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HOUSTON — Look, if you have never seen this before, I am not quite sure how to describe it.
It has been a long time since I was around Olympic baseball or true top-of-the-chain international baseball. On the amateur side, we do some things really well. When I talk about international events in that space, I am talking about New Balance Future Stars Series. We have high-level players competing with us all over the world, in every country, and sometimes those players are better than the ones who show up in the sanctioned international events. That may upset some, but it is an objective fact.
What I will say is this: The World Baseball Classic is probably the best event I have ever seen, including the Olympics, the MLB All-Star Game, the World Series, the Futures Game, and anything we see in the MLB regular season. And I do not think it is close.
Day 1 here in Houston reminded me just how special this game can be.
Within the first few hours, I ran into longtime friends and people I have known around baseball for years. Sean Casey. Michael Young. Jason Brown, a former roommate. George Lombard. And the list keeps going. Heck, Ken Griffey Jr. is here taking pictures.
On the other side of it, Future Stars Series is everywhere.
Benji Gil and Mateo Gil are here. Jazz Chisholm Jr. is here. Geron Sands is here with Jazz. Players from Nassau, who have been part of the NBFSS pipeline, are here. Tanner Swanson (Yankees) is here with Great Britain. Albert Cartwright Jr. and Conor Brooks both are on staff for Great Britain, too.
In addition, NBFSS Marketing & Media Relations Director Daniel Gotera was a significant part of bringing the WBC to Houston via the Harris County Houston Sports Authority.
Mike Rikard, senior scouting advisor for the Arizona Diamondbacks and NBFSS Advisory Board member, is advancing for Team USA in the WBC. Mike Ferrin and Ryan Spilborghs are calling games for Sirius XM, both have been in the FSS universe.
People who have crossed paths with our world, people who have been part of it directly or indirectly. It is everywhere.
Then there are the stands.
I will not list everyone, but the people scouting this event are the best of the best. Real veterans. People who know exactly what they are looking for. People who understand organizations, needs, timelines, and value. People who can put dollar figures in their heads because they have seen it so many times before.
People who have run departments. People who have run organizations. These are the undisputed titans of the scouting world. Many of them I consider mentors on some level. Some even bought my book, read it, and thanked me for signing it. And it reminds me of something important:
The higher up this game is, the more secure people are, the happier they are to simply go to the ballpark, and the quiet respect that gets passed along. People talk about the difficulty of the game, and yes, it is hard. It is impossibly hard to compete. But the fraternity at the highest reaches of baseball is exactly that. A fraternity. It is not petty.
The opposite sometimes happens at lower levels. Youth sports. Parts of the college world, at times, too. Even certain layers of scouting. It is strange seeing people root against others, but that happens. It’s a true get-off-my-lawn approach. At the higher levels, however, everybody understands where your lawn is.
Yesterday was one of those moments that remind us why many stay in this game.
Talking with Spilborghs and Baltimore Orioles star Gunnar Henderson walks up to say hello. Chicago Cubs’ new infielder Alex Bregman smiles and shakes my hand. It is just that way. The fraternity is deep, the love is deep.
Michael Hill, for whom I have the utmost respect, makes sure he has time. Reggie Waller (MLBPA, former player, coach, and scouting director). Real conversations. Real people. Real comfort. And it’s with everyone who’s there, because that’s what class does.
And I say that to say this:
When this game comes together, it comes together in ways that are unbelievably connected and tight. Everybody has their niche. Everybody has their role. Everybody understands it. And when it is time to go to work, it is time to go to work.
What strikes me here is the professionalism with which this is approached. The understood etiquette of how this game is to be played and the way those who work in it should act. As I walk through this year, it is already remarkable to think about the ground that has been covered.
In 2026, I have already seen domestic high school regional baseball, combines, and qualifiers. I have seen international amateur baseball. I have seen the World Baseball Classic. I have seen MLB spring training. I have seen minor league camps. I have seen Division I baseball. I have seen JUCO (NJCAA) baseball. I have seen everything else in between.
All in two and a half months. And while all of that has been happening, the Future Stars Series ecosystem continues to tighten.
All of that culminates in moments like last night, when you get back to the highest level of the game, see exactly what it looks like, and are part of it.
Major League Baseball has a lot of opportunities to get better. We as an industry have a lot of opportunities to improve. But when I look across that entire ecosystem, what strikes me most is something simple: The players and families who stand out at the beginning are almost always the same ones who show up at the end.
They are not worried about the accolades right away. They are not chasing the shiny toy. They are not concerned about who is following them or what the noise is around them. They grind. They carry quiet confidence. They show who they are in the biggest moments. And they understand that each moment asks something different of them.
Those are the ones who show up. Those are the ones who arrive at the finish line in the circle that was on the field yesterday. Today is another opportunity for that moment. And I promise you nobody out there will miss it. I am sure you will not either.
It is only March.
Man, I cannot wait for the rest of 2026.
- BOOTH: USA vs. Venezuela with everything on the line - March 17, 2026
- BOOTH: The WBC Matchups We’ve Waited For - March 15, 2026
- BOOTH: Big-Time Performances Set Up Bracket Play - March 12, 2026
