Players request Japanese league delays start of 2017 season to allow more preparation time after World Baseball Classic

The Japan Professional Baseball Players Association (JPBPA) has requested that the Nippon Professional Baseball delay the start of the 2017 season by a week to help players better prepare for the competition.

The JPBPA made the request to aid players who are due to compete in next year’s World Baseball Classic competition, with the event, involving national teams, set to take place ahead of the domestic season.

Currently the Central and Pacific Leagues, which both consist of six teams, are scheduled to begin on March 31 in 2017.

It would give players, selected for national teams, a week to prepare for the season’s matches after arriving home from the World Baseball Classic, which is due to take place in Los Angeles.

The JPBPA, represented by a negotiating team which included athletes, have asked for the leagues to now begin on April 7.

“We could only play two [pre-season] games after coming home,” Japan’s Katsuya Kakunaka told the Japan Times.

“If we could play in about five, it would be quite a difference.”

The 2017 World Baseball Classic, which is sanctioned by the World Baseball Softball Confederation, is still yet to be have the official schedule and competition venues announced.

Australia are among the nations to qualify for the World Baseball Classic in 2017 ©Getty Images

Defending champions Dominican Republic and the 2013 runners-up Puerto Rico are set to compete in the competition.

Also qualified are Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, China, The Netherlands, Italy, Cuba, United States, Venezuela and Canada.

Australia won a qualifying tournament in Sydney in February to seal their place, while Mexico and Colombia triumphed in qualifiers in March.

The final qualifier for the 2017 WBC is due to take place in Brooklyn in the United States from September 22 to 25.

Brazil, Pakistan, Britain and Israel will all battle it out for the final available spot at the 2017 competition.

Since being launched in 2006, all three tournaments have been taken place in the United States but the finals of every event have been held in California with San Diego hosting the first and Los Angeles the second in 2009 before it took place in San Francisco four years later.