2023 World Baseball Classic Team Rankings: Position Players

Now that the rosters for all 20 countries in next month’s World Baseball Classic are out, it’s time to examine the teams in-depth. Today, we will take a look at the position-player pool.

Obviously, we can’t go too deep in terms of how each manager is going to set up their lineup in pool play, but we can go position-by-position to determine some of the stronger lineup in this year’s tournament. So, here’s the list of the five-best countries in terms of their position-player pool in this year’s tournament:

5. Mexico

This was a tough choice for number five with Korea Republic and Puerto Rico being heavily considered. Though, Mexico is the choice here.

Behind the plate, Team Mexico has Austin Barnes (Dodgers) and Alejandro Kirk (Blue Jays). Kirk had the second-most hits among catchers a season ago (134) and drew the third-most walks (63). As for Barnes, he had a .704 OPS last year in 62 games, which is not an awful mark for a backup catcher.

In the infield, you have the power options of Brewers’ left-handed hitter Rowdy Tellez (35 home runs in 2022) and a right-handed hitter in Joey Meneses at first base. Meneses got his opportunity with the Nationals last year and he had a .930 OPS and a 165 OPS+ in 56 games (13 home runs).

In the middle infield spots, keep an eye on Isaac Paredes (Rays). He has good positional versatility, which has great value in this tournament. Last year, in his first full-season, he had 20 home runs and an OPS+ of 114 in 111 games.

The position group that is most intriguing for Mexico is the outfield. Alex Verdugo (Red Sox) has played in the WBC before and had success (5-for-14 in 2017). Meanwhile, Randy Arozarena (Rays) has a slashline of .333/.417/.705 with 11 home runs and 17 RBIs in 31 career postseason games. So, he is used to the big stage of a major tournament.

4. Venezuela

Venezuela made it out 0f group play in 2017, but then went 0-3 in the second round against the United States, Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico. While they have to face two of those countries in Pool D, Omar López’s lineup has the potential to get this team to the semifinals if all goes right.

Behind the plate, they have one of the best offensive catchers in the game in Salvador Pérez (Royals). Pérez’s 2017 WBC was cut short due to a knee injury (2-for-7, HR, 2 RBI). Though, he has hit at least 20 home runs in six of his last seven MLB seasons. There are also good options behind Pérez in Robinson Chirinos and current Met Omar Narváez.

The strength for this Venezeulan offense is in their middle infield. They have a lot of depth with José Altuve (Astros), last year’s AL batting champ Luis Arráez (Marlins), and former Met Andrés Giménez (Guardians). Keep an eye on Giménez, who had a 7.4 WAR in 2022 and 20 stolen bases.

Further depth Venezuela has in their middle infield includes Gleyber Torres (Yankees) and Luis Rengifo (Angels), as well as Miguel Rojas (Dodgers). As for the corner infield position, of course Mets’ fans will be keeping an eye on what Eduardo Escobar does and how much time he gets at third base between him and Eugenio Suárez (Mariners).

Of course, the lineup gets a big boost with Ronald Acuña Jr. (Braves) set to anchor the group. Also, Anthony Santander (Orioles) and his 33 home runs from a season ago brings even more power to the outfield.

The wildcard of the team may end up being legend Miguel Cabrera (Tigers). There isn’t a true first baseman on the roster, so Cabrera could see some time there. He has hit a home run in each of the four previous WBCs.

3. Japan

If you are looking for an extensive breakdown of Team Japan, our own Matt Lazzarro broke down their preliminary roster terrifically.

Japan will be probably more known for its pitching, especially being led by Shohei Ohtani and Yu Darvish (Padres). Even though Ohtani will also hit, their offense has some other intriguing names as well.

Behind the plate, 29-year-old Takumi Ohshiro should thrive. He had a slash line of .266/.339/.416 with 13 home runs and 43 RBI for the Yomiuri Gianta a season ago. Defensively, he has just 12 errors at catchers across five seasons in the NPB. So, he is also able to limit the opposition from getting free bases.

In the infield, two names to watch are Munetaka Murakami and Tetsuto Yamada. Murakami can play either of the corner infield spots and has excellent power. With the Yakult Swallows last year, he hit 56 home runs, drove in 134 runs, and had an OPS of 1.168. He will definitely be a name to monitor if/when he is able to come to the United States.

As for Yamada, he has some prior WBC experience, notably he had a good tournament in 2017 when he went 8-for-27, hit a pair of home runs, and drove in five runs. The 30-year-old middle infielder had 31 doubles and hit 23 home runs for Yakult in 130 games in 2022.

Going out to the outfield, there are three major league players in Lars Nootbaar (Cardinals), Seiya Suzuki (Cubs), and Masataka Yoshida (Red Sox). Yoshida will probably be hitting towards the top of the Red Sox order in April and should provide some good contact hitting and plate discipline for Japan (80 walks in 119 games for Orix in ’22).

2. United States

In most years, Mark DeRosa’s lineup would probably be the best lineup in the tournament. Though, it is a new-look Team USA as only two players who played in 2017 are on this year’s roster (Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt).

Obviously, you can’t talk Team USA without talking about Mike Trout (Angels) and Mookie Betts (Dodgers) sharing the same outfield. Trout and Betts are the headliners, but, overall, there is a good mix of power when you add Kyle Tucker (Astros) and Kyle Schwarber (Phillies). Further, there is good gap hitting/speed with Cedric Mullins (Orioles) and Jeff McNeil (Mets) as well.

In the middle infield, Team USA has a chance to steal runs with the speed the team possesses via Trea Turner (Phillies), Tim Anderson (White Sox), and Bobby Witt Jr. (Royals). These three could be great table-setters for the likes of Arenado, Goldschmidt, and Pete Alonso (Mets).

As far as catcher goes, Will Smith (Dodgers) and J.T. Realmuto (Phillies) each finished near the top in home runs among catchers last year (with 24 and 22, respectfully). They were also two of the four catchers who finished with 130 or more hits.

1. Dominican Republic

You could try to put together a fantasy lineup and even that team might not be able to match the lineup that Rodney Linares is going to put out there in Pool D. Back in 2017, the Dominican Republic hit nine home runs in the tournament, they should be able to match or even break that record this year.

If there is one weak point on the D.R. roster, it may be at catcher with Gary Sánchez. Sánchez, who is still a free agent, is known for being an all-or-nothing hitter in terms of either hitting a home run or striking out. But, if he gets hot, then it’s hard to find an easy out in this lineup.

As it stands, the infield options consist of a World Series MVP in Jeremy Pena (Astros) at shortstop, the AL MVP runner-up in 2021 in Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Blue Jays) at first base, and the runner-up for the 2022 NL MVP in Manny Machado (Padres) at third base. If Machado isn’t playing, then you have Rafael Devers (Red Sox) and his power at the hot corner.

At the top of the order and in the outfield, both Julio Rodriguez (Mariners) and Juan Soto (Padres) can make a pitcher pay for a mistake early in the game. Or, they can work up the pitch count, which is key when you consider there are pitch limits in each round of the tournament.

Lastly, another veteran that can change the game with one swing is Nelson Cruz (Padres). Cruz had three home runs and six RBI in the 2017 WBC which led to him being named to the all-tournament team that year.