Pool D at the World Baseball Classic features the best squads Latin America has to offer, including the tournament favourite.
Even though the Dominican Republic will be missing one of its biggest bats in the form of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., there’s no doubt the country has put together an outstanding roster.
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While Puerto Rico and Venezuela don’t project to be quite as potent, they are each stocked with proven MLB talent around the diamond. Israel and Nicaragua round out a group that is probably the best at the WBC.
Here’s a rundown on what to expect from Pool D:
Dominican Republic
Manager: Rodney Linares
WBC history: The Dominican Republic won this tournament in 2013 and managed a fourth-place finish in 2006. It failed to reach the semifinals in 2009 (9th) and 2017 (5th).
Projected lineup:
CF Julio Rodriguez
2B Jose Ramirez
RF Juan Soto
1B Nelson Cruz
DH Rafael Devers
3B Manny Machado
LF Starling Marte
SS Jeremy Pena
C Francisco Mejia
Notable pitchers:
RHP Sandy Alcántara
RHP Luis Castillo
RHP Cristian Javier
RHP Roansy Contreras
RHP Johnny Cueto
RHP Diego Castillo
LHP Génesis Cabrera
LHP Gregory Soto
RHP Héctor Neris
RHP Rafael Montero
RHP Camilo Dorval
RHP Yimi Garcia
Need to know: The collection of stars the Dominican Republic has put together is nothing short of outstanding. It’s easy to hyperbolize about this collection of talent, but it’s not unfair to describe this group as one of the best baseball teams ever assembled.
Anything short of a title will be a massive disappointment for a team that features so many perennial MVP candidates. That doesn’t mean this is a group without flaws.
The catcher position is thin and Cruz is a placeholder at first base with Guerrero Jr. dropping out of the tournament. The Dominican Republic is likely to come up with another solution — Robinson Cano is a possible option — but the country didn’t bring many players with experience at first.
The pitching staff includes plenty of outstanding bullpen options, but the rotation behind Alcántara is more good than great.
While those concerns are legitimate, they are also nitpicking. A team this talented is a worthy WBC favourite.
Puerto Rico
Manager: Yadier Molina
WBC history: Puerto Rico earned second-place finishes in 2013 and 2017. It came in fifth place in 2006 and 2009.
Projected lineup:
C Christian Vazquez
1B Jose Miranda
2B Javier Baez
3B Carlos Correa
SS Francisco Lindor
LF Eddie Rosario
CF Kike Hernandez
RF MJ Melendez
DH Emmanuel Rivera
Notable pitchers:
RHP José Berríos
RHP Marcus Stroman
RHP Edwin Díaz
RHP Alexis Díaz
RHP Jorge López
RHP José De León
RHP: Hector Santiago
LHP Emilio Pagán
LHP Jovani Moran
Need to know: For a territory with a population under 3.5 million, Puerto Rico has punched well above its weight at this tournament recently with back-to-back second-place finishes.
It would be a surprise if it was able to replicate that success this time around, though. The trio of Correa, Lindor and Baez will give this group elite infield defence and offensive punch, but this team is low on MLB star power outside of them.
Berríos is a wild card capable of anchoring this rotation or putting it in a tough spot depending on whether he’s more like the pitcher he was last season or for the majority of his career. Stroman is a strong addition to this team and a bullpen led by Edwin Díaz should be solid.
This group has great players in a few spots, but the depth of top-level talent is lacking compared to some of its competitors.
It will be interesting to see if Yadier Molina can elevate this squad as a manager after he was an extremely well-regarded baseball mind during his 19-year MLB career.
Venezuela
Manager: Omar López
WBC history: Venezuela came in third in 2009, but has no other finishes above seventh place on its resume.
Projected lineup:
C Salvador Perez
1B Luis Arraez
2B Jose Altuve
3B Eugenio Suarez
SS Andres Gimenez
LF David Peralta
CF Ronald Acuna Jr.
RF Anthony Santander
DH Miguel Cabrera
Notable pitchers:
RHP Pablo López
LHP Jesús Luzardo
LHP Martín Pérez
LHP Ranger Suárez
LHP José Alvarado
RHP Elieser Hernandez
RHP Maximo Castillo
Need to know: Venezuela can’t match Puerto Rico’s pedigree at this tournament; its talent level might be more impressive.
The lineup includes stars like Altuve, Arraez, Perez, Gimenez and Acuna Jr. with the country’s most accomplished hitter — Cabrera — hoping to make an impact in his last pro season.
Those names are impressive, but what stands out about this team is that it has most of its best pitching. While many countries are doing without many of their top MLB arms, the same isn’t true for Venezuela — even after Germán Márquez — dropping out late with a hamstring injury.
A rotation with López, Luzardo and Pérez looks solid with Suárez able to contribute in multiple roles. Alvarado is the team’s most proven reliever, but it will hope to get plenty of innings out of its rotation.
Israel
Manager: Ian Kinsler
WBC history: Sixth in 2017. Did not qualify in 2013 and did not enter in 2009 or 2006.
Notable position players: OF Joc Pederson, OF Alex Dickerson, C Garrett Stubbs, 3B Danny Valencia, 1B Spencer Horwitz
Notable pitchers: LHP Richard Bleier, RHP Robert Stock, RHP Jake Bird, RHP Bubby Rossman
Need to know: There is some MLB talent on this team — headlined by Pederson — but this group isn’t expected to compete for a WBC title.
There might be more recognizable names on the coaching staff than in the lineup as Ian Kinsler, Kevin Youkilis and Brad Ausmus are all involved with this team.
Israel might be of particular interest to Blue Jays fans as the team will feature Horwitz, as a rising prospect in the club’s system.
The first baseman/outfielder hit .275/.391/.452 in 482 plate appearances across Double-A and Triple-A last year, earning a spot on Toronto’s 40-man roster heading into the 2023 campaign.
Nicaragua
Manager: Sandor Guido
WBC history (in brief): This is Nicaragua’s first appearance at the WBC. The team did not enter in 2006 and 2009 and failed to qualify in 2013 and 2017.
Notable position players: 1B/3B Cheslor Cuthbert, 2B/3B Alex Blandino, SS Steven Layton
Notable pitchers: RHP Jonathan Loáisiga, RHP Erasmo Ramírez, RHP JC Ramirez
Need to know: This is a tough group, and Nicaragua is likely to find itself in Pool D’s cellar.
Loáisiga is the closest thing the team has to an MLB star, but it’s unlikely they will be in close games enough for the high-leverage reliever to be a difference maker at this tournament.
Cuthbert and Blandino have played bench roles at the big-league level while Layton is coming off a strong season in the minors that saw him climb from High-A to Triple-A in the Cincinnati Reds’ system.
This squad is primarily composed of minor-league veterans and unheralded prospects looking to showcase their talents on the international stage.
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