Minnesota Twins slugger Harrison Bader missed out on the 2023 World Baseball Classic due to an oblique injury, but he plans to play next year.
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Bader announced his commitment to play for Team Israel in next year's tournament that pits each country's greatest baseball players against each other.
Israel finished 4th in their pool at the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Their best result at the event is reaching the quarterfinals, a feat they achieved in 2017.
Japan will be the defending champions at the World Baseball Classic next year, having defeated the United States 3-2 in the championship game. The tournament was a successful outing for current Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani, who was named MVP of the tournament.
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Former Detroit Tigers slugger set to manage Harrison Bader and Team Israel during 2026 WBC
Detroit Tigers - Ian Kinsler (Photo via IMAGN)
Harrison Bader will play for a former World Series champion when the 2026 World Baseball Classic gets underway. He will report to former Detroit Tigers slugger Ian Kinsler.
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Kinsler participated for Team USA in the 2017 World Baseball Classic. He knows how to win this tournament and made his WBC coaching debut with Team Israel in 2023.
However, his club lacked the ability to score runs when they needed them the most. Team Israel finished the tournament with a record of 1-3 in 16th place.
Harrison Bader will look to improve his team's chances next year. However, they will have their work cut out, being in the same pool as the Dominican Republic and Venezuela.
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About the author
Jared "Bloomy" Bloom
Jared "Bloomy" Bloom is a journalist covering Major League Baseball at Sportskeeda and a former college baseball pitcher from Illinois, who just graduated with a Master's degree in Sport Psychology.
A writer with over 3 years of experience, Jared is consistently more concerned with quality than quantity, thoroughly checking multiple sources of information, and prides himself in being knowledgeable not just about MLB, but the game of baseball in general. He loves breaking down plays and game-changing moments, as well as looking closer into players' statistics.
Jared is a die-hard Chicago White Sox fan, and one of his earliest memories is seeing his great-grandfather, a huge Sox fan, in his rocking chair watching a game. Jared started playing from the age of 5 with his grandfather coaching him early on.
Jared loved Tim Lincecum for his quirky delivery and looked up to him as a role model when playing. His current favorite is Phillies star Bryce Harper, an exciting player who doesn't let injuries hold him back. Jared's favorite sports moment is Mark Buehrle's opening day between-the-legs glove flip to first base in 2010.
When he is not watching or writing about baseball, Jared can be found racing BMX at his local Rockford BMX track or coaching his local youth travel baseball team.
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