When the Netherlands and Cuba take the field for the opening game of the fifth World Baseball Classic on 8 March in Taichung, some of the players will be reminded of the 2011 Baseball World Cup final in Panama City. Xander Bogaerts, at the time a 19-year-old Single-A shortstop for the Boston Red Sox, watched from the dugout. Didi Gregorius was the Dutch starting shortstop.
Bogaerts would make the Major League Baseball (MLB) team in 2013. After starring for the Boston Red Sox through 2022, in the offseason, the 30-year-old signed an 11-year contract with the San Diego Padres worth US$280 million, including a $5m signing bonus.
"I'm not sure you should name me the star of the team," said Bogaerts to the Dutch press. "Let's say I'm a well known player. I've been around for a while."
"It's always good to wear the National Team uniform," added Bogaerts. "You get to represent your country."
The Netherlands made the World Baseball Classic semifinals in back-to-back editions, in 2013 and 2017 but despite some strong opposition and a lack of Dutch pitching depth, Bogarts is hopeful of a strong Netherlands performance again.
"This time, the competition is going to be harder. Look at Japan. They have such a great team. When I went through their roster, I was like, they cannot be this good, they must be kidding me," added Bogaerts. "We have some excellent position players with much MLB experience. We have a lot of young pitchers. They lack experience but are eager to learn from MLB players."
"We would need to score some runs," he said on a final note. "You always want to improve, and we can improve only if we make it to the final."
