TEMPE, Az.– The time has come, it is time for the Fifth Annual World Baseball Classic. The tournament is an event that all baseball fans look forward to. Players from different countries lead their teams made up of all-stars from across the world against each other, to determine who will take home the World Baseball Classic trophy. There are 20 different countries that will be competing in the competition. Let us meet the teams.
Let’s start with Team USA. The United States team is looking to defend their title from 2017, where they defeated Puerto Rico 8-0. Former Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Marcus Stroman started the contest. He posted six innings while allowing zero runs. The US team is stacked with some of the best talents MLB has to offer. Players include Angels Center Fielder Mike Trout, the Cardinals corner duo, Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt, Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts, Betts’ teammate Clayton Kershaw, the fastest player in MLB Trea Tuner, the ageless wonder in Adam Wainwright, and a great young catcher in Will Smith from the Dodgers. These are just some of the stars the US recruited to help them win the tournament.
The heavy favorite to win the tournament is not Team USA. It is the Dominican Republic, and the DR won the classic back in 2013, where they defeated Puerto Rico 3-0. The DR team features some of the best young players in the league. The ace of the pitching staff is the 2022 MLB Cy Young Award winner, Sandy Alcantara from the Miami Marlins. Julio Rodriguez, the center fielder from the Seattle Mariners, will be roaming the outfield for the Dominican Republic. Rodriguez won the 2022 American League Rookie of the Year award. Other stars include the Padres third baseman, Manny Machado, an MVP-caliber player that finished second in MVP voting for the National League. His teammate, Juan Soto, is a perennial power bat that can also flash the leather in the outfield. The Astros Jeremy Pena, the World Series MVP, looking to lead his country to another WBC title. Finally, Boston Red Sox Third Baseman Rafael Devers and Blue Jays third baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Guerrero Jr. is the son of all-time MLB legend Vlad Guerrero, and Devers is one of the best-rising stars in the league.
The team from Japan is looking good as well. With star pitchers, Yu Darvish from the San Diego Padres, and the two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani from the Angels of Los Angeles, Japan’s pitching staff is looking dominant. Other participating players include Lars Nootbaar from the St. Louis Cardinals, Seiya Suzuki from the Chicago Cubs, and Masataka Yoshida from the Boston Red Sox. These are just some of the stars that Japan has in its lineup. Japan won the first-ever World Baseball Classic back in 2006, as they defeated the Cuban team, 10-6. They repeated as champions in 2009, as they defeated the team from South Korea, 5-3. Japan has not been back to the finals since its win in 2009.
One of the more exciting teams to watch in the WBC will be the team from Puerto Rico. Being managed by Cardinals legend, Yadier Molina, the Puerto Rican team is looking to get revenge for their loss in 2016 to the US. Francisco Lindor and Edwin Diaz from the New York Mets highlight this team of stars, with the others being Javier Baez from the Detroit Tigers, and breakout reliever Jorge Lopez from the Baltimore Orioles. Former team USA pitcher, Marcus Stroman, has decided that he wanted to play for the Puerto Rican ball club. Stroman helped the US claim its first title back in 2016. Puerto Rico lost to the US in the finals of the 2016 tournament, and Stroman was the starting pitcher for the American team in that contest.
Venezuela has some crazy baseball talent for the World Baseball Classic. The team from Venezuela has the talent of all-star outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr, all-star infielder Andres Gimenez, all-star catcher Salvador Perez, World Series Champion Jose Altuve, and all-star pitcher Martin Perez. Venezuela has one third-place finish in the WBC under their belt. That third-place finish came in 2009 when they had a better record than Team USA. Venezuela had a 6-2 record in the tournament, and the USA had an even 4-4 record.
Cuba has always been a home for baseball. Many of the game’s greatest players have come from the country of Cuba. Players like Minnie Minnoso, Aroldis Chapman, Jose Canseco, and Luis Tiant. Cuba will have the young talent of White Sox stars, Yoan Moncada, a switch-hitting infielder with some power, and the young outfielder Luis Robert. Cuba fell to Japan in the first WBC back in 2006, 10-6.
There are other major league stars scattered across the rest of the teams. Freddie Freeman and Tyler O’Neill will be playing for Canada in the tournament. Tommy Edman will be playing for the Korean team. Italy will be managed by former Mets catcher, and Mets legend, Mike Piazza. But other than that, team Italy does not really have any star players on their team. The team from Israel has the all-star talents of Giants outfielder, Joc Pederson, and former Texas Rangers all-star second baseman, Ian Kinsler. Mexico will have 2021 American League Rookie of the Year, Randy Arozarena, who also holds the record for the most home runs in postseason history, when he hit ten for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2020. The team from the Netherlands has a great reliever, formerly of the Dodgers, now on the Red Sox, Kenley Jansen. They also have the power at the shortstop position in San Diego Padres newly acquired middle infielder, Xander Bogaerts.