Pool B features Japan, South Korea, Australia, China and Czech Republic
The Pool B teams are headlined by two-time champion Japan, who won in 2006 and 2009. South Korea was the runner-up back in 2009, while the Czech Republic is a first-time qualifier for the tournament, which has been expanded from 16 teams to 20. Australia and China have played in all four WBC tournaments, but have not made it past the pool stage.
Odds are posted for Group Play and also the overall tournament winner at DraftKings Sportsbook, so let’s look at those and also some info on the teams.
Odds to Win Pool B
Japan -650
South Korea +400 Australia +5000 China +10000 Czech Republic +10000Team Japan Roster
Shohei Ohtani will participate as a two-way player for the Japanese, who are a huge favorite to win Pool B. It would be downright shocking if they didn’t. Running into Ohtani and Yu Darvish in pool play seems downright unfair. But, those aren’t the only accomplished players on the Japanese team. Many of these players are stars in Nippon Professional Baseball. Some of them, like Seiya Suzuki, were recently posted to MLB or will be in the near future.