Noah Syndergaard has some problematic views on the World Baseball Classic

Ace Noah Syndergaard was not shy when sharing his opinions on the World Baseball Classic.

Entering its third playing, the World Baseball Classic has struggled to find a foothold in the baseball landscape. Fans do not tune in, especially in the United States, and the best players shy away from suiting up over fears of injury. With the WBC set to begin in a week, Major League Baseball cannot be pleased that one of its biggest young stars, Noah Syndergaard, is sharing such harsh views on the event.

When Team USA kicks off pool play next Saturday against the Dominican Republic, its starting pitchers will be Chris Archer and Marcus Stroman. Both are fine young arms, but they would rank outside the top 10 pitchers in the league. Last year, the top five pitchers in each league’s Cy Young voting hailed from the United States, but none of them will pitch for Team USA in the WBC.

Taking star players out of spring training for a few weeks before the start of the season was always going to get pushback. There are rules in place to limit how pitchers may be used. Still, the players are not all on board. Mike Trout, Mookie Betts, Bryce Harper, Syndergaard, Clayton Kershaw and all of the youngest, most popular Chicago Cubs are not playing this year. Other countries have done better engendering a national pride in the WBC, but not so for the United States.

In the first two editions of the WBC, Team USA has finished fourth and sixth with a combined record of just 7-7. Not to sound xenophobic, but if this event is to be a massive success, Team USA must do well and American baseball fans must be passionate about turning out to watch their boys play. There just are not enough countries outside of North America, the Caribbean, select South American countries and Japan that field extremely competitive teams.

Syndergaard’s views are not uncommon within baseball, but he is one of the few players willing to speak them aloud. The WBC is a nuisance to most of the best players as they prepare for a run at the World Series. There is no real incentive to risk injury or spend time away from your teammates and coaches in the name of country. Soccer’s World Cup is different because it trumps every domestic title and the sport is played on a more global scale. NBA players happily suit up for the Olympics because it comes during a slow part of their offseason, and the NHL will interrupt its season for weeks because it is still a niche sport in the USA. The World Series still matters more than any other title that could possibly be won on a diamond.

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The fledgling World Baseball Classic is a nice idea in principle, but it is not something baseball needs to craft its global brand. Until the best players have a reason to show up, it will not be much more than a quick interruption of Spring Training every four years. The league must get its messaging right to turn this into a big event that fans anticipate and look forward to eagerly. Having one of the biggest personalities in the league openly bashing it is problematic, to say the least.