WBC Preview (Part 2)

Here are the teams 1-4.

4. Japan
Pool A
2006 result: 5-3 Won 2006 Classic
Notable Hitters:
C Kenji Johjima
2B Aki Iwamura
RF Kosuke Fukudome
CF Ichiro Suzuki
Notable Pitchers:
Daisuke Matsuzaka
Outlook: Japan is very similar to Cuba in that they are a great unknown. Most of their talent plays in Japan and are the great unknown. Japan is a little more well known than Cuba as they do have Major Leaguers on their team. No one is going to blown away by Dice-K this time around. Japan has been scoured for talent since the arrival of Ichiro and it's success in the WBC and most of the elite talent has been found with the latest arrivals having mixed results like Fukudome or Kei Igawa. They have the easiest Pool and should make the semifinals where anything can happen so they should be able to compete to defend their title but I don't expect them to win it this year.

3. Venezuela
Pool C
2006 Result: 3-3 Lost in Round 2 Pool
Probable Lineup:
SS Cesar Izturis
2B Jose Lopez
LF Bobby Abreu
1B Miguel Cabrera
RF Magglio Ordonez
DH Carlos Guillen
3B Melvin Mora
C Ramon Hernandez
CF Endy Chavez

Notable Pitchers: Felix Hernandez, Carlos Zambrano, Carlos Silva, Armando Galarraga, Francisco Rodriguez

Assets: 3-6 Hitters very solid, Three solid starters, very good closer
Issues: Hitters are on the older side and lack athleticism. Lack of pitching depth.
Outlook: A very solid team with some elite talent. They could use Johan Santana to add to the pitching depth. The biggest problem for them is they are in the hardest Pool with USA and Canada and if they advance they will be put in the same Round 2 pool with USA, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. They have the talent but the road they face and the lack of pitching depth likely will be their downfall and they will likely have a similar result as 2006.

2. Dominican Republic
Pool D
2006 Result: 5-2 Lost in Semifinals to Cuba
Probable Lineup:
SS Hanley Ramirez
2B Robinson Cano
DH David Ortiz
3B Alex Rodriguez
LF Jose Guillen
1B Willy Aybar
C Miguel Olivo
RF Nelson Cruz
CF Willy Taveras

Possible Lineup if postions are flexible:
SS Jose Reyes
CF Hanley Ramirez
DH David Ortiz
3B Alex Rodriguez
1B Miguel Tejada
LF Jose Guillen
2B Robinson Cano
C Miguel Olivo
RF Nelson Cruz

Notable Pitchers: Edinson Volquez, Pedro Martinez, Johnny Cueto, Ubaldo Jimenez, Jose Arredondo

Assets: Young Pitchers with outstanding stuff, infield depth, speed
Issues: Lack of closer or outstanding middle relief, outfield, finding places for talent
Outlook: The biggest problem for the Dominican Republic is finding a way to get the talent on the field. Having Reyes, Tejada and Beltre on your bench does not help you win games. I think they might end up getting very creative with the positions. There is talk Tejada might play 1st base and they could move Hanley to the outfield and put Reyes at shortstop. If they can find a way to bat Reyes and Hanley 1-2 they will cause a lot of problems for team. They also have been hurt by Carlos Marmol not participating as he could have been the closer they need. This team has a lot of talent and is a serious threat to win the title if they can utilize their ability.

1. USA
Pool C
2006 Result: 3-3 Lost in Round 2 Pool
Probable Lineup:
SS Jimmy Rollins
2B Dustin Pedroia
DH Chipper Jones
LF Ryan Braun
3B David Wright
1B Kevin Youkillis
C Brian McCann
RF Shane Victorino
CF Curtis Granderson

Notable Pitchers: Jake Peavy, Roy Oswalt, Jonathon Broxton, J.J. Putz

Assets: Very well-rounded lineup, pitching depth, middle relief
Issues: Starting Pitching, outfield depth
Outlook: Team USA is in the unique position of being able to form the type of team they want. Judging by the roster they are looking for a bunch of relievers instead of starters. That strategy has taken a hit with Joe Nathan and Brian Fuentes not participating due to injuries. They still have plenty of players that can come in for an inning and get it done like Scot Shields, Matt Thorton, Brad Ziegler and Jonathon Broxton. They may not be as sexy as Clemens but they should be able to fulfill their roles. The lineup is perfectly balanced. There are veterans in Chipper, Jeter and Rollins and their is youth in Braun, Granderson and Pedroia. They have speed and they have power. The most important thing is they all hit for high average. Of the probable starters only Jimmy Rollins hit below .280 last year and he hit .277. 5 of the starters hit over.300. There biggest issues will be overconfidence and the fact that they are the hunted. But if this team plays with pride and matches the intensity of the other countries they should be in the mix for the 2009 World Baseball Classic title.

WBC Preview (Part 1)

Early Thursday morning the second World Baseball Classic will begin in Tokyo. While it is not on the level of the World Cup or Olympic Hockey, it is certainly better than Olympic Basketball. The idea is good in theory but the main problem lies in that the pitchers are not allowed to go all out and there are some great players who are not playing due to injury or because of their MLB team. That said it is still exciting because there are a lot of talented teams, players and there are no overwhelming favorites like USA basketball or Canada hockey. It is a 16 team tournament and there are 8 teams with legitimate teams that conceivably win the Classic. I have ranked the talent level of the teams 1-8. Part 1 is teams 5-8.

8. Canada
Pool C
2006 Result: 2-1 Lost tiebreaker in Pool B to Mexico and USA
Probable Lineup:
2B Pete Orr
C Russell Martin
CF Jason Bay
1B Justin Morneau
DH Joey Votto
LF Mark Teahen
RF Matt Stairs
3B Corey Koskie
SS Chris Barnwell

Notable Pitchers: Jesse Crain

Assets: They have a pretty formidable middle of the lineup with a lot of power
Issues: Lack pitching, poor middle infield and left-handed heavy lineup (Martin, Bay and Barnwell only righties).
Outlook: They were hurt by some notable pitchers not participating such as Erik Bedard, Adam Loewen, and Jeff Francis. Lack of any pitching and the fact that they are in the toughest pool will be their downfall as they are likely to finish third in Pool C.

7. Mexico
Pool B
2006 Result: 3-3 Lost in 2nd Round Pool
Probable Lineup:
SS Jerry Hairston Jr.
2B Edgar Gonzalez
1B Adrian Gonzalez
3B Jorge Cantu
C Rod Barajas
LF Scott Hairston
RF Karim Garcia
DH Freddy Sandoval
CF Alfredo Amezaga

Notable Pitchers: Oliver Perez, Luis Ayala, Jorge Campillo, Joakim Soria

Assets: Very good closer in Soria and two good hitters in Adrian Gonzalez and Cantu
Issues: Not a lot of speed, poor outfield and lack of pitching depth
Outlook: Not an overly impressive team but in an easier Pool and it is in Mexico so they should advance to the second round but end there.

6. Puerto Rico
Pool D
2006 Result: 4-2 Lost in 2nd Round Pool
Probable Lineup:
2B Felipe Lopez
SS Mike Aviles
CF Carlos Beltran
RF Alex Rios
1B Carlos Delgado
DH Geovany Soto
C Yadier Molina
LF Bernie Williams
3B Ramon Vazquez

Notable Pitchers: Ian Snell, Jonathan Sanchez, Javier Vazquez, JC Romero

Assets: Very Good Middle of the Lineup
Issues: Lack Pitching Depth, Bernie Williams, lackluster middle infield
Outlook: Has some big talent in Beltran, Rios and Soto but Delgado is a little old and Bernie Williams is way to old. Don't have the depth of the more elite teams but should finish similar to 2006.

5. Cuba
Pool B
2006 Result: 5-3 Lost in Final to Japan
Probable Lineup:
I have no idea
Notable Pitchers: No idea
Cuba is the great unknown in the tournament. Unlike other Caribbean nations ther players are not allowed to leave and they all play for the national team. They get a bonus because they are a team that has been together for years and is training for this event. They also have talent. Cuba players that do defect ususually are impact players in the MLB. Alexei Ramirez was on the Cuba team in 2006. Other notable players from Cuba are Jose Conseco, Yunel Escobar, Livan Hernandez, Orlando Hernandez, Tony Oliva, Rafael Palmeiro. The talent is there I just have no idea where it is. The reason why they are not ranked higher is that the talent they have is not as well developed as a major league vetren. They may have a player with All-star talent but they are not All-stars. The team with mostly the same players just finished second at the Bejing Olympics. They did however beat the USA team 10-2 but that team did not have Dustin Pedroia and Chipper Jones.

The Most Boring Spring Training Ever

With the first spring training game in less than a week a thought occurred to me. This will be the least exciting spring training that I can remember. Baring signing Joe Crede or Juan Cruz there aren't any newcomers to watch. Also there are absolutely no roster battles. The 25 man roster is already set. Here are the 25:

Hitters:
Delmon Young, Carlos Gomez, Denard Span, Michael Cuddyer, Jason Kubel, Justin Morneau, Joe Mauer, Alexi Casilla, Nick Punto, Brenden Harris, Brian Buscher, Mike Redmond, Matt Tolbert

Pitchers:
Francisco Liriano, Nick Blackburn, Scott Baker, Kevin Slowey, Glen Perkins, Joe Nathan, Matt Guerrier, Craig Breslow, Jose Mijares, Jesse Crain, Boof Bonser, Luis Ayala/Phil Humber.

That is 25. Exciting. Last year we got to see Delmon Young and Brendan Harris make their debut. We saw Gomez for the first time. We saw him battle with Span and Pridie for the CF job. We saw Liriano come back from Tommy John surgery. This year the most exciting thing will be to see Luke Hughes and Danny Valencia start the battle for the 3rd Base job in 2010. Thank God the World Baseball Classic will be around to at least give me some baseball to care about in March. Don't get me wrong this isn't a bad thing for the team to have continuity but continuity doesn't feed my baseball hunger.