In preparation for next year's World Baseball Classic, the United States appointed Aaron Judge of the Yankees as captain. Then, a few days later, Francisco Lindor announced that he would be returning to play as Puerto Rico's captain.
Bo Bichette, the Blue Jays shortstop and two time All-Star, now intends to play for his mother Mariana's home country, Brazil. Bichette’s father -- former Major Leaguer Dante Bichette -- is an American, so Bichette also has eligibility to play for the United States, but the decision came very easily. As soon as the team qualified for the main tournament, Brazil reached out.
Bichette's older brother Dante helped the team punch a ticket for next year's tournament during the Tucson Qualifiers in March -- going 4-for-15 with 2 RBIs -- and now the two will look to be reunited on the field once again for Brazil. The two previously played for the national team at the 2016 Qualifiers in Brooklyn, when Bo was just 18 years old.
The brothers' family living in Brazil are excited to support the team next March.
“My grandparents have become big baseball fans because of what we do," Bichette said. "I know they're excited. My goal is to go and help the team win, and hopefully bring attention to baseball in Brazil. I think that would mean a lot to everybody in my family.”
Bichette thinks it's important to play in the Classic for Brazil. The baseball population of the country has been declining, and they don’t get as much attention as other sports.
“I hope that I can bring some attention to baseball in Brazil. There's amazing and talented athletes in there. The WBC is a big opportunity for us," Bichette said.
Although Bichette's father was a Major Leaguer, his childhood dream was actually to become a professional baseball player in Japan. While watching his older brother Dante play in the 2005 Little League World Series, Bichette became fascinated by the skillful play of the Japanese team.
“They looked so cool and I wanted to play with them. I remember bombarding my mother with questions like, 'How can I play in Japan?' 'What is the best way to be eligible to play in Japan?'"
Though Bichette plays in the Majors, he'll get a chance to play with NPB-related players on Team Brazil. The sport was introduced to the country in the early 20th century by Japanese ballplayers who emigrated there. Those legacies still remain.
The team is managed by Yuichi Matsumoto, a former Japanese professional baseball player from Sao Paulo who is currently coaching for the NPB's Yakult Swallows. Some players like pitcher Bo Takahashi also have experience playing in NPB, while their shortstop Vitor Ito is a translator for the Hanshin Tigers. The team may have a more Japanese-influenced playing style than an MLB one.
“I think the WBC is amazing for the game of baseball," Bichette said. "It brings attention from not just baseball fans, but casual fans. I don't think there's a better way to do that than to have countries competing against each other.”
Bichette watched the 2023 World Baseball Classic final in Spring Training and now he wants to be on the field for it next year.
“I just think you get a different level of passion because people are playing for their countries," Bichette said. "There's a different level of pride. And you can see different stories that you never thought you would see: Like Shohei [Ohtani] was still with Angels, and nobody ever thought we would be able to see Shohei facing [Mike] Trout. I think the WBC just brings amazing storylines and a lot of energy that I think is great for the game.”
With Yan Gomes last appearing in a big league game last June, there are no current Major League players who were born in Brazil. But if there are others with a connection like Bichette's, he wants to find them.
"I don't know if there are any other Brazilian players in the big leagues," Bichette said. "If there's a good player out there that I don't know about that is Brazilian, then I would of course reach out and ask them if they would want to play. I will tell them 'Let’s play for the country.'"