© WBSC
At the end of the first edition of Premier12 I wrote that I had enjoyed it a lot, but that Premier12 still had a long way to go. The second part of the statement was contested against me, while I had partially lied about the first. I didn’t enjoy it at all. Italy had presented the most mediocre team of the Mazzieri era and Chinese Taipei’s failure to qualify for the quarter-finals had made the matches in Taichung (Mexico-Canada and Korea-Cuba) games for a few. The organizers hadn’t even opened the concession stands.
From 2015 to 2024, the Premier12 has come a long way. I’m not easy on triumphalism, but with the third edition the Premier12 has definitively earned the status of a great event. I’ll say more: this is the most important international baseball event since I can remember.
I know you’re all thinking about the World Baseball Classic. And there is no doubt that the technical level of the World Baseball Classic is currently unattainable. As U.S. manager Mike Scioscia said, “the best of the best play at the Classic, so the bar goes up a notch.”
This is indisputable. And, realistically, it must be recognized that it seems unlikely that MLB would consider giving the green light to players to participate in the Premier12 when it has not yet expressed its opinion on the requests coming from none other than Shohei Ohtani and Bryce Harper to participate in the 2028 Olympics Indisputable it is, but it does not detract from the value of the Premier12.
Conceptually, the Premier12 represents something unique in team sports. The 12 best baseball programs participate, the expression of a ranking that takes into account the results of the national youth teams (U-12, U-15, U-18 and U-23). The WBSC has already announced a revision to the formula. From the next edition, 20 programs will be involved. The best 12 will remain the best 12. The other 8 will play for 4 places in the qualifiers and the tournament will be with 16 teams. The Premier12 will arrive in more countries.
Let’s be clear, it is never a given that a growth project will translate into actual growth. Only the 2026 qualifiers and the 2027 tournament will be able to tell us how it actually went. However, we keep in mind the success of the 2024 edition, which fully justifies the ambition of taking the tournament to a higher level.
The 2024 Premier12 was played at a very high technical level and at a level of intensity unprecedented in international baseball. And the intensity on the field had a direct correspondence with the passion in the stands. Since the professional era opened (2001 World Cup in Taiwan), other times we had seen a very high level on the pitch. But never have we seen so many teams take to the field to compete. Not even a following of fans of this kind had been seen. Not to mention the hundreds of accreditation requests, even from the most prestigious agencies.
I followed group B in Taipei and was enraptured, at times even moved, by the participation of the fans from Korea and Japan, who arrived following the teams. In Taiwan I have always had the privilege of seeing Chinese Taipei play in full stadiums, but I had never seen the visiting team rival the cheering in the stands. Korea even brought a lot of cheerleading and choreography to Taiwan. Seeing the Japanese fans singing in the rain at Tianmu Stadium for a match that would not change the fate of their participation was nothing short of touching.
Once we arrived in Tokyo, we knew that the level of the game would rise further, given that the 4 best teams would compete in a round-robin format. And the 8 matches, including the finals, did not disappoint. At the Tokyo Dome, which was packed at night, we saw stellar baseball for 4 days. And the MLB players on the field were there. For example, Rich Hill of the United States. Who at 44 years old has not conceded a point. And others in the Major Leagues will come soon, like Chandler Simpson, a .500 on-base percentage guy who’s unstoppable when he wants to steal.
Regardless of MLB affiliation, Big League players were on every roster in this Premier12. In the sense that the teams have selected with both hands in the highest level tournaments in their country, from the Venezuelan league (LVBP) to the Taiwanese league (CPBL). From the Korean KBO to the Japanese NPB, to the 2 Mexican pro leagues (LMB and LMP). Everyone was able to count on players who were also prospective. This is demonstrated by the fact that the average age of the teams was under 28 years. At Premier12 2019 the average age was over 31.
I repeat that I am not prone to triumphalism. But Premier12 2024 showed me that international baseball has a great future ahead of it.
