The World Baseball Basic is formally again! We’re been working preview content material for the final a number of weeks, however now that the event is definitely underway, you’ve acquired to choose a group to root for. It’s possible you’ll even wish to choose one group from every of the 4 swimming pools. That will help you resolve in your favourite, I’ll offer a cause to cheer for every of the 20 groups within the area. We began with Pool C earlier in the present day, and we’ll run Swimming pools A and B tomorrow.
Dominican Republic
Itemizing groups alphabetically has us beginning with the powerhouse of the group. How’s this for a lineup?
C: Austin Wells
1B: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
2B: Ketel Marte
SS: Geraldo Perdomo
3B: Manny Machado
LF: Juan Soto
CF: Julio Rodríguez
RF: Fernando Tatis Jr.
DH: Junior Caminero
P: Cristopher Sánchez
This isn’t only a lineup with none weak spots. It’s a dream group, and it nonetheless leaves stars like Jeremy Peña and Oneil Cruz on the bench!
The true cause to root for the Dominican Republic, although, is that they’ll be out for revenge. They gained the 2013 WBC, however in 2023, losses to Venezuela and Puerto Rico left them 2-2 in pool play, and the run differential tiebreaker stored them from advancing. The Dominican Republic didn’t even make it out of pool play! Supervisor Rodney Linares heard about it in an enormous method. Albert Pujols is on the helm now, and he is aware of he’s acquired to do higher.
Pool D is a bit softer this time round, with the Netherlands taking the place of Puerto Rico, however the this group won’t care. They’re out for blood, and it’s not exhausting to check them going scorched earth and working up the run differential as a lot as they will. With that lineup, they’ll have greater than sufficient firepower. They simply hung 12 runs on the Tigers on Tuesday. If what you’re searching for in a WBC group is a excessive probability that watching them play will really feel much like watching a Rambo film, then the Dominican Republic is your squad.
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Israel
Look, I don’t know if we’re going to see Robert Inventory pitch, or how a lot he’ll throw even when we do, however he’s the form of man you cheer for. I wrote an article about his journey final yr, however it’s value digging even deeper, as a result of it actually places the “World” in “World Baseball Basic.” No much less an authority than Baseball America named Inventory the very best 13-year-old participant within the nation in 2003, the very best 14-year-old participant in 2004, after which the general Youth Participant of the Yr in 2005. “The 6-foot, 180-pound 15-year-old was tossing 90-mph fastballs by the point he was 14 and has been recognized to attach on 400-foot house runs, utilizing a wooden bat,” wrote Alan Matthews. Inventory enrolled at USC as each a catcher and a pitcher in order that he may develop into draft eligible when he was 19.
The Cardinals took him within the second spherical in 2009, however issues have been so much tougher within the execs. After three years of making an attempt to make it as a catcher, Inventory switched again to pitching. After three extra years, Inventory nonetheless hadn’t superior to Double-A, and the Cardinals launched him. He bounced to the Astros, then the Pirates, then the Reds, and at last to the Padres, who lastly promoted him to the massive leagues in 2018. Nonetheless armed with an upper-90s fastball as a 28-year-old rookie, Inventory made the many of the likelihood. He ran a 2.50 ERA and a couple of.71 FIP throughout 32 appearances and 39 2/3 innings.
The success was fleeting. Inventory struggled in 2019 and stored bouncing, to the Phillies, the Crimson Sox, the Cubs, and the Mets. In 2022, he landed with the Doosan Bears of the KBO as a starter, working a 3.60 ERA and incomes one other shot regardless of working a 11.5% stroll charge. He went to Driveline, began 2023 pitching for Israel within the WBC and reported to Triple-A Nashville on a minor league cope with the Brewers, however after simply three begins, Milwaukee let him go. He completed the season with the Lengthy Island Geese of the impartial Atlantic League.
Inventory threw a no-hitter in Lengthy Island, however his general numbers weren’t nice. He spent 2024 pitching for Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos of the Mexican League, however earlier than he did, he utterly overhauled his mechanics. He dropped his arm angle from proper across the league common to a sidearm slot. He went from throwing the four-seamer greater than half the time to being an east-west sinker-slider man with 40 inches of break differential between the 2 pitches. He was a completely new pitcher. He went 9-4 with a 3.39 ERA with Dos Laredos, after which the gained the pitching Triple Crown within the Mexican Winter League, going 10-2 with a 1.60 ERA.
Inventory returned to the Crimson Sox in 2025, placing up stable numbers in Triple-A however struggling in two massive league appearances. He’s now in minor league camp with the Mets, the place he’s struck out six batters and allowed only one baserunner throughout three scoreless innings. Inventory is now 36 years previous with simply 75 1/3 main league innings below his belt however a complete lot of miles.
Netherlands
The Netherlands boast loads of acquainted Curaçaoan faces. They’ll have stars like Ozzie Albies, Xander Bogaerts, and Kenley Jansen. They’ll have previous buddy Didi Gregorius, the one Didi in main league historical past, who final appeared within the majors in 2022 and has been enjoying within the Mexican League. They’ll even have brothers of acquainted faces in Jeremi Profar and Sharlon Schoop. However Ceddanne Rafaela is the wild card right here.
Recent off a Gold Glove, Boston’s heart fielder already has two house runs and a 224 wRC+ in spring coaching and – you realize what? I’m going to must cease there. I like to look at Rafaela play. He’s thrilling in methods each good and dangerous. He makes you scream when he does one thing spectacular along with his glove, and he makes you scream when he waves at one more slider within the filth. However Kiri Oler already nailed the factor that ought to make us root for the Netherlands in her Pool D preview. It’s this tune, “Honkbal Hoofdklasse (On My Radio Tonight)” by Johannes Vonk and the Clogheads, which I listened to on repeat as I wrote this part:
Simply to be clear, Johannes Vonk and the Clogheads should not an precise band. This tune was recorded in 2020 by Milo Edwards and Nate Bethea of the comedy podcast “Trashfuture,” and jokingly attributed to the fictional 80s band with the 80-grade title. I don’t know a lot about Trashfuture, however this tune is ideal, and after listening to it 10 occasions in a row, I’m able to run by a brick wall (or perhaps a dam) for the Netherlands and their merry band of honkbalers.
Nicaragua
Nicaragua went winless in 2023, and if the group goes to win a sport this time round, it is going to be on the shoulders of New York Met Mark Vientos. Together with Carlos Rodriguez of the Brewers, he’s one among two present main leaguers on the Nicaraguan roster (free agent Erasmo Ramírez can be suiting up), and though he struggled to a 97 wRC+ in 2025, it’s exhausting to get the picture of his three-win 2024 season, during which he ran a 132 wRC+ and blasted 27 homers in simply 111 video games, out of your thoughts. After 5 spring coaching video games, Vientos by some means has a median exit velocity of 96 mph (!) and a batting common of .077 (?!). He has a 110-mph lineout, a 109.9-mph double play, a 105.2-mph fly out, after which one other double play at 104.7 mph. Taking part in towards the Mets in an exhibition sport on Tuesday, Vientos did lastly get a ball to the touch grass, ripping a 108-mph single.
The one logical(ish) conclusion I can draw is that Vientos has been saving all of his luck for group Nicaragua. He’s planning on working a BABIP of .850 within the WBC, blooping and blasting his nation previous the remainder of Pool D and into the knockout spherical, counting on the knowledge of supervisor Dusty Baker to hit ‘em the place they ain’t.
For those who’re a Yankees or Phillies fan and also you don’t really feel snug rooting for a Met, perhaps you’ll be able to root for Jeter Downs, who remains to be not Mookie Betts, however is prospering with the Softbank Hawks of the NPB, working a 123 wRC+ in 2025.
Venezuela
I’m not telling you something you don’t know right here, however Venezuela’s lineup is extraordinarily good. They’ve acquired Ronald Acuña Jr., Jackson Chourio, and Wilyer Abreu within the outfield. They’ve acquired Willson Contreras, Luis Arraez, Eugenio Suárez, Maikel Garcia, and Andrés Giménez on the infield. They’ve acquired William Contreras and Salvador Perez behind the plate. That’s loads of nice bats and nice gloves. Garcia and Abreu each gained Gold Gloves in 2025, and Giménez is a three-time winner who took house the Platinum Glove in 2024. Truthfully, perhaps the thrilling factor needs to be the glovework. However what I’m most enthusiastic about is the bullpen.
Venezuela doesn’t have a lot beginning pitching depth behind Ranger Suarez, however pitching within the WBC is an all-hands-on-deck enterprise, and Venezuela has a complete lot of huge arms to select from. Daniel Palencia ran a 2.91 ERA and saved 22 video games final yr, along with his four-seamer averaging 99.6 mph. Angel Zerpa’s sinker averaged 96.6. Anthony Molina, Antonio Senzatela, Luinder Avila, and José Buttó have been all above 95 mph. Eduardo Rodriguez and Yoendrys Gómez don’t deliver as a lot warmth, however their four-seamers have been each nicely above the league common when it comes to whiff charge.
Not all of those guys are standouts, however that’s a very deep ‘pen. Venezuela might nicely mash their technique to the knockout spherical, however they might simply as simply make it there by placing up zero after zero.