The World Baseball Challenge - held in Prince George in 2009, 2011 and 2013 - is on track to return in 2015.
Everybody who watched the first month of the Major League Baseball season, and specifically a blistering-hot rookie by the name of Jose Abreu, should do a fist-pump at this news.
In the summer of 2011, Abreu was in P.G. as a member of the Cuban national team. In the World Baseball Challenge that year, he was a major contributor in Cuba's tournament victory, sealed with a 10-5 win against Chinese Taipei in the championship game.
From the start of the 2011 WBC to its finish, Abreu was dynamic, especially at the plate. He rapped out hit after hit and showed a level of power that was often too much for the walls of Citizen Field to contain. By the end of the event, he was the clear choice as the all-star first baseman.
During Abreu's short stay in Prince George, he was followed into the local Walmart by a Miami-based agent who was in town to watch the Cubans play. Right there inside the store, the agent offered Abreu a $60 million contract to play for an unspecified MLB team. A couple years later, on Aug. 11, 2013, Abreu walked away from Cienfuegos of the Cuban league while the club was traveling in Haiti. He later crossed into the Dominican Republic and his defection paved his way to a free-agent contract with the Chicago White Sox, who signed him to a six-year, $68 million deal in October of 2013.
Even at that figure, it looks like the White Sox got a steal of epic proportions.
In the month of April, Abreu ripped 10 home runs and racked up 32 RBI, figures that stand as new records for a rookie. Only five other players in the history of the game - Albert Pujols, Alvin Davis, Evan Gattis, Jason Heyward and Wally Joyner - managed at least six homers and 15 RBI in the first month of their careers. And of those guys, only Pujols (eight home runs, 27 RBI in 2001) had stats similar to those of Abreu.
Abreu's most memorable game so far? That would be the one he played last Friday when he bashed two home runs - including a walk-off grand slam - in a 9-6 Chicago win against the Tampa Bay Rays. The next day, Tampa Bay's Evan Longoria was quoted in the Chicago Tribune as saying Abreu is "the best player in the world - ever - right now."
Thanks to the World Baseball Challenge, we saw him here. And he's not the only player with major league credentials who has played in the WBC. In the 2009 tournament, Prince George ball fans were also fortunate to see stars-in-the-making like Sonny Gray (pitcher, Oakland A's), Gerrit Cole (pitcher, Pittsburgh Pirates), Michael Choice (outfielder, Texas Rangers), Yasmani Grandal (catcher, San Diego Padres), Brad Miller (infielder, Seattle Mariners) and Drew Pomeranz (pitcher, Oakland A's). All these players were part of the United States club that claimed the 2009 WBC title with an 8-1 victory over Germany in the championship game.
So yes, it's great news that the World Baseball Challenge will step back onto Citizen Field in the summer of 2015. More future major leaguers will be on display, guaranteed.
Of course, the financial spin-off will also benefit Prince George, as the first two WBC events were estimated to have generated $6 million in economic activity.
In some sports circles around town, there had been speculation that the WBC was as good as dead. Concern for its future stemmed from the fact that the major organizers of the 2009, 2011 and 2013 tournaments - co-chairs Jim Swanson and Shawn Rice - both vacated their posts in October of 2013. Swanson is now vice-president and general manager of the West Coast League's Victoria HarbourCats, a club formed by top-level college players who have designs on pro careers.
Shelly Niemi and Rick Pattie are the new WBC co-chairs, and Pattie said this week that work is well underway for 2015. He also said two-time defending champion Cuba has expressed interest in returning.
"Just because Jim left doesn't mean the tournament's leaving," Pattie said with a chuckle.
"We are planning to go forward in 2015. We have an executive that's already active, we're working on putting together our marketing package as well as our invitations to the teams that we are trying to attract. We expect that by July we'll have a good indication of who's interested in coming."
Pattie said JX-Eneos of Japan, which fell 14-4 to Cuba in the 2013 final, stated at that time it would like to participate again. As well, the Bahamas - which played in the first two WBCs but missed the 2013 edition for financial reasons - has indicated it would like to put the tournament back on its schedule. Pattie said an invitation will also be issued to Chinese Taipei, which had teams in Prince George in 2011 and 2013.
It will be interesting to see how far Abreu has progressed in the bigs by the time the ceremonial first pitch is thrown at the 2015 World Baseball Challenge.
For him, and for the WBC, the future looks bright indeed.
