Coleman Borthwick Shines as MVP at WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup 2025

The WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup 2025 presented by RAXUS wrapped up in Okinawa, Japan, on 14 September, with Team USA clinching their 11th title in tournament history after a dominant shutout victory over Japan in the Championship Final.

At the heart of that gold-medal performance was Coleman Borthwick, whose two-way brilliance earned him the tournament’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) honors. The rising American star delivered a complete game shutout in the final, limiting Japan to just three hits and one walk, while striking out six over a masterclass outing on the mound.

Borthwick’s MVP credentials go beyond just one big game. Across his two appearances in the tournament, he faced 34 batters, surrendered only three hits, and showcased command and control that had scouts taking notice. Using Synergy Sports’ advanced tracking — part of WBSC’s ongoing partnership with the sports tech company — his full pitching profile reveals a high-level breakdown:

• Total pitches: 121

• Average fastball velocity: 90.8 mph (146 km/h)

• Strike percentage: 69% (84 strikes)

• Swinging strikes in zone: 18

• Chases outside the zone: 24

Borthwick primarily worked with a fastball-slider-changeup mix. Notably, his slider — often thrown outside the strike zone — proved nearly unhittable, frequently fooling hitters into chasing. The effectiveness of his arsenal wasn’t just in velocity, but in deception and location. And it wasn’t just his pitching that impressed.

On the offensive side, Borthwick also delivered solid production, hitting .300 (9-for-30) with six runs scored and five RBIs, proving he was a true dual-threat player throughout the tournament.

Standout Performances Across the Tournament

In a competition known for spotlighting future stars — past alumni include Shohei Ohtani, who starred in the 2012 edition — several other players made headlines.

• Home Run Hitters: Five players cleared the fences during the event — Haonan Chen (CHN), Emanuel Hernandez (PUR), Takuma Imaoka (JPN), Geonhwi Kim (KOR), and Fabian Spies (GER).

• Basepath King: Despite hitting just .194, Hyuma Okabe (JPN) was the tournament’s top base stealer, swiping seven bases without being caught.

Technology at the Heart of the Game

The WBSC’s continued partnership with Synergy Sports, a division of Sportradar, remains a cornerstone of their commitment to innovation. At every WBSC event, Synergy provides in-depth data collection and analysis that goes beyond traditional box scores. Their platform offers advanced performance metrics, video breakdowns, and visualizations that are invaluable to players, coaches, and scouts alike.

Thanks to these tools, performances like Borthwick’s are not just witnessed — they’re dissected, appreciated, and archived as the benchmarks of baseball’s rising stars.