Baseball Twitter impressed by first look at new and improved World Baseball Classic trophy: "One of the best trophies in sports", "This is gorgeous"

The World Baseball Classic is a few months away, and the reveal of the re-designed trophy has fans energized for the event. Some of the best baseball talent ever assembled will be battling it out to raise the trophy at the end of the international tournament. Regardless of what league they play in or what team they play for, every player is excited to represent their country.

The World Baseball Classic is still in its infancy as an event, but is growing quickly. They have attracted an absurd amount of superstar players to play in the tournament despite it not affecting MLB results. Having a trophy that can become iconic will go a long way towards marketing the event.

The WBC revealed an image of the new trophy on their official Twitter account.

The trophy of the past was no slouch, but this seems like a sleeker trophy. With stars like Shohei Ohtani, Mike Trout, Mookie Betts, and Juan Soto in pursuit, the trophy needed to fit their stature. The ultimate hope and goal is for this tournament to become the baseball equivalent of soccer's World Cup. It is a lofty goal, but the pieces are in place to make it a reality.

Team USA is the reigning champion of the World Baseball Classic, but will face incredibly tough competition this year. The team representing the Dominican Republic has even supplanted Team USA as the betting favorites before the tournament begins. Samurai Japan will also be fielding an incredible team that is more than capable of pulling off an upset.

While the trophy is a representation of what the participating countries are competing for, it's still important that it looks cool. Nearly everyone on the planet can tell what the World Cup trophy looks like. It has an iconic look aided by its simplicity. The World Baseball Classic has hit a similar note in their design.

With the tournament fast approaching, more new design choices like this are likely to be revealed.

Is the World Baseball Classic be a positive for MLB players?

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Some in the MLB have concerns about the tournament itself, as it does take time away from Spring Training. Many of the top stars in the World Baseball Classic are proven veterans who can afford to make that choice. However, depth players on teams may be less likely to volunteer their time if they are battling for a roster spot. While the benefits are clear, the element of risk persists.

It is a delicate balance that every player will have to decide how they handle for themselves.