Previewing the 2023 World Baseball Classic: Pool D

The World Baseball Classic is right around the corner baseball fans, with play to begin in just a few short days. All Pool D games will be played at loanDepot Park in Miami beginning on March 11.

Where Each Team Ranks

1. Dominican Republic

The DR is filled with talent from the bottom to the top. Their roster is led by names like Manny Machado, Juan Soto, José Ramírez, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. , Sandy Alcantara and Johnny Cueto. If you only saw these names listed on a piece of paper, you could easily mistake this roster for a Major League All-Star team. Manager Rodney Linares has a lot to work with. Guys like Nelson Cruz, Ketel Marte and Wander Franco are expecting to be off the bench to begin, but Linares could potentially mix and match his lineup depending on who has the hot hand and also deploy guys into a platoon based on the opposing pitcher.

2. Puerto Rico

Another extremely talented team in Pool D. Yadier Molina will make the quick transition from player to manager in his first opportunity to lead a ball club from the dugout. Francisco Lindor and Javier Báez are set to man the middle infield, where they have plenty of familiarity doing so. They previously played together with the Mets in 2021 as well as the 2017 WBC. Their bullpen is loaded with electric arms. Led by Edwin Díaz, who recently said he does not plan on pitching in back-to-back days in the tournament in order to be fresh for the start of the MLB season. He’ll be joined by his younger brother Alexis Díaz, Jorge Lopez and Emilio Pagan to give PR a lights-out backend of the pen. Marcus Stroman and José Berríos headline their starting rotation.

3. Venezuela

While I put Puerto Rico ahead of Venezuela, you could definitely make the case they are just as talented. Venezuela’s lineup is very deep and can hurt you at any point in a ballgame. Veteran sluggers Miguel Cabrera and Salvador Perez will provide the necessary leadership to this squad. Jose Altuve and Ronald Acuña Jr. will likely sit atop of the lineup to provide a great mix of power and speed. Eduardo Escobar, Andrés Giménez, Gleyber Torres, Luis Arraez and Eugenio Suárez give the lineup depth. They have some really good arms, but not quite as deep as DR and PR. Guys like Ranger Suárez, Jesús Luzardo, Pablo López, José Alvarado and Martín Pérez will need to give Venezuela solid innings of work. If Omar López manages his bullpen well, there’s no reason why they can’t compete with the top teams in the pool.

4. Israel

Israel has made great strides over the years to build a competitive roster to compete in the WBC. In 2017 they finished in 6th place after making the playoff round and even beat Cuba. Former MLB and Israel player Ian Kinsler will manage the club, with Brad Ausmus and Kevin Youkilis joining his staff. Their lineup has some really good major-league talent.

Joc Pederson, Danny Valencia, Garrett Stubbs, Alex Dickerson and Ryan Lavarnway will need to produce for Israel to stay competitive. Lavarnway last appeared in the MLB in 2021 with Cleveland, however, he won the Pool A MVP in the 2017 WBC after going 5-for-9 with four walks, a home run, and three RBIs. Red Sox reliever Richard Bleier will likely close out games for them. Former 2013 first-round pick Rob Kaminsky should see a lot of innings, he has minor league experience as a starting pitcher and in five games with the St. Louis Cardinals pitched to a 1.93 ERA in 2020 out of the bullpen. Former Met utility player Ty Kelly will be making his second appearance for Israel in the WBC.

It will be an uphill battle for this squad, but they proved in 2017 that they absolutely cannot be taken lightly. It will be interesting to see if they can replicate their 2017 success.

5. Nicaragua

Manager Sander Guido will need to get creative with his roster to compete with the heavyweights in Pool D. There is not a whole lot of major league talent among Nicaragua’s roster. Their top pitchers include Jonathan Loáisiga, Erasmo Ramírez and former MLB pitcher JC Ramírez, who last pitched in 2019 for the Angels. Former 1st round pick Alex Blandino headlines their lineup, he played in a combined 135 games for the Cincinnati Reds from 2018-2021. Not to be harsh, but there is a reason this team is at the bottom of Pool D. They just don’t have the top-tier talent as the others.

Prediction

As you can see, there are so many talented players and coaches in Pool D. The two teams I think will advance to the single-elimination round are the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. Although it would not surprise me in the slightest if Venezuela takes one of the top two spots, DR and PR have the deepest rosters to make a run for the whole thing.