The World Baseball Classic is getting underway, and by now, we all know the favorites and the dark-horses.
Some of the most prominent MLB players will be there trying to lift their respective countries to the top.
It never hurts to go through each team’s chances one last time before the tournament starts.
My Final 2023 WBC Power Rankings. #WorldBaseballClassic pic.twitter.com/tntriB8Q4D
— Shawn Spradling (@Shawn_Spradling) March 7, 2023
Shawn Spradling, who provides independent coverage of all things related to the WBC, sees Team USA as the favorites to win their second consecutive WBC.
They have multiple MVP award winners in their lineup, led by Mike Trout, Mookie Betts, and Paul Goldschmidt.
Nolan Arenado, Tim Anderson, Kyle Tucker, Pete Alonso, Will Smith, J.T. Realmuto, Cedric Mullins, and Bobby Witt Jr. will also be in uniform.
The pitching staff is not as good-looking as the lineup, but it’s very capable.
Japan, with Shohei Ohtani as the most high-profile name on the roster, has a good chance of getting their third WBC trophy.
Ohtani will be joined by fellow MLB ace Yu Darvish and other stars from the league and from the Japanese circuit.
The Dominican Republic is the final team in that “elite” tier.
Their lineup is fantastic and, to the contrary of the United States, they have a couple of aces: Sandy Alcantara and Cristian Javier.
With Ronald Acuna Jr., Jose Altuve, Martin Perez, Jesus Luzardo, Pablo Lopez, Miguel Cabrera, Eugenio Suarez, Gleyber Torres, Anthony Santander, and many more contributors, Venezuela is one of the dark-horse candidates after the top trio.
Mexico, Puerto Rico, South Korea, and Cuba could all have slim chances to win.
From that point on, it’s more “hopefuls” than “true contenders”.
NEXT: 2 Star MLB Shortstops Reunite For The WBC
