World Baseball Classic: More Deep Thoughts

Former big-league pitcher Todd Jones is blogging for The Sporting News. In his most-recent post he tosses out a few reactions to USA's 2009 performance in the World Baseball Classic. This one jumped out at me:

OK, Team USA's starting pitching wasn't great. Here's one way to fix that: use your top prospects. They don't have to worry about preparing for a long season. Get the young guns ready early, then have them take off some starts after the tournament. There would be less worry about injuries, and you'd still be growing the game by showcasing the future.

This is not a bad thought. In fact, it's a pretty good one. Not only would these prospects take the hill each game feeling like they had something to prove, even the most-highly regarded draft pick would be less of a finacial risk (and less of a financial investment at that point in their career) than an established frontline starter. What better way for the young guns to prove themselves than on an international stage in the intensity of a playoff-like atmosphere?

Sadly, I suspect MLB teams value their kids too much to let them fly around the world unattended, with no one to monitor their regimens or tuck them into bed at night. Letting a guy like Carlos Silva jet off to Miami to pitch for Venzuela is one thing. Letting a kid with tremendous upside, somebody like Trevor Cahill for example, is quite another.

Still, Jonesie may be onto something.