Former Guardians infielder has chance to add to folk hero status in this year’s WBC

Three years ago, Yu Chang wowed the baseball world with his performance in the World Baseball Classic. 

Although his Chinese Taipei team failed to make it out of pool play, Chang went 7-for-16 with two home runs and eight RBI in four games to become even more of a hero in his home country (it didn’t hurt that the games were played at Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium in Taiwan). 

And now the former Guardians infielder is going to get another chance to add his legendary reputation in his home country in this year’s World Baseball Classic, which kicks off later tonight with his Chinese Taipei team taking on Team Australia in the tournament’s opener. 

Former Guardian Yu Chang could be star of 2026 WBC

For parts of nine seasons, Chang lingered in the Cleveland Guardians’ organization. Although he never became a top prospect, he slowly rose the ranks of Cleveland’s farm system thanks to his defensive versatility and contact-heavy approach, which eventually led to him making his big league debut in 2019. 

That debut kicked off a 3+ year span where Chang was the classic “Quad-A” player for the Guardians. Although he played in 131 games during his time with Clevland, most of those appearances came in the lost 2021 season. 

The Guardians ended up designating Chang for assignment in May 2022, and he ended up seeing time with the Rays, Pirates and Red Sox during the rest of the season. 

The Red Sox kept Chang on their roster during the offseason, and he eventually made Boston’s roster out of spring training thanks in large part to a WBC performance that ended with him being named MVP in Pool A. 

His biggest hit during that tournament came in the third game of the tournament when he smashed a two-out grand slam against the Netherlands.

Even if Chang hasn’t seen time in MLB since his time with the Red Sox in 2023, it’s clear that he’s still a force to be reckoned with when it comes to intentional play. 

Chang went 7-for-18 with four doubles and a home run in Chinese Taipei’s four WBC qualifiers, and should be a staple in the middle of Chinese Taipei’s lineup this March. Guardians non-roster invitee Sutart Fairchild is also on Chinese Taipei’s roster. 

They’re going to have to go against a familiar face in Guardians farmhand Travis Bazzana, who will be making his WBC debut for Australia. 

Bazzana got off to a strong start to spring training in Arizona before heading across the globe for the WBC, and a strong performance from him could go a long way toward giving him an easier path to make Cleveland’s Opening Day roster.