Quote Originally Posted by Todd4State View Post
You can't make the comment you just made about Trout and Kershaw and then complain about MLB not promoting itself well. What's the difference between Trout and Kershaw getting hurt in spring training vs. the World Baseball Classic? And getting hurt doesn't stop the best from the other countries from participating. It's mainly the Americans where it's an issue.

But the difference is if they get hurt during the WBC they would at least be getting hurt doing something that promotes the game at the highest level.
Baseball players are also very systematic with how they approach preparation and games. The article talked about Trout not wanting to get out of his routine which the WBC would do. It is going to take someone like Kris Bryant or Bryce Harper that embraces social media and has the endorsements that push players out of the normal practice. I think having the college game improve would also help. It builds in a fanbase for a player instead of someone being on the team that no one had heard of before. I know that I watch the Pirates and Padres highlights more now that Frazier and Renfroe are on the teams. NFL and NBA has had that pipeline type fan for a while but baseball doesn't have that as much. Most great players before don't go to college but more are now. Players are figuring out that college is a lot better stepping stone to prepare you than going into the shitty lower minor leagues. Professional sports just doesn't have as much invested in development unless you show something instantly or you are a high round pick that has a big signing bonus (investment).

Rooker would have probably already flamed out in the minors but was allowed to develop at State.