Men's Baseball WBSC World Baseball Classic 2023

[Topicmaster1010 2,332]

Topicmaster1010's 2023 WBC Power Rankings: Final Edition

 

Here's the last two tiers.

 

Tier 2: The Contenders

 

6. Puerto Rico

WBC History: 2006 - 5th, 2009 - 5th, 2013 - 2nd, 2017 - 2nd

2023 Schedule: 3/11 - vs. Puerto Rico, 3/12 - vs. Venezuela, 3/13 - vs. Israel, 3/14 - Off, 3/15 - @ Dominican Republic

Notable Absences: Carlos Correa, Jose Miranda, Joe Jimenez, Seth Lugo

Players to Watch: Francisco Lindor, Javier Baez, Edwin Diaz, Marcus Stroman

 

The back-to-back finalists find themselves ranked 6th in these power rankings. Perhaps it might be confusing to some but unfortunately Puerto Rico isn't quite at the level it was 6 years ago and are missing some key pieces for this tournament. However, there past record in the WBC shows that they can play well against top teams in the tournament even with a weaker team on paper beating the likes of Japan, Venezuela, DR and the US over the last two tournaments. They will need to do so again if they want to return to the championship game and win the whole thing.

Spoiler

There is no question who will be expected to lead the offense: Francisco Lindor and Javier Baez. Together, they will form one of the best infield combinations. Lindor is one of the best shorstops in all of baseball and while Baez is coming off of a terrible season for his standards, he is still dangerous and shows that he performs well for the national team. Having Carlos Correa and Jose Miranda would have formed a top-3 infield in the tournament but unfortunately they will both be unavilable and are massive losses for Puerto Rico. Instead, 3rd and 1st base will likely be occupied by Emmanuel Rivera and Neftali Soto respectively. Instead, they will turn to the pair of Martin Maldonado and Christian Vazquez. The outfielders will likely be Eddie Rosario, Kike Hernandez, and MJ Melendez. Rosario and Hernandez are proven verterans that can play well when counted on while Melendez is a young player with upside. For the first time, there will be no Yadier Molina at catcher for Puerto Rico. I'm guessing Maldonado will get the start since he's great defensively but Vazquez is the better offensive catcher. Overall, it's a decent offense but missing two key pieces.

 

Their starting rotation could end up being their biggest weakness. Jose Berrios and Marcus Stroman are the proven MLB players that they have as part of their rotation but Berrios is coming off of the worst season of his career. Prospect Dominic Hamel and former MLB player Hector Santiago are also candidates to start games. On the other hand, their bullpen should be their biggest strength and a big reason for that is Edwin Diaz. The New York Mets star closer was the best relief pitcher in the league last year and was lights out whenever he pitched. Behind him, you also have pitchers like Alexis Diaz, Jorge Lopez, Emilio Pagan and Jovani Moran that are also good pitchers.

 

5.  Mexico

WBC History: 2006 - 6th, 2009 - 8th, 2013 - 11th, 2017 - 13th

2023 Schedule: 3/11 - vs. Colombia, 3/12 - @ United States, 3/13 - Off, 3/14 - vs. Great Britain, 3/15 - @ Canada

Notable Absences: Alejandro Kirk, Andres Munoz, Ramon Urias, Luis Gonzalez

Players to Watch: Julio Urias, Patrick Sandoval, Randy Arozarena, Alex Verdugo

 

No, Mexico at 5th in the rankings is not a mistake. This is the best Mexican team that's ever been assembled and I think they can contend with any team in this tournament. They've always had decent pitchers in the past but now they have a good offense to go along with that along with one of the best pitching staffs in this tournament.

Spoiler

Let's start with the starting pitching first. Their rotation is currently set to be Julio Urias - Patrick Sandoval - Taijuan Walker - Jose Urquidy. That is a fantastic starting rotation. Julio Urias is one of the best pitchers in all of baseball, Patrick Sandoval looks like he's on the path to becoming a great pitcher and Walker and Urquidy are both decent pitchers as well. It will be hard to score on these 4. There are some decent options in the bullpen as well. Giovanny Gallegos has been a reliable pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals for the past few years and should pitch the 9th inning for Mexico. Javier Assad and Luis Cessa are also good pitchers as well. Having Andres Munoz would have been a big asset but he is unfortunately hurt.

 

On offense, Randy Arozarena will be the player to watch out for. He is one of the more exciting players in baseball having both great power and speed. He will be joined in the outfield by Alex Verdugo, and one of Jarren Duran or Alek Thomas. Verdugo is an established hitter while Duran and Thomas are both still young. Alejandro Kirk would have been Mexico's starting catcher and one of their best hitters but he will unfortunately miss the tournament. Austin Barnes while nowhere near as good offensively should be a suitable replacement. In the infield, you have dangerous home run hitter, Rowdy Tellez, at first base. I suspect the rest of the infield will be made up of Alan Trejo, Luis Urias and Isaac Paredes. All 3 are young players who are coming off of career years with their respective clubs. Also look out for Joey Meneses. He was called up to the Washington Nationals mid-season and was their best player for the 2nd half of the MLB season.

 

4.  Venezuela

WBC History: 2006 - 7th, 2009 - 3rd, 2013 - 10th, 2017 - 8th

2023 Schedule: 3/11 - vs. Dominican Republic, 3/12 - @ Puerto Rico, 3/13 - Off, 3/14 - vs. Nicaragua, 3/15 - @ Israel

Notable Absences: German Marquez, Willson Contreras, Brusdar Graterol, Robert Suarez

Players to Watch: Ronald Acuna Jr., Jose Altuve, Pablo Lopez, Luis Arraez

 

Arguably no country has disappointed more in the WBC than Venezuela over it's history. The baseball powerhouse has only podiumed once in it's history and has had it's 2 worst showings in each of the last two editions of the tournament. However, there is more reason for optimism this time around. Many people say that this is the best Venezuelan team ever assembled and a big part of that is that the pitching, which was Venezuela's downfall last time, is much improved. It doesn't have the depth or the top end talent of the 3 teams ranked ahead of it but they will definitely contend for the championship.

Spoiler

On offense, Venezuela is loaded with talent. The biggest star on the team is Ronald Acuna Jr. He was originally not granted permission to play but ultimately given the green light by the Atlanta Braves. He is one of the most exciting young players in the game and can do it all on offense. Joining him in the outfield will be Anthony Santander and David Peralta. Santander was one of the Baltimore Orioles best hitters last year and will be part of the middle of their lineup. Peralta is a veteran who is past his prime but can still hit at a decent level. The infield might be more impressive than the outfield. At first base, you have Luis Arraez. He is a very underrated hitter and is one of the best contact hitters in the game. At 2nd base, you have Jose Altuve. He's been one of the best hitters over the last decade. He's always gotten a lot of hits but has also gotten stronger recently. At shortstop, you have Andres Gimenez. He had a career season last year and could be even better this year. And then at 3rd base, there is Eugenio Suarez. Many people believed he was no longer an MLB caliber hitter two season ago but he had a bounce back season last year and is one of the strongest hitters in the league. At catcher, Salvador Perez should get the start. Even though he's coming off a bad season, he had 40+ homeruns just two seasons ago and will be a reliable veteran presence on this team. And then there's also Miguel Cabrera. The best Venezuelan player of all time returns for his 5th WBC. It is likely that he won't have a starting role but should still get his chances.

 

Pitching was Venezuela's downfall last time and they are much more improved this year. Pablo Lopez will be the ace of the team. Behind him, I'm guessing the starting pitchers will be Martin Perez, Eduardo Rodriguez, and Luis Garcia. While none of them are superstars, Lopez is a well-above average pitcher and the other 3 are above average pitchers. This means that Ranger Suarez, who's usually a starter, would be in the bullpen where he was brilliant in the World Series for the Philadelphia Phillies last year. Also in the bullpen will be Jose Alvarado who should close Venezuela's games. Not having Brusdar Graterol and Robert Suarez will definitely hurt the bullpen and as a result, it is Venezuela's weakness but it is still overall a very, very good team.

 

Tier 1: The Favourites

 

3.  United States

WBC History: 2006 - 8th, 2009 - 4th, 2013 - 6th, 2017 - 1st

2023 Schedule: 3/11 - vs. Great Britain, 3/12 - vs. Mexico, 3/13 - vs. Canada, 3/14 - Off, 3/15 - @ Colombia

Notable Absences: Clayton Kershaw, Nestor Cortes, Aaron Judge, Bryce Harper, probably 20+ other pitchers

Players to Watch: Mike Trout, Mookie Betts, Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, Trea Turner

 

Surprise, surprise! The defending champions come in at #3 in the rankings which may surprise some of you. There is no question that no country produces more baseball talent than the United States. However, when it comes to recruiting that talent to play, then it's a different story. While most of the best hitters are on the team this year, a multitude of starting pitchers still don't want to play in this tournament and as a result, it becomes the USA's weakness which for me, is enough to put them behind 2 teams in these rankings.

Spoiler

Let's start with the offense first. On the offensive side, this very well might be the greatest lineup ever put together. Mike Trout has been the best player in baseball over the past decade and he'll finally be making his much anticipated WBC debut here. He can hit the ball well, he can hit for power, he can run well, he can defend well, and he can throw the ball well. He basically doesn't have any weaknesses. As for the 2nd best player of the past decade, one can argue that it is Mookie Betts. Betts can also do everything very well, just not as well as Trout. Both of them will be expected to start in the outfield alongside Kyle Tucker, another elite hitter himself. So to recap, that is 3 top 10 hitters that are in the outfield for the USA. In the infield, the likely players are Paul Goldschmidt at 1st Base, Jeff McNeil at 2nd Base, Trea Turner at shorstop, and Nolan Arenado at 3rd base. Goldschmidt won the MVP award last year, Nolan Arenado was the runner up and Turner was also in the running. While not as elite as the other 3, McNeil is still a very good player and his biggest strength is making contact. So to recap, that's 3 more top 10 hitters and another really good player. At catcher, they will have arguably the 2 best catchers in the league playing for them in J.T. Realmuto, and Will Smith. I expect that they will split time during the group stage and ride with the hot hand once the knockout round begins.

 

The pitching, however, is less than ideal especially compared with the other top teams. While they have a ton of elite players, there best pitcher for this tournament will be a 41-year-old Adam Wainwright. While he's decent, you do not want him as your ace if you're the USA. Behind him will probably be the likes of Lance Lynn, Miles Mikolas and Merrill Kelly. All decent pitchers, but not elite or even great. Thankfully they have an offense that can fix any mistakes the starting pitchers make and they've got a good bullpen too. Ryan Pressly is one of the best relief pitchers in baseball and should be their closer. Behind him are guys like Devin Williams, David Bednar, Daniel Bard and Adam Ottavino who are all great pitchers themselves. They should be good enough to protect the lead for the USA if they have it.

 

2.  Japan

WBC History: 2006 - 1st, 2009 - 1st, 2013 - 3rd, 2017 - 3rd

2023 Schedule: 3/9 - vs. China, 3/10 - vs. South Korea, 3/11 - vs. Czech Republic, 3/12 - @ Australia, 3/15 - Off

Notable Absences: Seiya Suzuki, Yuki Yanagita, Kaima Taira, Hayato Sakamoto, Tomoya Mori

Players to Watch: Shohei Ohtani, Munetaka Murakami, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Roki Sasaki

 

They've already won the tournament twice and yet many people believe that this is the best edition of Samurai Japan that's ever been assembled. It's easy to see why. There are exciting players to watch at just about every position including what I believe to be the best starting rotation in the tournament. It would be a massive shock if this team didn't at least make it to the semifinals.

Spoiler

The starting rotation is by far Japan's biggest strength. They have a rotation of Shohei Ohtani - Yoshinobu Yamamoto - Roki Sasaki - Yu Darvish. I mean, come on! That's ridiculous. The rotation has arguably 4 of the best 5 starting pitchers in this tournament. Ohtani and Darvish are both some of the best starters in the MLB. Yamamoto has won back to back Sawamura awards as the NPB's best pitcher and Sasaki is one of the best young talents outside of the US where at some point he retired 52 straight hitters. The bullpen isn't too shabby either led by Ryoji Kuribayashi. 

 

On offense, not only will Ohtani be their best pitcher but also their best hitter. The once in a generation talent is elite at both pitching and htiting and is one of the best hitters in the world as well as one of the best pitchers. Along side him will be 3rd baseman Munetaka Murakami. The young phenom set a record for the most home runs in the NPB in one season by a Japanese player with 56 last season. He and Ohtani will provide a deadly 1-2 punch to the Japanese offense. Japan was almost going to field an all-MLB outfield with Seiya Suzuki, Masataka Yoshida and the first ever foreign born player to play for them, Lars Nootbaar. However, Suzuki removed himself from the team due to injury and Kensuke Kondoh will take his place. Still a great outfield. There will also be great options at 1st and 2nd base. 1st base will be taken by one of Kazuma Okamoto or Hotaka Yamakawa while 2nd base will be taken by one of Tetsuto Yamada or Shugo Maki. The biggest weaknesses for Japan will be at shorstop and catcher where there expected starters aren't able to play because of injury. Sosuke Genda and Yuhei Nakamura should take those positions and while they are good defensively, their hitting isn't as good as the rest of the lineup.

 

1.  Dominican Republic

WBC History: 2006 - 4th, 2009 - 9th, 2013 - 1st, 2017 - 5th

2023 Schedule: 3/11 - @ Venezuela, 3/12 - Off, 3/13 - @ Nicaragua, 3/14 - vs. Israel, 3/15 - vs. Puerto Rico

Notable Absences: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Jose Ramirez, Fernando Tatis Jr., Emmanuel Clase, Jhoan Duran, Framber Valdez, Luis Castillo, Wandy Peralta, Luis Severino, Seranthony Dominguez, Felix Bautista, Jose Leclerc, Gregory Soto

Players to Watch: Sandy Alcantara, Manny Machado, Juan Soto, Rafael Devers, Julio Rodriguez, Camilo Doval

 

Despite so many missing names from this team, I still think the Dominican Republic is the team to beat at this WBC. While the US is weak at pitching and Japan's offense isn't as great as its pitching, the DR has the most well-rounded team of the 3 favourites. What could've been a superteam is still an insanely good team and there are stars at every position still.

Spoiler

With Vladimir Guerrero Jr. pulling out of the tournament due to injury, there isn't a clear replacement at 1st base. Jeimer Candelario is his replacement on the roster but compared to the other names on the roster, his hitting is less than stellar. It's possible they play Rafael Devers at 1st base instead who is a superstar on offense. He usually plays 3rd base but he won't play there on this team because Manny Machado is also a 3rd baseman and is amazing defensively at 3rd base as well as one of the best hitters in baseball. I would expect Jeremy Pena and Wander Franco to complete the rest of the infield. They are both young players who are trending upwards in recent years and Pena was recently named World Series MVP for the Houston Astros. However, if they struggle, guys like Ketel Marte, Willy Adames, and Jean Segura are more than worthy of starting as well. In the outfield, your likely starters are Teoscar Hernandez, Julio Rodriguez, and Juan Soto. Rodriguez and Soto are two of the most exciting elite young players in baseball today while Hernandez is also a very good hitter in his own right. Their biggest weakness will be at catcher where Gary Sanchez is expected to start. He is a below average catcher who is still a free agent.

 

On pitching, the starting rotation is expected to be Sandy Alcantara - Cristian Javier - Johnny Cueto - Roansy Contreras. A lot of big names are missing but it's still a solid rotation. Sandy Alcantara is the reigning Cy Young winner which is awarded to the best pitcher. He will be the workhorse in the rotation and will be asked to go the distance in each game for as long as is permitted. Cristian Javier is another young player on the rise. He had his best season last year with the Houston Astros and was a key piece in them winning the World Series. Cueto is a reliable veteran while Contreras was a rookie last year. The bullpen, just like the starting rotation is also world class. Even with so many names missing, Camilo Doval, Bryan Abreu, Rafael Montero, Diego Castillo and Hector Neris will headline a bullpen that should be close to untouchable.

 

 

Full Rankings:

 

1.  Dominican Republic

2.  Japan

3.  United States

4.  Venezuela

5.  Mexico

6.  Puerto Rico

7.  South Korea

8.  Cuba

9.  Colombia

10.  Canada

11.  Italy

12.  Netherlands

13.  Taiwan

14.  Israel

15.  Panama

16.  Nicaragua

17.  Australia

18.  Great Britain

19.  Czech Republic

20.  China

Edited March 6, 2023 by Topicmaster1010

[phelps 6,771]

 Italy won an exhibition game against UNI Lions (CPBL) by a score of 10-1.

 

our lineup:

 

Frelick (2-6, R), Pasquantino (1-4, 2B, BB), Friscia (2-4, R, 2B; then Mineo, 0-1), Sullivan (1-3, 3R, 2B, BB; then Miroglio, 0-1), Dominic Fletcher (3-5, 2H, 4RBI), David Fletcher (0-1, R, BB, SB; then Garcia, 0-1, BB, RBI), Lopez (2-3, BB, 3RBI, SB; then Valente, 0-1), Mastrobuoni (0-4, BB, RBI), DeLuzio (1-4, HR, RBI, HBP)

 

our pitchers:

 

Matt Harvey (2IP, H, 3K), Matteo Bocchi (2IP, 2H, R, BB), Joe Biagini (1IP, H, 2K), Ryan Castellani (1IP, 3K), Joe LaSorsa (1IP, H), Claudio Scotti (2IP, H)

 

UNI Lions starting pitcher was Logan Ondrusek (former Cincinnati Reds and Baltimore Orioles in the MLB).

[Topicmaster1010 2,332]

March 6th Exhibition Games Results

 

 

Pool A (vs. Taiwanese Baseball Clubs)

 

 Italy 10-1 Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions

 Cuba 6-0 CTBC Brothers

 Netherlands 2-4 TSG Hawks

Gonna add the other two scores once I find the scores

 

Pool B (vs. Japanese Baseball Clubs)

 

 South Korea 2-4 ORIX Buffaloes

 Australia 3-15 JR Kyushu Railway

 China 2-6 Saibu Gas

 Japan 8-1 Hanshin Tigers

 Czech Republic 7-5 Miyazaki Umeda Driving School

[phelps 6,771]

1 hour ago, Topicmaster1010 said:

March 6th Exhibition Games Results

 

 

Pool A (vs. Taiwanese Baseball Clubs)

 

 Italy 10-1 Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions

 Cuba 6-0 CTBC Brothers

 Netherlands 2-4 TSG Hawks

Gonna add the other two scores once I find the scores

 

 

here you have...

 

 Panama 9-7 Wei Chuan Dragons

 Chinese Taipei 7-2 Fubon Guardians

 

 

tomorrow's exhibition games in Pool B in Japan (all times local, of course):

 

11:30 vs Saibu Gas

12:00 vs Miyazaki Umeda Gakuen

12:00 vs Hanshin Tigers

19:00 vs JR Kyushu

19:00 vs Orix Buffaloes     

[owenp_23 559]

7 hours ago, Topicmaster1010 said:

 

1.  Dominican Republic

2.  Japan

3.  United States

I guess we will just have to wait and see. 

 

I don't doubt either of the top two team's ability and it should be an excellent tournament.

 

Great preview btw.

[bmo 180]

My World Baseball Classic Predictions

 

Pool A

 CUBA 3-1

 NETHERLANDS 3-1

 CHINESE TAIPEI 2-2

 PANAMA 1-3

 ITALY 1-3

 

Pool B

 JAPAN 4-0

 SOUTH KOREA 3-1

 AUSTRALIA 2-2

 CZECH REPUBLIC 1-3

 CHINA 0-4

 

Pool C

 MEXICO 4-0

 UNITED STATES 3-1

 COLOMBIA 2-2

 CANADA 1-3

 GREAT BRITAIN 0-4

 

Pool D

 DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 3-1

 VENEZUELA 3-1

 PUERTO RICO 2-2

 ISRAEL 2-2

 NICARAGUA 0-4

 

QF

 SOUTH KOREA def.  CUBA

 JAPAN def.  NETHERLANDS

 UNITED STATES def.  DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

 VENEZUELA def.  MEXICO

 

SF

 JAPAN def.  SOUTH KOREA

 UNITED STATES def.  VENEZUELA

 

FINAL

 UNITED STATES def.  JAPAN

[Topicmaster1010 2,332]

15 hours ago, owenp_23 said:

I guess we will just have to wait and see. 

 

I don't doubt either of the top two team's ability and it should be an excellent tournament.

 

Great preview btw.

Thanks! It's honestly super close between the top 3 teams. You can make an argument for any of them as the best team in the tournament. Should be exciting either way!

[Topicmaster1010 2,332]

9 hours ago, bmo said:

My World Baseball Classic Predictions

 

Pool A

 CUBA 3-1

 NETHERLANDS 3-1

 CHINESE TAIPEI 2-2

 PANAMA 1-3

 ITALY 1-3

 

Pool B

 JAPAN 4-0

 SOUTH KOREA 3-1

 AUSTRALIA 2-2

 CZECH REPUBLIC 1-3

 CHINA 0-4

 

Pool C

 MEXICO 4-0

 UNITED STATES 3-1

 COLOMBIA 2-2

 CANADA 1-3

 GREAT BRITAIN 0-4

 

Pool D

 DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 3-1

 VENEZUELA 3-1

 PUERTO RICO 2-2

 ISRAEL 2-2

 NICARAGUA 0-4

 

QF

 SOUTH KOREA def.  CUBA

 JAPAN def.  NETHERLANDS

 UNITED STATES def.  DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

 VENEZUELA def.  MEXICO

 

SF

 JAPAN def.  SOUTH KOREA

 UNITED STATES def.  VENEZUELA

 

FINAL

 UNITED STATES def.  JAPAN

Ooh, Mexico winning over the US, I like that! 

 

One small nitpick: In the semifinals, the teams from the Asian pools and the U.S. pools cross over so the matchups should be South Korea vs. Venezuela and Japan vs. United States. Looks great otherwise!

[Topicmaster1010 2,332]

You can find all the updated rosters on the first post of this thread. Just waiting for a few more injury replacements. Unfortunately, we've lost a few players since rosters were announced (mostly due to injuries). Some notable names include:

 

 Nick Pivetta

 Tito Polo, Jose Quintana, Donovan Solano

 Jarlin Garcia, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Jose Leclerc, Gregory Soto

 Jake Bird

 Seiya Suzuki

 Alejandro Kirk

 Ivan Herrera

 Jose Miranda

 Clayton Kershaw, Nestor Cortes Jr.

 German Marquez

 

A huge shame but the good news is that there's still so many great players that will be playing. I still think this is the tournament with the most star power as of yet. Trout, Betts, Turner, Goldschmidt, Arenado, Pressly, Soto, Rodriguez, Devers, Machado, Alcantara, Doval, Ohtani, Murakami, Sasaki, Yamamoto, Darvish, Acuna, Altuve, Urias, Arozarena, Lindor, Baez, Diaz, Lee, Edman, Kim, Robert, Moinelo, Freeman, Bogaerts and more.

 

 

 

As a big baseball and ice hockey fan, I've been waiting six years for a best-on-best tournament and that drought finally ends today.

Edited March 7, 2023 by Topicmaster1010

[Topicmaster1010 2,332]

March 6th Exhibition Games Results

 

 

Pool B (vs. Japanese Baseball Clubs)

 

 South Korea 7-4 Hanshin Tigers 

 Australia 8-1 Saibu Gas

 China 7-5 Miyazaki Umeda School

 Japan 9-1 ORIX Buffaloes

 Czech Republic 9-4 JR Kyushu Railway