team USA)
- Padres 3B Manny Machado (Team Dominican Republic)
- White Sox 3B Yoan Moncada (Team Cuba)
- Braves OF Ronald Acuna Jr. (Team Venezuela)
- Astros OF Kyle Tucker (Team USA)
- White Sox OF Luis Robert Jr. (Team Cuba)
- Cardinals SP Adam Wainwright (Team USA)
- Padres SP Yu Darvish (Team Japan)
- Marlins SP Sandy Alcantara (Team Dominican Republic)
International Players
On top of the MLB players participating in the WBC, MLB The Show 23 will also feature some of the players from international leagues competing in the tournament. These six players will be making their first-ever appearance in MLB The Show.
Roki Sasaki is a pitcher for Team Japan. He is thought by many to be the best non-MLB player in the WBC. In two years of pro ball in Japan, the 20-year-old has a 13-6 record with a 1.95 ERA and 260 strikeouts.
Munetaka Murakami also plays for Team Japan and is one of the best power hitters on the team. This past season in the Japanese Central League, Murakami hit 56 HRs with a 1.168 OPS. This stat line helped propel him to his second straight JPCL MVP award.
Li Lin plays 2B for Team Chinese Taipei. Lin is the reigning CPBL MVP. This past season he hit .335 with 30 doubles and 14 HRs.
Tim Kennelly is an outfielder for Team Australia. Kennelly played in the minor leagues for nine seasons and has played 12 seasons of professional ball in Australia.
Dwight Britton is the starting CF for Team Nicaragua. Britton played six seasons of minor league ball in the Mariner’s farm system.
Yusuke Masago is an outfielder for Team China. He has played professional baseball in Japan since 2013. In 2020, Masago won a Japan Series championship as part of the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.
