*This content was translated by AI.
Juan Soto (28, New York Mets), a man of 1 trillion won, has confirmed his participation in the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC).
The Major League's official website MLB.com said on the 2nd (Korea Standard Time) that "Soto will return to the star-filled Dominican Republic national team."
Soto is also the most expensive player in the Major League, signing a 15-year, $ 765 million (about 1.112 trillion won) FA contract with the Mets ahead of last season. It is worth well over 700 million dollars (about 1.177 trillion won) from Shohei Ohtani (32, LA Dodgers), who is considered the world's best baseball player, and is also considered one of the few candidates to prevent Ohtani from winning consecutive MVP awards.
This year, unlike previous years, there was a heated debate over the possibility of Soto's participation in the WBC. This is because several Puerto Rican superstars, including Francisco Lindor (33, New York Mets), have recently been restricted from participating due to insurance problems. The Major League Baseball Secretariat has made it mandatory for players on the 40-man roster to subscribe to insurance as a condition for participation in the WBC.
However, Soto, who has no major injury history in the last five years, was excluded. Soto, who played more than 150 games for five consecutive years from 2021 to last year, is considered the best hitter in the Major League. Last year, the first year of his FA contract, he played in 160 regular-season games with a batting average of 0.263 (152 hits in 577 times at bat), 43 home runs, 105 RBIs, 120 runs and 38 steals, and an on-base percentage of 0.396 on-base plus slugging percentage of 0.525 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) of 0.921.
With Soto's joining, the Japanese national team, the defending champion and leading candidate for the championship, has also completed a strong lineup that will be nervous. Julio Rodriguez (26, Seattle Mariners), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27, Toronto Blue Jays), Fernando Tatis Jr. (27, San Diego Padres), and Jeremie Peña (29, Houston Astros) have already confirmed their participation in the Dominican Republic.
Rodriguez is considered one of the pillars of the outfield along with Soto. A former American League Rookie of the Year in 2022, he was surprised by signing a seven-year, $119.3 million (about 162.7 billion won) extension in his second year. He did not fail to meet those expectations and recorded double-digit home runs and stolen bases every year. Last year's record was .267 (174 hits in 652 at-bats), 32 homers, 95 RBIs and 30 steals, and an OPS of 0.798.
Guerrero Jr. became a franchise star last year by signing a 14-year, $500 million (about 727 billion won) extension contract with Toronto. Last year, he also posted a batting average of 0.292 (172 hits in 589 at-bats) in 156 games with 23 home runs and 84 RBIs with an OPS of 0.848, and this is the first year of the extension contract.
Tatis Jr. is a superstar who was surprised by signing a 14-year, $340 million (about 494.4 billion won) contract ahead of the 2021 season. He also won the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger twice, and last year marked a batting average of 0.268 in 155 games (159 hits in 594 at-bats), 25 homers, 71 RBIs, 32 steals, and an OPS of 0.814.
Peña is the 2022 World Series MVP and Gold Glove Award, and is known as a shortstop who is both a ball and a fielder. Last year, he also hit .304 (150 hits in 493 times at bat) in 125 games, 17 homers, 62 RBIs and 20 steals, and posted a career high with an OPS of 0.840.
Among these superstars, Soto is considered the pinnacle of the fire dragon. In the 2023 WBC, Soto also hit .400 (6 hits in 15 at-bats) with two home runs and an OPS of 1.500 despite Dominican Republic's elimination from the group stage. In this tournament, the Dominican Republic will try to pass the first round and advance to the final.
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*This content was translated by AI.
