Shawn Spradling is Ready for the World Baseball Classic

Baseball's World Cup Returns in 2026

If you’ve never heard of the World Baseball Classic, you are missing out. It’s the best of international baseball in a two week, international format that’s akin to soccer’s World Cup. (And. yes, I call it ‘soccer’). The last WBC in 2023 ended in a thriller when Shohei Ohtani’s Team Japan defeated Mike Trout’s Team USA in the final.

Shawn Spradling, a fantastic baseball creator I met when covering Baseball United in Dubai, has quickly established himself as an authority on world baseball. He recently appeared on my baseball podcast, “In The Booth with Flobo Boyce” to chat about why the 2026 WBC could be a watershed moment for the sport.

I mean, the word “water shed” was never said, but the intent was there. The audio version is available here, but if you want early access to that sweet hi-def video version, check it out below.

And, if you don’t have time for all of that, I’ve gone ahead and generated the AI summary of the video for you below, for funsies.

The World Baseball Classic starts Thursday Mar 5, 2026 on FOX and Netflix (Japan)