2026 WBC Previews

Aside

With the 2026 World Baseball Classic now underway, here are all my previews:

Pool A (San Juan)

Pool B (Houston)

Pool C (Tokyo)

Pool D (Miami)

2026 World Baseball Classic Preview: Pool B (Houston)

Here’s the preview for Pool B of the World Baseball Classic…

Photo by Juan Nino on Pexels.com

About the Venue: Daikin Park has gone through several names and also used to have a hill in center, but regardless of what name or shape it is, it remains the home of the Houston Astros and a capacity of over 41 thousand.

About the Pool: This is Team USA’s pool, and only Mexico is any major threat to beat them for the pool title. Italy also could be interesting. Great Britain and Brazil are likely also-rans, but you never know, can you?

Go below the jump for the full preview.

Continue reading

2026 World Baseball Classic Preview: Pool D (Miami)

Here’s the preview for Pool D of the World Baseball Classic…

Photo by Lewis R on Pexels.com

About the Venue: LoanDepot Park will be hosting games in every round this WBC, including the final for the second straight tournament. This is largely because the 36.7K-seat stadium was hopping throughout the last WBC, as Miami’s international population and world-renowned status led to some of the biggest and craziest crowds of the tournament.

About the Pool: The Dominican and Venezuela are the stars of this group, but the Netherlands should also impress, Israel has some notable players, and Nicaragua has also returned.

Go below the jump for the full preview.

Continue reading

2026 World Baseball Classic Preview: Pool A (San Juan)

With the 2026 World Baseball Classic about to begin, it’s time for my preview of the tournament. Here’s Pool A.

Photo by Alex Gonzo on Pexels.com

About the Venue: Named for the first Puerto Rican to play in the big leagues, Hiram Bithorn Stadium holds over 19,000. It’s the go-to place for MLB events in Puerto Rico, and infamously hosted the Montreal Expos during their residencies in San Juan.

About the Pool:  This is the hardest pool to predict. Every team here can win the pool, but I can also probably make an argument for every team in this pool save for maybe Puerto Rico and Canada being the one who finishes last and gets bounced to qualifying.

Go below the jump for the full preview.

Continue reading

Next Year on the Baseball Continuum….

With the World Baseball Classic coming up, it’s almost time for the Baseball Continuum to kick back in gear. Here’s what you can expect in the next few months:

  • Initial run-down reactions once the rosters are officially announced
  • Group-by-group previews
  • Round-by-Round updated previews to reflect roster changes, who is hot, etc.
  • Potentially other articles and resources on the tournament

So… stay tuned!

Over at The Nats Report: Memories of Dylan Crews

Aside

Over at The Nats Report, I have a look at some memorable moments in Dylan Crews’ Rochester Red Wings career ahead of his MLB debut.

Over at The Nats Report: Rochester Red Wings Report

Aside

Head over to The Nats Report for a look at my first Rochester Red Wings Report of the season.

Three Pickin’ Splinters Articles from a Big Night in Rochester

I have not one, not two, but three articles up on Pickin’ Splinters about last night’s historic game between the Rochester Red Wings and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. Gerrit Cole was there on a rehab assignment, the game drew a record crowd, and it came down to the final inning.

First off, there’s the game story focused on Gerrit Cole’s rehab start and the Red Wings’ walk-off win.

Also, there is a story about Denard Span’s return to Rochester, as well as his participation in Negro Leagues celebrations.

Finally, you can read Cole’s comments on the ABS challenge system in this article.

Over at Pickin’ Splinters: Gerrit Cole rehabbing in Rochester?

Aside

Over at Pickin’ Splinters, I look at whether Gerrit Cole could have a rehab start in Rochester. The answer? Maybe!

Over at Pickin’ Splinters: Strasburg’s trips to Rochester

Aside

Over at Pickin’ Splinters, I remember Stephen Strasburg’s trips to Rochester.