Welcome back to the World Baseball Classic! Founded in 2006, it's one of the most exciting baseball events in the world that happens about every 4 years, similar to the World Cup. However, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the WBC to go into a hiatus when the tournament was supposed to happen in 2021. That means it's been 6 years since the last WBC, and teams are itching to get back out there and compete. The United States of America will be looking to defend its title after its 2017 victory, but that might be hard with the teams that the Dominican Republic and Japan have put together.
World Baseball Classic 2023 Preview
The World Baseball Classic came to be when the International Olympic Committee decided to remove baseball from the Olympic games in 2005. It took less than a year for the WBC to form and have its first tournament in 2006 that featured the best 16 baseball-playing countries in the world. The tournament was a hit, and the sport of baseball grew around the globe. In the WBC's history, there have been 3 winners in 4 tournaments. It began with Japan winning the WBC in 2006 and defending their title in 2009, then the Dominican Republic claimed the trophy in 2013 before the United States of America won their first WBC in a thrilling championship run in 2017.
The #WorldBaseballClassic starts March 8! Who do you want to win each pool? ?? pic.twitter.com/pQqFswqB2R
— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) January 13, 2023
World Baseball Classic 2023 Teams
The WBC is composed of 20 teams in 4 different pools. The increase in teams is new, as the MLB announced the change in 2020 to include a few more countries. We have listed each team by the pool they are in and a brief summary of their roster.
Chinese Taipei
If you're an MLB fan, there won't be many names on this roster that you recognize. The most notable would be Red Sox utility player Yu Chang. The majority of the players on Chinese Taipei play in the Chinese Professional Baseball League, which is a very competitive league. The team will be led by Li Ling, the reigning CPBL MVP, and Kungkuan Giljegiljaw, who led the CPBL in home runs last season. Expect offense to be their strength in the tournament.
Netherlands
There are some MLB players on the Netherlands team that might make you hesitate and go, “Wait, they're Dutch?” The team is led by Xander Bogearts (who just signed an 11-year, $280 million contract with the San Diego Padres), Didi Gregorius, Jonathan Schoop, Jurickson Profar, and Andrelton Simmons. The Netherlands' offense will be their strong point since their starting rotation is below average, but if the Dutch can get the lead, they have Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen in their bullpen. Of the 5 teams in Pool A, I expect the Netherlands to be one of the 2 teams that makes it to the second round.
Cuba
Cuba is one of the younger teams in the WBC this season with a lot of unknown faces on their roster. However, they do have some MLB talent joining the team as Chicago White Sox teammates Luis Robert and Yoan Moncada headline the Cuban roster. They also have Yoenis Cespedes rejoining the team after being MIA for the last several months. Cespedes last played in the MLB in 2020, but he decided to leave the New York Mets abruptly without telling anyone which might have ended his long, and very controversial, MLB career. I anticipate for Cuba to be fighting with the Netherlands to be crowned the Pool A winner.
Italy
The Italian team could definitely be a dark horse in the WBC this year. Led by new manager and MLB-great Mike Piazza, the roster is stacked with MLB talent. In the infield, Italy has David Fletcher, Nicky Lopez and Vinnie Pasquantino. On the mound, Italy has Andre Pallante, Matt Festa and former Cy Young winner Matt Harvey. It was quite a surprise to see Harvey's name on the roster considering the Tyler Skaggs case was just last fall, which has caused mixed feelings about the MLB veterans’ place on the team. But his grandfather was born in Italy, making him eligible to represent them in the WBC.
Panama
Panama returns to the WBC as the last team added to Pool A. They did not qualify for the WBC in 2013 or 2017, but after a long drought, they are back in the tournament. Panama does not have the MLB talent that many other teams in the tournament do which puts them at a disadvantage. However, they are in the weakest pool which gives them a fighting chance, but it’s going to be hard for them to get past the Netherlands and Cuba.
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Japan
Japan has been consistently ranked the 2nd-best team in the WBC this year, and it's not hard to see why. The face of the MLB, Shohei Ohtani, will be leading the charge for his home country. Joining him in the starting rotation is Padres pitcher Yu Darvish, as well as several elite arms from the Nippon Professional Baseball. On offense, newly-signed Red Sox Masataka Yoshida and Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar (eligible because of his ancestry) will play a large role in Japan's success. Japan has incredible depth to their lineup which makes them one of the most dangerous teams in the WBC. Japan should win Pool B without much of a fight.
Korea
The strength of the Korean team will be in their offense. They have Cardinals infielder Tommy Edman and Padres shortstop Ha-Seong Kim up the middle to create an elite middle-infield duo. Japan also has some of the biggest hitters in KBO's history on their roster, so while their pitching might be subpar, their offense will be scoring crooked numbers consistently. I see Korea fighting for the runner-up spot in Pool B and advancing to the next round.
Australia
If you're looking to cheer for the underdog, you've likely found your team. Liam Hendriks, the most well-known Aussie who was expected to represent his country, has backed out of the WBC to treat his non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma which he just revealed a short time ago. His absence leaves very little MLB talent on the Australian roster, and when looking at the ages of a lot of their players, it might be a short appearance in the WBC.
China
China is led by Ray Chang, who is making his 4th WBC appearance in his career. The 39-year-old is returning for one more WBC, and it's hard to blame him since he has a .324 career batting average in the tournament. But besides Chang, the Chinese roster is very, very limited. And the biggest problem is that the majority of the roster plays in China's National Baseball League which has been suspended since 2019 due to COVID-19. Due to their inexperience and lack of playing professional baseball recently, China doesn't pose much of a threat in Pool B.
Czech Republic
Unlike almost every other player in the WBC, the Czech Republic roster is filled with players that have day jobs. Since the Czech Republic only has an amateur league, the players are forced to have full-time jobs. Their team is made up of a salesman, firefighter, high school teacher, financial analyst and so much more. While I respect the players working full-time jobs and playing baseball in their country's league, they are a small fish in a big sea during the WBC. Who knows, since it is March, maybe they can pull off a Cinderella story. But probably not.