The World Baseball Classic is a great warm-up for the Major League Baseball season. Spring Training goes on a bit long for fans, so watching some of the top players go at it in games that matter is a welcome way to extend the meaningful months.

But now the season is almost upon us. MLB starts Thursday and the minor leagues not long after. Even with the retirements of Kurt Suzuki and Jordan Yamamoto, there are about two dozen players in the majors and minors with Hawaii ties. So here are some of the biggest storylines for Hawaii baseball fans to keep an eye on this season:

>> Kolten Wong’s move to the Seattle Mariners.

With Suzuki’s move to the Anaheim-based Los Angeles Angels’ front office — the Baldwin grad is a special assistant to general manager Perry Minasian — Wong is now the elder statesman among Hawaii’s major leaguers. (Braves reliever Kirby Yates is older but hasn’t been in the league as long.)

After a decade with the St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers, the Kamehameha-Hawaii and UH Manoa alum moves to an American League team for the first time to play for the Mariners. Since the National League joined the AL in full-time use of the DH last season, the difference between the leagues is vanishing (if it hasn’t already vanished), but the Mariners also happen to be one of the more popular franchises in Hawaii. That they are the only West Coast team that doesn’t black out games here isn’t the only reason why, but I’m sure it helps.

The second layer of this story is that last month the Mariners signed Wong’s kid brother Kean, just two months after trading for Kolten. Kean has 39 games of MLB experience from call-ups in 2019 and 2021 with the Rays and Angels. The Waiakea graduate was assigned last week to the Tacoma Rainiers, the Mariners’ Triple-A affiliate. It will be interesting to see if he gets the call to drive up the I-5 and join his brother in the Emerald City. The younger Wong has extensive experience at second base, third base and both corner outfield spots. That kind of versatility comes in handy, as does the speed he used to steal 41 bases last year At Triple-A, by far his career best.

>> Where will IKF fit in with free agency coming?

Speaking of versatility coming in handy, being a super-utility player has helped Mid-Pacific graduate Isiah Kiner-Falefa stick in the majors for five seasons, and it is likely to help him have a lengthy career.

Kiner-Falefa’s defense was not as strong as usual last year — his second year primarily playing shortstop, but his first under the New York spotlight — bringing out the Yankee Stadium boobirds. With New York having two strong prospects at the position in Anthony Volpe and Oswaldo Peraza, Kiner-Falefa has seen his playing time spread across more positions the past few weeks of spring training, and he seems to know he’s no longer in the running to start.

“Coming in, the writing was on the wall that I wasn’t going to play shortstop next year,” Kiner-Falefa told NJ.com. “There’s probably a 0% chance. Now it looks like I’ll be playing utility this year, and it’s almost a blessing in disguise because it puts me back to this role where I think I thrive.”

Utility players have gained value in recent years as the number of pitchers used per game has increased — meaning more roster spots used on pitchers and fewer for position players — and managers have rotated position players at designated hitter to reduce wear and tear. A Gold Glove was even added for utility players last season.

IKF brings a dimension most utility players don’t, as he has established he can play catcher. This spring, the Yanks have tried Kiner-Falefa in the outfield as well, including in center with starter Harrison Bader set to open the season on the injured list.

Rare is the utility player who can play all eight defensive positions — that’s what makes IKF a “super” utility — and not many utility players have a Gold Glove on their resume (he won one at third base in 2020 with the Rangers).

Kiner-Falefa reportedly already has his sights set on another, saying last week that he told teammate DJ LaMahieu — last year’s Gold Glover at utility, “I’m gunning for your Gold Glove.” He might also be gunning for LeMahieu’s job. After the season, Kiner-Falefa becomes a free agent. I’m not sure the Yankees will want to keep two utility players on their roster. LeMahieu has been a better hitter across his career, but he has regressed the past couple of years and has three years left on his contract after this one at $15 million per. Even if Kiner-Falefa has a strong year, he stands to make far less than that — his 2023 salary is $6 million — which might be a better fit on the Yankees’ roster. New York could look to deal LeMahieu to a team that can put him in a role that better justifies his salary.

>> Will Joey Cantillo stay healthy?

Since being drafted six years ago by the Padres, the Kailua alumnus — traded to Cleveland in August 2020 — has been impressive, with a 2.38 ERA and more than 12 strikeouts per nine innings pitched. But he’s done that in only 242⅓ innings. Discount his shortened draft-year campaign and the canceled COVID-19 season and that’s four seasons for an average of about 60 innings per season. Cantillo made 22 starts across two levels of A ball in 2019 but otherwise has never made more than 13 starts in a season. Last year he made 13 starts (and one relief appearance) for Double-A Akron, averaging more than 13 K’s per inning and posting a 1.93 ERA.

This spring he was invited to camp with the Guardians but only pitched one inning before being sent down to Triple-A Columbus. He’s only a phone call away, and the big team has very little left-handed pitching, so if Cantillo stays healthy he could be back up before long.

If Cantillo does get called up, former UH pitcher Cade Smith could be up there waiting for him. The two were teammates with the RubberDucks last year after Smith was promoted in June. Smith had averaged an ungodly 16.5 K’s per 9 at High A Lake County and also topped 13 K’s/9 with Akron. He was in Guardians camp this spring, allowing one run on three hits and a walk across four innings with four strikeouts and has not yet been sent down.

>> How will Shane Sasaki follow up his breakout 2022 season with Class A Charleston?

Sasaki led the Carolina League in all the slash categories and stole 47 bases last season while playing for the Rays’ Class A affiliate in Charleston. His breakout came late in the season and with a deep system, Tampa Bay probably wanted to make sure it was for real or thought that it would be better for Sasaki’s development to stay with Charleston to experience a pennant race. His RiverDogs won the league title.

It will be interesting to see how he does this season at Class A Advanced or Double A.