WBC 2023 Venezuela
When Taurus second baseman Jose Altuve suffered a fractured thumb from a hit-by-pitch in the World Baseball Classic, broadcaster John Smoltz (another Taurus who pitched in a bygone era) was quick to defend the tournament. “If he wasn’t playing in the WBC, Altuve would have been at Spring Training with the Astros. And do you know how many players get hurt in Spring Training? A lot!”
Smoltz’s analysis is technically correct, so the question becomes, how much more LIKELY was it for Altuve to get injured in a high-stakes, national-pride-on-the-line tournament than some practice games in front of a few hundred fans. Spring Training definitely wouldn’t have featured Daniel Bard throwing a max-effort sinker to try and escape a jam of his own making. But the same result very well might have happened thanks to an over-eager prospect who overthrew a blazing fastball in an effort to make the team.
The point it, we’ll never really know. And the other point is that Taurus was the most impactful sign on Team Venezuela, not only because of Altuve, but also cleanup-hitting catcher Salvador Perez. And to a lesser extent, middle reliever Andres Machado, who made only one appearance in Venezuela’s five WBC games. In terms of 2022 fantasy points, Machado finished behind only Gemini lefty Jose Alvarado, who served as the team’s closer.
After Taurus, Sagittarius has to be considered Venezuela’s number two sign. For the Braves in the regular season, Ronald Acuna Jr. will play mostly right field, but he was in center for Venezuela. Likewise, Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres spent his entire tournament in the DH slot, starting only three games. And moving to the bullpen, Luis Garcia was a starter for the Astros (with the highest points-per-game average of any Venezuelan pitcher, in fact), but was used for long relief stints in the tournament.
Aries was very well-represented in both the Venezuelan lineup and pitching staff. Lefties Martin Perez and Eduardo Rodriguez started Games 1 and 3, respectively, on either side of Pisces Pablo Lopez. (In a funny twist, both Martin and E-Rod changed teams in the 2021-22 offseason, while Lopez was traded prior to 2023.) In the lineup, AL batting leader Luis Arraez hit near the top of the order, while splitting his time between first and second base. And legacy designated hitter Miguel Cabrera was around for his clubhouse presence, and for the experience that comes from three previous WBC appearances.
Libra right fielder Anthony Santander climbed up the batting order ladder from seventh, to fifth, to fourth, to second over the course of the tournament. If he stays hot, that’s a good sign for a newly-competitive Orioles team. Game 4 starter Jesus Luzardo was the only member of team Venezuela who was not born in the country - his birthplace is listed as Lima, Peru. White Sox reliever Jose Ruiz finished in a four-way tie VEN’s most-utilized bullpen piece.
Rounding out the signs in the starting lineup, Gold Glove Virgo second baseman Andres Gimenez moved to shortstop for the tournament, which could have some implications for the Cleveland lineup next season. Cancer Crabs third baseman Eugenio Suarez spent some tournament time across the diamond (in deference to Capricorn Eduardo Escobar), proving once again that any infielder can reasonably handle the first base bag. And Leo outfielder David Peralta bat in the ninth spot more often than any other Venezuelan.