Major League Baseball has released when, who and where the main World Baseball Classic will be. So, as one of the internet’s only sources for WBC news and analysis (based on the large number of hits I get from people searching for World Baseball Classic), I will now give you my early analysis of the pools. Where I have done projections for the teams, I’ll post a link to them.

First off, one thing of note is that the first round will be pool play, but the second round will be double-elimation. After that, it’s single-elimination in the Semis and the Finals.

So… GO AFTER THE JUMP FOR MY EARLY ANALYSIS!

POOL A: Fukuoka, Japan

One of two pools taking place in Asia (which will ruin my sleep cycle), it’ll take place in the Fukuoka Dome from March 2 to March 6.  Some sites are saying that Tokyo will be hosting this pool, but that’s wrong- Tokyo is hosting a second round pool. The pool features:

JAPAN
CUBA
CHINA
AND A QUALIFIED TEAM

This is a pool that should belong to Japan and Cuba, two of the biggest baseball powers in the world. China will only be in there because MLB covets the vast piles of money they would be getting if baseball were to become even a slightly popular sport there. I have no idea who the fourth team will be, but if I had to guess, I’d say that Spain, who beat the Israeli team in Jupiter a few days ago to qualify for the tournament. It would be a major upset if anyone other than Japan and Cuba advances from this pool.

POOL B: TAICHUNG, CHINESE TAIPEI (AKA TAIWAN)

This pool probably isn’t officially set to be played here, seeing as how the home team, Chinese Taipei (called that instead of Taiwan due to political issues), hasn’t even officially qualified yet. Of course, Taipei’s greatest threat in their qualifying pools are the Philippines and New Zealand, so probably not much to worry about there. So, anyway, here are the teams that will be playing at Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium next March 2-6:

SOUTH KOREA
AUSTRALIA
NETHERLANDS
AND A QUALIFIER (PROBABLY TAIPEI)

On paper, one would think that South Korea and Taipei would win this group, but both Australia and the Netherlands are dangerous, especially the Netherlands, a country which has skyrocketed in baseball talent in the past few years thanks to the Kingdom’s Caribbean holdings. Australia also cannot be dismissed, thanks to their many minor leaguers and the fact they now have a league of their own. That said, I’m sticking with South Korea and CT… for now.

POOL C: SAN JUAN

This pool, which will extend from March 7 to March 10, is the Group of Death. Four teams will enter, each with a proud baseball history, but only two will be able to emerge from Hiram Bithorn Stadium and head to the second round. I mean, look at what this group looks like:

PUERTO RICO
VENEZUELA
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
AND A QUALIFIER

Oh, and in case you think the Qualifier is just going to be a sacrificial lamb, keep in mind that it likely will be the winner of the Panama City qualification group that is made up of Panama, Colombia, Nicaragua and Brazil. Oh, sure, the qualifier almost certainly will finish last in the group, but they will likely be good enough that they could prove a “trap game” for a stronger team. I’m going to predict that Venezuela and the Dominican will escape this pool, but I wouldn’t be shocked if Puerto Rico was able to outdo at least one of them to get one of the spots in the next round.

POOL D: PHOENIX

With games in both Chase Field and Salt River Fields, this will probably be the pool you are most likely to see on ESPN, as it will be the pool with the United States in it. Running from March 7 to March 10, it consists of…

THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
MEXICO
ITALY
AND A QUALIFIER (PROBABLY CANADA)

Much like previous pools the USA has been in, this is somewhere between kind-of reassuring (you will probably never see MLB place the USA into a pool like Pool C), but also worrying, as both Mexico and Canada could beat Team USA (and have in past WBCs) and Italy will likely be upgraded with players of Italian descent. With that said, I’m going to predict the the USA and Mexico will advance, although Canada could just as easily do so.

Overall Overview:

So, presuming my predictions are correct, here’s what the second round pools would look like:

POOL A (Tokyo, Japan): Japan, Cuba, Korea, Taipei

POOL B (Miami): Dominican Republic, Venezuela, USA, Mexico

Expect more projections as time goes on.