2013 World Baseball Classic Preview

San Francisco is hosting the finals of the 2013 WBC
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The World Baseball Classic is back. After four qualifying rounds in last September and November, the tournament is ready to start. For the third time ever, the best baseball players in the world will be representing their home countries to see who will bring home the WBC trophy. This will be a competitive and intense tournament. It will be remembered for years to come. Every team has a different backstory and each team will have a different result.  Japan is looking to build on its past successes. While others, like Spain, are looking to get experience and start to become a world contender. No matter what, I would have high expectations for this year's WBC. Here are previews of each team by Pool.

Pool A

Shinnosuke Abe
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The Fukuota Yahoo! Japan Dome in Fukuota, Japan is hosting Pool A from March 2nd-6th. Brazil, China, Cuba, and Japan will be vying for the opportunity to make it the next stage. This group is locked up by Japan and Cuba.  They are much better teams. Baseball in China is still a work in progress. Brazil is an up-and-coming team, but is years away from contending. Japan is the two-time defending champ.  But unlike past tournaments, Japan has no players who currently play in the MLB.  All their players play in the NPB. This will not affect the quality of the team. Catcher Shinnosuke Abe is a slugger. He hit and 104 RBIs last season. The infield will feature Hayato Sakamoto and Kazuo Matsui. Sakamoto is an outstanding player. The Yomiuri Giants shortstop hit 35 doubles, 173 hits, 14 round-trippers, and a .311 batting average. Matsui is the only player on the roster with MLB experience, meaning he will be a big leader. The ace of the staff will be Tadashi Settsu. The 2012 Sawamura Award winner went 17-5 with an ERA of 1.71 and a WHIP of 1.045. Japan, as always, has fielded a solid team.

Cuba has many good players in the MLB. None of the them are playing on the team because they defected from the country. This does not mean Cuba won't be a title contender. They will  feature little known players. Frederick Cepeda was a member of the 2009 All-WBC Team. Cepeda had 12 hits, three home runs, a 500 average and a 1.497 OPS. Infielder Yulieski Gourriel is back again after batting .333 in the 2009 Classic. Ismel Jimenez was clutch coming out of the bullpen in 2009, pitching in four game and picking up a win. 

China has been in all the tournaments so far, but have won onlyone game in six games. China has the potential to be a contender, but it will take years to happen. Ray Chang is the only member of China in the MiLN or MLB. Last season he played Triple-A ball for the Rochester Red Wings. In the 2009 WBC, he hit .455 with an .818 slugging percentage. He should play well in the tournament. Jiangang Yu won the only game China won in 2009. He should be the ace of the staff. 

Barry Larkin
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Brazil are the feel-good team of the tournament. They pulled off an unexpected upset in their qualifier against Panama. It is unlikely they will advance to the next round, but if anyone can upset Japan or Cuba, Brazil can. They have no real notworthy players, but the manager is Hall of Famer Barry Larkin. He should make the team even more interesting to watch. If you want to look out for some player, Leonardo Reginatto had a .583 batting average and 1.282 OPS in the qualifier last November. Brazil will definitely be fun to watch, but not a team to pick to make it far. Give them a few years and soon they may be a contender. 

Pool B

Hyun-Soo Kim
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Pool B is occurring in Taichung, Taiwan at the Intercontinental Baseball Stadium from March 2nd-5th. This pool's four teams are Australia, Chinese Taipei, Netherlands, and South Korea. This is South Korea's grouping to lose. Even thought they have not won the WBC, South Korea has the best winning percentage of any team. They won silver in 2009 and bronze in 2006. They had the best record of any team in 2006. They will be led by power-hitting first baseman Lee Dae-Ho and Outfielder Hyun-Soo Kim. Dae-Ho had 24 homers, 91 RBIs, and a .286 batting average in the Nippon Professional Baseball last year while winning a Pacific League Best Nine Award for first base. Hyun-Soo was on the 2009 All-WBC team. South Korea tends to fly the radar and this year is no exception. They are the sleeper team.

The Netherlands were a surprise team four years ago, upsetting the Dominican Republic twice in group play to make the quarterfinals. They have ten-time Gold Glove winner Andruw Jones and Roger Bernadina in the outfield. The player that might make the biggest difference is shortstop Xander Bogaerts. The twenty year old is the number eight prospect in the MLB according to Baseball America. He has a chance to make a name for himself at this years tournament. Loek van Mill is a 7'1'' pitcher that will intimidate many hitters.

Chien-Ming Wang
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Chinese Taipei may be the fifth ranked team in the world, but that has not translated to WBC success. They have not made it passed the group stage in the two WBC's. They even had to go through a qualifier to make it to the tournament. The qualifier was not much of a challenge for Chinese Taipei, winning every game by more then nine runs. They have a good combination of young and experienced players. Chien-Ming Wang will be an important starter on the team. Patrolling the outfield will be Che-Hsuan Lin. Che-Hsuan was the MVP of the 2008 MLB All-Star Futures Game and played in his first MLB game last season for the Boston Red Sox. 

Australia is not a team that is likely to make a run and win a few games. However, they can pull of an upset. In 2009, they beat Mexico 17-7 in group play (Mexico did beat them 16-1 later in another group play game). This year's team is not the same as the '09 team. This team is not as good. One of their pitchers, Ryan Rowland-Smith, pitched four years for the Mariners and is the first ever player to play in the majors with a hyphened last name. Stefan Welch is a first baseman in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. He is an excellent fielding first baseman with the ability to hit for power.

Pool C

Jose Reyes
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The home of Pool C is Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico from March 7th-10th. The four teams in the pool are Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Spain, and Venezuela. Pool C is a tough pool to be in. Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, and Venezuela all have great players on their rosters and have a history of success. One team will be going home disappointed. The Dominican Republic were shocked four years ago when they were defeated twice and eliminated by the Netherlands. Having a first round exit again would be devastating. This year's team has a nice blend of power and contact hitters. Their infield looks to be great with Edwin Encarnacion, Robinson Cano, Jose Reyes, and Hanley Ramirez. Their outfield is not as great and is definitely a weak spot on the team. Their lower-profile outfielders need to play very well for a successful championship run.

Venezuela is a sneaky team. You know they are good and sometimes they are better then you except. This year's team will be no different. They are loaded with talent. Led by 2012 AL MVP Miguel Cabrera. This offense can score runs. Carlos Gonzalez has put up two quiet yet productive seasons. Asdurbal Cabrera's good offensive game is overshadowed by his stellar defense. The pitching isn't elite, but can still bring home a win. Venezuela will be a good team to watch.

Carlos Beltran
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Puerto Rico has a history of success in the tournament with fifth place finishes in 2006 and 2009. This time around, I don't expect the same success. This year's team doesn't have the same talent past teams. On the offensive side, Carlos Beltran is the best player on the team and the most productive at the plate. Others have one or two of those qualities but, not all. He does have his Cardinals teammate, catcher Yadier Molina, who is coming off a great season. Molina had 22 homers, 159 hits, and 6.7 WAR (according to baseball-reference.com, 6.5 WAR on fangraphs.com). The pitching, like the offense, is not as good as hoped. They will need everyone to over perform and  to make it to the next round.

Spain is a team that is going to have a tough time making the next round. Not only are they inexperienced, the Spaniards are in a tough group. That doesn't mean they do not have players to look out for. Outfielder Engel Beltre had a breakout year for the Frisco RoughtRiders, a Double A team in the Texas League. He had 17 doubles, 17 triples, 13 home runs, 36 stolen bases, and .707 OPS. Pitcher Yoanner Negrin could make the majors this year with the lowly Cubs if things get bad quickly. In four more years, Spain may have a better team, but this year, they are not good. 

Pool D

David Wright
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Pool D takes place at both Salt Rivers Field at Talking Stick in Scottsdale, Arizona and Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona from March 7th-10th. The four teams in this pool are Canada, Italy, Mexico, and the United States. The favorite is the United States. The US has a big chip on their shoulder. Always a favorite in international tournaments, the US has underperformed in both in the previous tournaments. In 2006, they placed in eighth with a record of 3-3 and in 2009 they came in fourth, but had a 4-4 record. This year might be their year might be their year to bring home their first title. Their line-up has speed (Shane Victorino, Jimmy Rollins), power (Giancarlo Stanton, Ryan Braun), pure hitters (Joe Mauer, David Wright), and great fielders (Adam Jones, Brandon Phillips, Mark Texteria). The one problem with their line-up is that they have only one lefty, Mauer. That may limit their options. Their pitching is not full of stars, but is solid. Their rotation features 2012 All-Stars Gio Gonzalez and R.A. Dickey. The bullpen has Craig Kimbrel, Chris Perez, and Heath Bell. I would look out for this year's US team.

Mexico has made quarterfinals in 2006 and 2009, but has never made it past sixth place. Their line-up will be led by Adrian Gonzalez. Gonzalez will be a defensive stalwart and an offensive juggernaut. They will need to have good pitching to advance. They will have Yovani Gallardo to lead the rotation and Sergio Romo to close out games.

Justin Morneau
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Canada has struggled even more then the US. They went 2-1 in the group stage in 2006, but missed the quarterfinals due to a tiebreaker and in 2009 didn't win a game. They easily won their qualifier, but it was against inferior competition. This year's team has a chance of finally making it past the first round. They have good hitters to build their line-up around in Joey Votto, Justin Morneau, Brett Lawrie, and Taylor Green. The one problem is, Votto and Morneau are first baseman and Lawrie and Green are third baseman. That lead to some issues. Votto and Morneau will probably switch off as first baseman and as the DH. Lawrie is has played only one game at a position other then third base in his career. That means Green will probably be a pinch hitter. Also in the line-up will be Russell Martin. Martin, who plays almost exclusively catcher, is going to play shortstop. 

The final team and only team outside of North America in Pool D is Italy. Italy is a long shot to make it to the next round. The team does have two players to look out for. They are Anthony Rizzo and Alex Liddi. Both are power-hitting corner infielders and play for inferior teams (Rizzo plays first base for the Cubs and Liddi plays third for the Mariners). This might be their only chance to play for something all year, which might light a spark in them. One of their pitchers Pat Venditte, can pitch lefty and righty, which might create some intrigue when he is on the mound.