2017 World Baseball Classic: Gary Sanchez chooses Yankees over Dominican Republic – CBSSports.com

Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez is coming off a tremendous rookie campaign in 2016, in which he batted .299/.376/.657 with 20 home runs in 53 games. Needless to say, the Dominican Republic would love to have their hard-hitting, 24-year-old native son on their roster for the upcoming World Baseball Classic. On that front, however …

There’s nothing wrong with changing your mind when it comes to something like the WBC, which would certainly throw off Sanchez’s spring routine. After all, his professional obligation is to the Yankees, not to the WBC. The 2017 season will be a big one for Sanchez, as we’re all wondering whether a second look and larger sample size will lead to his regressing somewhat at the plate. Suffice it to say, Sanchez will need all the preparation he can get in order to build off his astounding work last season.

The Dominican Republic team will surely be worse for Sanchez’s absence, but by sticking to his preparatory regimen Sanchez might be better off.