The Future of Baseball Is International | Baseball Bits

TWEET ME: / foolishbb
This episode of Baseball Bits, a Foolish Baseball production, was originally produced for a program I was invited to. That program was cancelled, but that's fine, as I can now share it with you all!
Is baseball dying? I don't think so. Even if it may be losing steam in the United States, baseball is doing well because of Dominican baseball players like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Japanese baseball players like Shohei Ohtani. In this video, I talk about foreign-born baseball pioneers like Roberto Clemente & Gift Ngoepe. I also talk about the inverse, meaning American baseball players in Japan and American baseball players in Korea like Dennis Sarfate and Eric Thames. I also talk about Carter Stewart Japan, and how strong leagues lead to NPB attendance that rivals our own.
On the subject of baseball in the United States, I talk about baseball's unwritten rules and the decline of MLB.
Another subject I talk about is Cubans in MLB like Yasiel Puig. Yasiel Puig Cuba story of defection is a scary one that represents the dangers Cuban MLB players face.
Is America's Pastime Dying? wamu.org/spons...
ESPN on Puig's defection: www.espn.com/es...
Trump Blocks Cuban Players: www.wsj.com/ar...
Soundtrack: ozzed.net/

[@tylerreynolds4781]

The future of baseball is in Jomboy Media and Baseball Bits

[@SurfyXX]

Sounds awful, but true.

[@jd0192]

Bring back Jon Bois

[@LearnedSophistry]

Jamie Della we all love Jon but his interests aren’t really in baseball, considering he’s called it “a waste of time” in past videos. Unfortunate because his video on Barry Bonds was one of the first videos I saw that really got me into sabermetrics.

[@edblair5253]

@@LearnedSophistry of course it is a waste of time. listen to your celebs and leaders and they tell you do be your best, don't waste a moment improving yourself and the world. being a bball fan falls short. it may have some benefits but is way down the list. kapeesh?

[@seda_11]

AudiosurfDocumentor are u ok?

[@wakkyai]

There is no doubt that the MLB is the strongest league in the world, but baseball here in Japan is something that deserves more attention. There’s a whole new style of baseball and cheering, not to mention tons of talented players. If both countries start to mutually broadcast games on the other side of the ocean, things might get more interesting. International trading and drafting might solve the stagnancy in baseball too.

[@thereminslilly8782]

I hope that one day the MLB and NPB find a way to play games against each other in games that actually matter. If the champions of each league played a series against each other I think it would be great for baseball in both the US and Japan. But yeah, I'd love to just be able to watch NPB games on TV at all

[@wakkyai]

Cold Snap baseball has always been something more than homeruns, walks, and strikeouts. The atmosphere of the stadiums also make the game special, and there’s a totally different one in Japan. Also the game is more tactical here.

[@beatlesgoats8376]

Wbc should happen 2 years edit: every 2 years

[@Th3DarkCanuck]

More tactical? Please explain?

[@Heladio54]

The culture you guys have for baseball over there is insanely entertaining.

[@lol109109]

When I die, tell my grandchildren I was here before Foolish Baseball had 100k subscribers.

[@jackstros2694]

tony s I just assumed he had a mil lol

[@cheef825]

i was here at 9k, my grandkids will laud me as a pioneer and trailblazer

[@JoeVatalaro]

honestly

[@FoolishBaseball]

I'm just getting started. If you're reading this, you're an early adopter!

[@MLB]

Sounds like a plan, stan.

[@michaelmarsh7852]

Wow! There was more Twins recognition in this one video than a season of MLB Network. Thanks Foolish.

[@johncoffee602]

Michael Marsh no kidding, the Twins are legit giants of baseball this year and if you didn’t follow the game you’d have no idea they where this good.

[@FoolishBaseball]

They have a fun team!

[@nandy9285]

I think I've heard of the Twins before, are they in the KBO?

[@FoolishBaseball]

@@nandy9285 LUL

[@jacksonhenry7049]

Foolish Baseball I got really giddy when you brought them up. Also, love the video.

[@amlansanyal9663]

As an Indian and a cricket fan I loved baseball from the moment I first saw Jon Bois's Barry Bonds Chart Party. Foolish Baseball videos only strengthened my love for the sport. Thanks!

[@FoolishBaseball]

Thank you! Maybe I should look into baseball in India!

[@VivekBabbar]

Nice to see a fellow Indian loving baseball.

[@jackhall27]

i love that the audience for these (of course, great) videos is the same as other great creators, like Jomboy and Jon Bois

[@amlansanyal9663]

@@jackhall27 add Urinating Tree and his buddy Fivepoints to the list as well

[@brandanb9735]

Watching Cricket fielding highlights on KZbin is one of my guilty pleasures. I've wasted...hours...

[@MLB]

Early gang

[@radlup1045]

mlb now one of the ppl who comment first and think they cool

[@gingerface1898]

Copyright gang

[@FoolishBaseball]

Even earlier than me, sheesh

[@MLB]

@@radlup1045 we're also that guy who randomly replies to one comment.

[@radlup1045]

@@MLB mlb talking to me, biggest achievement of my life :)

[@TrueRGM]

This vid got me really excited for the next WBC in 2021

[@FoolishBaseball]

WBC is a great competition. It definitely got some hype last time around.

[@bedizzleyt681]

What’s wbc?

[@FoolishBaseball]

@@bedizzleyt681 The World Baseball Classic!

[@WaffleLover-my1hi]

Same!

[@TheJR7360]

It's gonna be stacked

[@VivekBabbar]

India has a lot of potential when it comes to baseball. MLB just set up their HQ in New Delhi and I'm pretty sure it's gonna be quite popular here because of its resemblance to cricket. Let's see where it leads to.

[@floridaman1371]

If India does it, Pakistan will.

[@dubbled7286]

Vivek Babbar should be interesting. As a baseball fan, I find cricket to be a strange bizarre game. I hope India doesn’t feel the same in reverse, being used to watching and playing cricket.

[@franklugo6928]

with a population of over a billion people, i am sure India will be represented on the world stage of baseball very soon (next 10 years)

[@FoolishBaseball]

Looking forward to it! I know India's soccer leagues have had big investments in the past few years as well.

[@codyssmith73]

Reminds of the Million Dollar Arm campaign that happened a while back with the Pirates signing two Indian guys to contracts after they went from cricket bowlers to pitchers.

[@dudingregbirdius2631]

Worth noting: - The KBO isn't as hitter-friendly as it was before (although it was in Thames's time); home run rates have dropped by almost half. - Japan's Kōshien (high school baseball tournament) is considered more prestigious to win than the Japan Series. High school participation is still declining, however. - The Chinese Professional Baseball League (the Taiwanese league) recently had an agreement with the MLB over a new posting system. Superstar Po-Jung Wang was posted... but ended up signing in Japan last offseason and isn't doing too well. - Players from the NPB who are interested in coming to the MLB: Shogo Akiyama, Yoshitomo Tsutsugoh, Koudai Senga (his team does not want to post him, however), and maybe Yuki Yanagita in 2021 if he's healthy and doesn't sign a new contract.

[@ddbrnaujaliai6185]

dudingregbirdius As a Brewers fan, I’m still quite sad we didn’t resign Eric Thames, I still have hope for Justin Smoak.

[@alleanklienbonita4705]

Shogo Akiyama signed with the Reds 😳

[@jclips2098]

@@alleanklienbonita4705 and he was terrible.

[@txisbest2010]

How to save baseball (MLB): 1. Create 29 clones of Jomboy 2. Replace all TV announcers with Jomboy

[@metsfan7376]

Except for the Mets announcers

[@colinary5787]

this would for sure bring in some more viewers

[@FoolishBaseball]

Can I get a clone of me as well? Not for baseball purposes, I just need someone to tidy my apartment but I don't feel like doing it.

[@boomysports5031]

Hey what about Buck Martinez and his get up ball get up ball gone every time the blue jays hit a home run but go ahead and replace pat he is so boring he just talks about things everyone already knows

[@st.manuelle3211]

Matt vasgersian in the GOAT

[@buyosrs]

Watched my first baseball game last night because of this channel. Have only ever been into basketball and loved it because of advanced analytics. Didn't realize that's 80% of baseball and i'm in love. Thank you so much

[@FoolishBaseball]

I definitely think baseball set off the analytics revolution in sports. Basketball is definitely in that direction now. Football is (imo) lagging behind at times. It's tough because college football is usually where the revolutionary ideas come from.

[@luiscarpio6491]

I attend the compton youth academy and I’m in the picture at 7:30. Really cool to see myself in a video by Foolish Baseball!!!! The academy is really great and highly recommend

[@WaffleLover-my1hi]

Thats awesome!

[@dl2k671]

That's sick dude.

[@Jonifico]

Awesome!!!!

[@elijahpeters3637]

Baseball is an expensive sport to play now. Besides the equipment being pretty expensive and breaking down more quickly than any other sport's equipment (and God help you if you're in a wood bat league), you have to play travel ball, which can cost thousands over a kid's career. I wanted to play baseball so badly as a child but we just couldn't afford it. So naturally I played football instead and have more concussions than I can count. Which means high single digits, ya know, 'cause of the concussions.

[@FoolishBaseball]

And football isn't without it's equipment needs either! (pads, helmet), but football is quite accessible. Much more so than other team sports. Even basketball has huge travel ball problems like baseball does.

[@yellowflamegaulent3902]

And the sad part is that now some schools across the country are cutting sports meaning everyone is going to do travel sports

[@elijahpeters3637]

@@FoolishBaseball Oh certainly! I used one set of pads from age 8 to age 12 because they were such a big purchase for us, and I played offensive line, so the tiny pads must have looked especially comical. The biggest difference is that once you get to school ball (both football and basketball), your pads and equipment are provided by the school (usually poor quality however), where with baseball you still need to buy your $250 glove and $300 bat every year and we just didn't have that. So at my high school, the baseball team was basically a country club where the especially affluent hung out while the rest of us plebian peasants bashed our heads against each other at football. Now I'm a teacher and I witness this happening from a different vantage point as I did when I was younger, and it makes me wonder how many Ken Griffey Jr.s and Mike Trouts and Francisco Lindors we're missing out on simply because they couldn't afford to play the game.

[@elijahpeters3637]

@@yellowflamegaulent3902 The education system in America is a joke and their priorities are so out of sync with what they should be, and I say that as a teacher.

[@Sebadiah23]

You don’t “have to” play travel ball. It’s just going to give you more of a chance to be seen. But yeah it’s crazy that Mike Trout DID do the travel circuit, per Wikipedia, but possibly due to playing in New Jersey, wasn’t recognized as a top prospect until after 2 full years of excellence in the minor leagues.

[@icyrhodes2738]

Travel baseball is so expensive they need to figure out how to not do that. Why did I travel to Florida to play teams from my same state?

[@FoolishBaseball]

Oof. That really sums it up.

[@Sebadiah23]

Yeah it’s dumb, but if anything the weather, not knowing where you are even from.

[@beezelsub]

It's intentionally keeping people out of the game.

[@cantalopedrank8697]

Really not sure how this channel doesn’t have more subs. Really a top notch channel with great videos.

[@FoolishBaseball]

I have really only been doing this for 8 months. Rome wasn't built in a day! I'm thankful for all the support I have.

[@villelahti1390]

@@FoolishBaseball Exactly. More videos with the same production quality (and quintessential style may I add) means success. A thank you from Finland, we may not get the game yet but future... who knows.

[@biopanda4226]

Look at the title of the video that’s why

[@Zentomo21]

There's not many channels where I like the video before I even start watching it. Foolish Baseball, however, is one of those channels.

[@FoolishBaseball]

Heck yeah

[@outtaherebaseball3205]

I think a vid on Sadaharu Oh would be really cool considering not many people in the US know about him

[@lol109109]

Seconded

[@deadluiga]

The ones that do know about him look for every opportunity to disparage his career as well. Spouting the same tired lies that have been going around for decades at this point.

[@FoolishBaseball]

Also he was referenced in a Beastie Boys song so that's cool

[@yellowflamegaulent3902]

Yeah hes basically a Legend a true Legend also Hank Arron actually had a homerun derby with him and Sadrah Won

[@RealBlueony]

More homeruns than Hank Aaron (albeit in Japan, where the talent level isn't considered to be QUITE to the level of the MLB, though still the top professional league outside of the MLB; would still EASILY be a 500-600 home run player in that eras' MLB), a guy who won back-to-back Japanese Triple Crowns (something no MLB hitter has EVER done, and which has only been matched in non-consecutive years by two of the greatest hitters ever, in Rogers Hornsby and Ted Williams), was intentionally walked more times than anyone in MLB history except Barry Bonds, who was aided heavily by steroids and the irrational fear that resulted after 2001 (such as being given first with the bases loaded, and also many MANY times with the bases EMPTY, which may honestly be the most cowardly move in baseball), was, along with Hank Aaron, one of the most stunningly consistent and humble baseball players ever (seriously, while the media tried to play up a "rivalry" between the two, they instead became close friends, always respecting each other on and off the field; any "rivalry" between the two was a very friendly one), and, Oh (lol) yeah, he started his career as a PITCHER who couldn't hit a lick for contact. Fascinating career for sure, and is the guy I use as an example for why we should induct certain all-time great Japanese players into the MLB HOF. Would absolutely LOVE a video on him.

[@ehak72]

The lord has blessed us with another baseball bits video, thank you.

[@jamesolson6669]

Foolish Baseball! I have been really interested in the international aspect of the game lately. Watching soccer (not a fan, but an appreciator) has really made me crave a developed international brand of baseball. Thank you SO much for making this video, all your work really makes me so pumped

[@FoolishBaseball]

Thank you, James!

[@julioarmenta1977]

There's a new youth baseball statistic that was released in August 2019 that shows Youth Baseball/Softball is the fastest growing sport in america all while Basketball and Football participation has decreased and has a lower participation than that of baseball

[@daleftuprightatsoldierfield]

I’m quite surprised by the decline in youth basketball participation, considering the NBA has undergone a meteoric rise in popularity over the last decade or so

[@Bobbybabybobbybubbie]

I remember reading that football participation started to plunge when we became more aware of the long term effects of concussion. With basketball I'm only theorizing but I think it's just fading as a part of White American culture. All the stars are Black or East European.

[@jd0192]

As an Aussie that works at a baseball store and loves the sport, we find more and more cricketers coming in saying they want more than one attempt at hitting in a day. I ❤️ Foolish Baseball

[@alanjackman5729]

Aussie baseball is what gets me through the Offseason here in america. My wife is an Aussie and has family in Brisbane. So i gotta go for my Bandits!

[@jd0192]

Alan Jackman in all honesty, the ABL isn’t very big over here. Local, unpaid club Baseball can get the same crowds when it’s 2 rivals or a final/playoff. Baseball in Australia is far more adult orientated - most people don’t start playing baseball until they’re 12 or 13 and a lot keep playing until they’re in their 30s and 40s for their local clubs

[@FoolishBaseball]

That's great! I actually watched a couple ABL games during (our) winter. Not a bad level of competition out there.

[@JM-gj7de]

I'm American but I prefer AFL. Go the Hawks!

[@mrshi29]

I think that it depends on the state in terms of attendance. Perth Heat (my state team) gets a fair amount of crowd support. Nowhere near what the Eagles or Dockers get in the AFL or the Scorchers in the BBL, but fair representation. The Heat also have a working partnership with Tampa, and guys like Pete Kozma, Josh Collmenter (Auckland NZ team) come and play during their winter period (Aus. summer). Also, having guys like Liam Hendriks supporting us doesn't hurt, so it is gaining some traction here....

[@SoyNoodles07]

I can definitely tell you that CPBL in Taiwan is much more competitive than the leagues in both Australia and Netherland.

[@comegeddonl.8097]

Switzerland also has a pretty decent baseball community, we have U12 going up to NLA teams throughout the country and most of them practically have a whole second team on the bench. The NLA is currently the highest level one can play in, in Switzerland. We also have on of the top fields in Europe here, it doesn’t have much seating but the field itself is amazing.

[@Bruins31]

Nah u tripping I lived their when I was 8 and looked for any team and my big brother tried out for a team at his age he was like 13-14 and I tried out with him and I was better than almost all the kids his age

[@putraditya1931]

Hi Im MLB Fan and baseball enthusiast from Indonesia. As an international fan, i think this is the best topic from Foolish Baseball was ever made. From international perspective, i think there are 2 ways for baseball to attract more fans from international community: First, i think the MLB should allow the Major Leaguers to play on the Olympics. I heard that IOC were lost interest because all of the Major Leaguers were not allow to play on the Olympics so on London 2012 and Rio 2016 they didnt play any baseball game. Thankfully on Tokyo 2020 we will see ballgames on Olympic, but for Paris 2024 it still questionable. Second, we already knows that the Major League Baseball is on another level compared with other pro leagues around the world. Sociologically, the title 'World Champion' for the MLB Champ showing that MLB is on the same level like UEFA Champions League or eveb FIFA World Cup. So, if baseball wants to attract more fans and produce more talents around the world, i think MLB should make easier system on recruiting more prospect outside North America and Carribea so more players from around the world can feel playing on the Show. The last, i think pro league organization like MLB, NPB, KBO, etc should pushes more development baseball countries to form the pro league on their own countries so we will produce more international players and international clubs to compete on international level and form strong national teams around the world. Thank you for your attention, sorry for my bad english. Greetings from Indonesia! 😁

[@scottbaldwin6763]

I completely agree with what you say. (Though I do like the Earl Weaver-Moneyball episode). MLB definitely should let Major Leaguers play in the Olympics. It might get people in the US and other countries more interested in other Olympic sports, and it could get some other people interested in baseball. Also, I always dislike the "World Series Champion" title, because it isn't really a "World" series. They should have the top team from the other countries play a 7-9 game series to determine a true World Champion, much like the way the Little League World Series does it. And, I do think that other countries should develop their own pro league. It would get more people, including kids, interesting in the game, and would make the international popularity of baseball and MLB much higher. I completely agree with what you say, and your English was pretty much spot on. It also makes me, as an American, very happy to see an Indonesian baseball fan. 😁💖⚾

[@mattmurphy5805]

Cool to see a baseball fan from Indonesia!

[@WritePlay]

I say this as a lover of all sorts: there’s something magical about baseball & elevates it above all other sports

[@Tryitout95]

“More foreign born than ever before” sounds like a lyric Eminem made up during that 60 minutes interview

[@FoolishBaseball]

More foreign born corn is torn n adorned

[@thumbhead3370]

Just look at how much it benefits soccer in Europe having lots of players moving between several top level leagues. Imagine if baseball got the a similar point where the MLB wasnt just THE baseball league but one of 4 or 5 huge leagues with loads of talent between them.

[@philmccracken179]

That would suck. All the best players should play in mlb

[@michaelpeng9993]

@@philmccracken179 For right now of course, but if in the future other countries catches up to USA, players might be moving around

[@philmccracken179]

I agree and that wouldn’t be good in my opinion.

[@Tu_Padre31]

​@@philmccracken179 nah, imagine a champions league style of tournament. NY Yankees vs doosan bears🇰🇷, Astros vs tomateros de culiacan 🇲🇽. more top leagues benefit the sport

[@AzureKite]

I wish baseball was bigger here in Brazil. I'd have loved to play baseball as a kid.

[@jorma10ify]

It's sad that Finland hasn't taken up Baseball considering our national sport is relatively similar and several of the pros in our version of baseball have been tried to recruit to the states for them to decline

[@KOPFJE]

It's mostly because pesäpallo and baseball have very distinct changes. Pesäpallo players really feel baseball is one dimensional with how the pitcher changes fielding and batting compared to pesäpallo. A lot of baseball teams in Finland have had a real hard time to get players for that reason AFAIK.

[@neospaciansushiroll9417]

The Blue Jays increased their minor league payroll by an average of 50% across all levels recently. I hope every other team follows suit.

[@ahogg5960]

It won't. I've read way too many articles quoting anonymous big league stars saying keeping the pay low in the minors makes the kids work harder to achieve major league status. Which is absolute madness... but it's a systemic mindset entrenched in American culture

[@dgill441]

That’s great ! But sadly I doubt there will be league wide changes.

[@dgill441]

One good thing from another team I remember reading was that Dominican prospects for AZ Dbacks can get free HS education wether they make it to big leagues or not. Only team that does that.

[@williamsanders2348]

It's about baseball, so I loved it. My son is almost 4, but I already got him liking baseball, can't wait for him to be old enough to sign up.

[@FoolishBaseball]

Never too early to start! I had similar levels of indoctrination as a child. I have been a baseball fan for as long as I can remember.

[@lenartor2358]

As a German fan i love to see Kepler as i believe the only german to play in the Mlb today

[@johnmarshall4399]

Germany soccer and basketball that's all

[@doppelplusungutmensch1141]

@@johnmarshall4399 In Germany, more people care about handball than about basketball. Basketball is probably third, ice hockey fourth, and it might be that darts is number five (at least it's the most popular non-team sport in Germany). Baseball unfortunately is pretty low in German sports.

[@edblair5253]

what makes baseball unique is it's perceived slow play yet the intensity of every pitch is not lost. the arguing with umps and having bench clearing brawls only adds to the aura of baseball and it's true allure.

[@FoolishBaseball]

Agreed. The difference between 0-1 and 1-0 to start a count is astounding.

[@TheTEN24]

Awesome video as always, all point made here are interesting to say the least. Never knew a top 10 prospect went to japan instead of the minors.

[@upthebracket26]

London City Royals, Manchester Mariners, Tamworth Dodgers, Oldham Athletic, Birmingham Brewers, Grimsby Giants, Boston White Sox, Newcastle Mets, Glasgow Rangers... the potential for baseball in the UK is bigly.

[@dzzdzzd]

I love this sport mostly thanks to Anime like Big Windup! and Major, and I'm from Indonesia btw (and thanks to FoxSport for broadcasting this game around SEA region LIVE). I'm seriously following this sport now thanks to what FSG doing with Liverpool FC (Football still my no.1 sport) and became a Red Sox fans.

[@Adam130694]

Max Kepler-Różycki is three: Pole (by father), American (by mother) and German (by birth).

[@domchuchi1250]

And raised in Germany till 16 years old when the twins signed him

[@agustindiaz1772]

Awesome vídeo as always! Here a viewer from Argentina. Hope someday we'll have a MLB player representing!

[@ernestolombardo5811]

Just a little fact correction here: Fernando Valenzuela's ROY/Cy Young season was the strike-shortened 1981, and not 1980.

[@richardtheconquerer]

I caught that as well. 1980 was Steve Carlton and was also the last time a pitcher threw 300+ innings in a season

[@stevencarrion8948]

I wish that you had mentioned that Clemente was from Puerto Rico, just as you identified the origins of others. We Puerto Ricans are extremely proud of him.

[@boughtonpresale4232]

I am from Germany and I wanna play baseball but there is no club here (almost) 😐

[@va3dxv]

@5:55 - George Bell is Dominican too, he should have been highlighted like the others!

[@ramirezer2302]

Went to Doosan Bears game in korea. It filled with so much energy. They had cheerleaders and were doing the wave. It was fun experience

[@maxober7591]

This is such an awesome video. Whatever you make from making these videos, it should be more. Thanks for all your time and effort.

[@MrYoshiEggs]

I'm from the sunny little island that is Singapore. Over here we play baseball usually at local parks where we can find a sand lot and some grass. The level is definitely amateur but I'm encouraged by the number of youngsters willing to give it a shot. It's still hard for us because playing tournaments means we have to travel around Asia and usually the cost is borne by the players because we can't get sponsors. There used to be a travel ball team and academy but they went bankrupt 2/3 years ago. That was mostly made up of American expatriates. The American, Canadian, and Japanese schools have a decent baseball community but they often don't mix with the local ball community. My team wanted to join a league hosted by the American school but at about USD$7000/team, the cost was prohibitive. Not to mention the short season and the fact most of us were students. I also worked at a batting cage here which recently closed its doors after 4 years. While it was a cool hangout spot, it's pitching machines were rudimentary and it wasn't affordable to regularly bat there (about USD$2.50/15 balls). If however baseball becomes more accessible to the average youth, I'm sure the sport can grow. There are two universities with baseball teams that allow non-students to train with them. That's a good sign. While I don't see the community growing immensely, I do hope that the current crop keeps it's passion.

[@FoolishBaseball]

That's good to hear. Even if it is a niche thing, I'm glad there is some baseball presence there.

[@Whitsoxrule1]

Okay FB finished your vid, and always happy to give you feedback. Great video as always, though I could tell that it was markedly different from your usual Baseball Bits vids. I think one of the biggest strengths of this series is that you often are making a specific argument or analyzing a specific topic, using each chapter as a different lens through which to approach the specific topic. Every video has mostly focused on a single player or a handful and this seems to be a really successful format for you. You always have a very clear thesis because the topic is very specific. This time, your topic was obviously clear, but I guess it was a little hazier in terms of what your point is, for lack of a better term. What the argument is that you were making in the video. My favorite part of the video was the final section in which you shed light on very important topics (unfair conditions for minor leaguers and international amateurs). You started to get at an argument about the importance of international players for the future development of the league, but I think the argument was less cohesive than in your other videos. This video felt more like a summary of International baseball, which was still quite enjoyable and informative. But you're at your best when you're making a solid argument, and I really love those. But I think most of that is probably related to the fact that the topic was chosen for you. And again, still this was a fantastic video. Proud to be an OG fan of yours and will forever support this channel. Much love man

[@FoolishBaseball]

Really appreciate this comment.

[@Whitsoxrule1]

@@FoolishBaseball Really appreciate YOU bb

[@codemonkey7719]

As someone who loves baseball and 8-bit games...this channel is truly great!

[@FoolishBaseball]

The perfection intersection of your interests.

[@gingerpower52]

Great video. The socioeconomic barrier to travel baseball isn’t talked about enough.

[@skinnie2838]

The future of baseball is not bowing to the woke radical left. So far they are failing horrifically. Thus low attendance and viewership.

[@stalinchen]

"DON'T get POLITICAL!" --> Forgot Taiwan I see what you did there

[@FoolishBaseball]

Don’t you mean Chinese Taipei? (jk)

[@mwk_powerlifting]

I am Norwegian and I love baseball!

[@FoolishBaseball]

Nice!

[@AlpineAspen]

The channel Baseball International is a great channel that all baseball fans need to know abaout.

[@elikernaghan6511]

Their ain’t nothing better than grabbing a hot dog and watching 9 guys from the Dominican Republic make magic on a baseball fields

[@PanDownTiltLeft]

Teaching a child a sport: Soccer. See this ball? You cannot touch it. The goal of the game is to get the ball into that netted goal. Baseball: Where do you even begin???

[@elijahpeters3637]

I picked it up really quickly as a child, and I'm a dumb American. You'd be surprised how smart children are.

[@sammymorales6838]

Sammy Sosa is the biggest reason why baseball went to another level in Latin America. He and Big Mac saved baseball in the US as well.

[@PathtoYahawah]

And Barry Bonds nearly ruined it! 😂

[@vsl9602]

Baseball is international *Europe* : am i a joke to you

[@timothystamm3200]

Forgetting the Netherlands?

[@assface954]

Timothy Stamm yeah but no 1 sport by far is futbol in the netherlands besides the dutch team is filled with mostly curaçaoan

[@willberger3873]

The video aged really well with KBO being so important rn during quarantine

[@bosshoggmoth3295]

I’m a simple man, I see a Foolish Baseball video; I click it.

[@FoolishBaseball]

Same, and I made them!

[@MuscratMan]

I'm a simple man. I see a new Foolish Baseball video. I watch it.

[@TylerAven10]

MuscratMan We all are

[@FoolishBaseball]

Me too

[@ZevAidikoff]

Its cool rewatching this after Baseball United has been announced. Great Call Foolish

[@gingerface1898]

Watching this after my first day of school. Just wanna get out and play OOTP

[@MercuryRetro29]

This is so thoughtful and wonderful. Thanks FB!

[@FoolishBaseball]

No, thank you!

[@seanfuncheon4236]

This dude probably rocked at PowerPoint presentations

[@margamez9801]

I feel like they should be more world baseball classics I really enjoy them

[@jbbeats2042]

Good dude I love the world baseball classic it’s so amazing

[@-BigMike-]

One of my favorite quotes: Context is king.

[@R.B.90]

I think it would be a good think if a cuban, korean and Japanese league all can compete with the mlb. Itll opening up the opportunity for a champions tournament hosted by one of the leagues maybe once every four years or so. That would be huge for baseball's global image.

[@Nein1no]

Germany's Baseball Bundesliga also deserves some recognition, Taiwan's CPBL too... and Italy's IBL. Pretty much every country has a league. We need to stop treating other countries interest in baseball as 'exotic' when many of these countries have been playing it for a century and have their own cultures within the game. Also, if anyone is interested, please watch any of these leagues if you can, and spread the word! Hopefully when this topic is covered next time, you can provide information on how to access these leagues. If you need any help with that, feel free to message me.

[@doppelplusungutmensch1141]

Sometimes going to the Hamburg Stealers, maybe like two games a year. I really hoped baseball would be more popular in Germany, but it'll probably never be. Sad, such a fascinating sport!

[@cheesehead1654]

You should make a video on 2017 World Series game 5 considered the greatest World Series game ever played

[@benjaminpaad5152]

With the twins it is mainly their best players that are foreign players

[@bubba200874426]

Unwritten rules, also known as, "Don't make the pitcher sad or he will assault you the next chance he gets." This is just expected and allowed in professional baseball like it isn't even more fucked up than hockey fights.

[@TheGLORY13]

My dad was president of my local baseball association for about 7-8 years (only 2 of which was I still playing local ball) And as they noted in 2013 (we moved around that time) My dad had mentioned they had such a smaller number of sign ups the past few years. Now it was SLIGHTLY skewed because as your story mentions travel ball. So many parents/kids around that time were really running off and joining/creating their own AAU Teams because their kid and his friends needed to get noticed. So of course that took away from the local leagues because kids would be off traveling the east coast for tournaments. ---- I graduated high school in 2009 so that was really the last year I was doing any sort of "local" ball (Legion) but from experience travel ball was absolutely king when I was growing up. It wasn't uncommon for me to play in the local league and then have an AAU team I played for essentially every Friday-Sunday. Hell one of my last summers prior to going to college and trying to play I had my Local legion team I'd play for 1-2 Days a week (1 weekday game and usually a DH on the weekend) I had an AAU team I was actually a part of that usually played every other weekend and practiced in the evening at the Indoor facility we had. Then I had a buddies dad who would call me from time to time and ask if I was free for a game or 2 and if I could make a drive. Remember playing a local game on a Thursday night. Went and Started a tournament with my team Friday (pitched) caught the first game on saturday. Drove 3 hours home to catch a local game that evening) drove back to play SS the sunday morning game and then Drove to WV to play for my buddies team as someone else in the Beast of the East Tournment. Travel ball ruled everything and it's no joke it dwindles the local leagues numbers but I do still think baseball is doing fine I still see fields being built. I still see games being played all the time both organized and pick up games in the cities. I think it'll be fine.

[@NinjaTrump]

Minnie Minoso !!!!Rest In Peace legend ,lf he was alive l’m sure he would be playing until now if they let him on the field ,he say on a interview that baseball was the only thing in life he knows

[@walkermorgan1710]

These KZbin videos are also helping. Usually the MLB would take stuff like this down. They’ve finally realized that the internet/social media is an important in gaining and keeping fans

[@almondchang42]

You forgot Taiwan. Taiwan is 4 place in world baseball ranking.

[@gomez3357]

창모카톡중 bruh you know how many times he said South Korea lol

[@arenaofvaloracademy6378]

he forgot Dominican Republic :/

[@michaelpeng9993]

台湾其实不是很强，实际实力应该是七到八名左右

[@averagejosh6699]

The sheer talent from outside the U.S. is awesome. Soto, Acuña, Tatis Jr., and of course, Ohtani, among many others, are lighting up the league. Them and American stars like Trout, deGrom, Harper, Judge, and others are what make baseball so incredible.

[@aqgpandemic5406]

So early, I haven’t had time to watch the video yet, but it’s probably great anyways, so here’s a comment on how great and underrated your content is.

[@FoolishBaseball]

Thank you!

[@staciemohler4624]

You’re the first comment

[@naman2000]

Thanks Foolish Baseball! Loved the video.

[@FoolishBaseball]

No problem. Thank you for the kind comment.

[@margamez9801]

You should all go to the DR to see baseball like for real has the best baseball and there a lot of hype around it

[@kennethrobinson7177]

Thank you for bringing recognition to how much it cost to play ball nowadays

[@Jyrka11]

I am from Czech Republic and I can agree with this video.

[@luisalejopg]

Great content! I hope my home country can stablish a strong league some day!

[@isaiahwilhite5980]

This video was hella interesting! Baseball Bits are the best 🔥

[@FoolishBaseball]

Glad to hear that!

[@isaiahwilhite5980]

Foolish Baseball legend

[@trenchcoatkendo]

Alright you finally got me, I've watched enough for these too be in my recommended and I had to go and subscribe because I still find it nearly criminal that you have under 100k subs. Keep up the great work.

[@leonardohurtado8352]

I am so happy you just posted this

[@FoolishBaseball]

Me too

[@superninja252]

where is Brazil? lol Yan Gomes, Paulo Orlando (that just retired) and few others rookies on MiLB levels, specially Eric Pardinho

[@FoolishBaseball]

Brazil is in South America.

[@superninja252]

@@FoolishBaseball yea but history here is different from other latin americans basebal here started when japan imigrants came to Brazil in 1910´s, the sport, besides being still played mostly in apanese colonies non Japanese decendets are starting to rise on suport here and being wanted by MLB teams

[@los17504]

Bio bichette

[@RealBlueony]

Definitely agree that Brazil was, until JUST recently, an untapped GOLDMINE of potential baseball talent

[@superninja252]

@@RealBlueony it is, the only thing separated us from have good players on MLB is investment in the promotion of sport here, including the constuction of fields

[@billnye6311]

Haven’t seen the vid but already dropped a like

[@FoolishBaseball]

Much appreciated

[@Jakeystar]

when foolish baseball uploads, i always think its a video i haven’t waitched.

[@FoolishBaseball]

interesting

[@Jakeystar]

Foolish Baseball you da man, is it possible if i get a hearted comment, ill give u my honus wagner card.

[@acealvarez6540]

Venezuela been had more active MLB players then PR and Cuba... Order: 1-Dominican Republic 2-Venezuela 3-Puerto Rico 4-Mexico 2-Cuba

[@Pacoag]

Yes but Venezuela is significantly larger than both PR and Cuba so that should be expected. Pr and Cuban players >>>>

[@lpourmirza]

Carter Stewart did decide to stay in Japan, signed a two year extension for 10 mil USD. Can’t blame him 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@jarivanderheijden5551]

finnaly can proudly say I am captain of a D1 team in the netherlands (16-21 age bracket)

[@porchofgeese_crockpot]

1:54 you mean 3rd. The Expos were the first team founded outside the US in 1969. The Blue Jays were added in 1977. The Expos moved the Washington D.C. in 2004.

[@anthonydacosta3952]

Such a great video on an important topic. Keep it up!

[@FoolishBaseball]

Thanks!

[@gaberigas2006]

Great videos as usual and very informative

[@FoolishBaseball]

Thank you!

[@cesarcabrera97]

3:34 Roberto Clemente was so good that he even won the AL MVP while playing in the NL. Jokes aside, great video!

[@bristolpete]

Hey dude really interesting video I liked it a lot. It was interesting to see the numbers about the different leagues. Maybe you could do a video about the Japanese home run king in the future. Anyways, wheres my shirt and candlestick I'm still waiting.

[@Lozerpunmpkin]

Welp there’s a new Baseball Bits so I gotta pause my entire day for a bit

[@FoolishBaseball]

Just 15 minutes.

[@VICTAAAA]

Foolish Baseball you are my new favorite YT channel. keep up the great content!

[@FoolishBaseball]

Thank you!

[@andrewfarelli9241]

About that list of KBO foreign players players, Jeremy Hazelbaker was dropped after like two or three weeks for Preston Tucker. By the end of the year, eight of the 30 players on that list had been removed from all KBO rosters.

[@isaacsours1427]

it's really nice to see that this channel can appreciate diversity beyond token representation.

[@abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz4676]

How do you only have 57k subscribers? Your channel is amazing. Keep it up!