Tag Archives: WBC

WBC Roster Analysis: Puerto Rico

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While Puerto Rican baseball has, as I’ve said before, seen better days, the roster that Puerto Rico has in this WBC will have plenty of MLB experience, and will have at least two genuine stars: Carlos Beltran and Yadier Molina. So as they host the first round Pool C, they won’t be lacking for talent.

The question, though, is whether that talent will be enough to help them escape the “group of death” that also features the Dominican Republic and Venezuela. While on paper they seem to be the third-best team, this is baseball, and it certainly is possible that Puerto Rico will be able to escape the first round… and perhaps beyond.

Go below the jump for the rest of the analysis.

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WBC Roster Analysis: Dominican Republic

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The Dominican Republic, like the USA and Venezuela, has yet to live up to it’s baseball pedigree when it comes to the WBC. They went down in the semifinals in 2006, and were embarrassed by the Netherlands twice in 2009. Can they do better this time around?

Well, that remains to be seen. For one thing, the roster for Team DR that was released is only 23-men strong, probably due to the fact some players (most notably Albert Pujols) are still of an uncertain status due to various issues, such as insurance clearance. For another, they will be in a group of death, as Pool C also has Venezuela, Puerto Rico and (to a much, much lesser degree) Spain.

So, how’s it look? Go after the jump to find out:

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WBC Roster Analysis: The Netherlands

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What, did you expect me to do the Dominican Republic first after I did Team USA? Well, sorry to disappoint, as I’m focusing on the Dutch today.

The Netherlands may seem, on the surface, to be a country unlikely to be a baseball power, but that is only when one assumes that “The Netherlands” is just the country in Europe. In reality, “The Netherlands” in baseball competition (and certain other forums) is the “Kingdom of the Netherlands“, a sovereign state  that includes not only the Netherlands but also it’s Caribbean holdings, most notably Curacao and Aruba.

You can find the roster for the Netherlands here, although there is a slightly different- and possibly more up-to-date version- here, go after the jump for my analysis of it.

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WBC Simulation: USA vs. Canada

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On Sunday, March 30, 2013, Team USA and Canada will play the final Pool D game at Chase Field in Phoenix. Canada will technically be the home team. It’s entirely possible that who has advanced in the WBC would already be decided, but the sometimes erratic tie-breaking procedures of the round robin first round make it unlikely that both would be decided, and it is entirely likely that this game would decide the fates of at least one of the teams playing.

So, how might it go down? Well, using Out of the Park Baseball, I am simulating it! Go after the jump for the rest.

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Quick Impressions of the other 15 WBC rosters (and a link to the US)

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More rosters were revealed at 4 PM, go below the jump for my quick run-down of them. It will be updated as the rosters are revealed on television. Also, note that the rosters (which I will link to when I find a good link) are NOT FINAL and could change.

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Late WBC news for Jan. 17, 2013 and preview of tomorrow

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Only one last bit of news tonight: Hainley Statia, a Brewers minor leaguer, will be playing for the Dutch.

Now, tomorrow’s schedule:

MLB Network’s Hot Stove will be the de-facto Team USA announcement special, with the announcement itself due at about 10 PM Eastern, barring something else coming up. I intend on having an initial profile of Team USA up by around noon, 1 PM.

The rest of the rosters will be revealed at 4 PM Eastern, also on MLB Network. I’ll probably hit most of those rosters quickly but go in more detail in the coming days.

So, until tomorrow, feel free to look at all of the content here at the Continuum, and also consider checking out Joe Connor’s guide.

 

Late WBC News for Jan. 16, 2013 (Part 2 of ?): Cuba’s roster

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Cuba has released their roster through their state-run Latina Prensa. 

Here’s how it looks:

Catchers: Yulexis La Rosa, Frank Camilo Morejon and Eriel Sanchez.

Infielders: José Dariel Abreu, Luis Felipe Rivera, José Miguel Fernández, Andy Ibañez, Yulieski Gourriel and Barbaro Arrebarruena.

Outfielders: Frederich Cepeda, Alfredo Despaigne, Rusney Castillo, Alexei Bell, Guillermo Hernandez Heredia and Yadiel Hernandez.

Pitchers: Freddy Asiel Alvarez, Ismel Jimenez, Raciel Iglesias, Odrisamer Despaigne, Norberto Gonzalez, Darien Nuñez, Wilber Perez, Yulieski Gonzalez, Vladimir Garcia, Alexander Rodriguez, Danny Betancourt, Vichyoandri Odelín and Yander Guevara.

Manager: Victor Mesa

Head Coach: Jorge Fuentes

Now, you might not recognize many of those names, since they are all part of the state-run Cuban league (where everyone is technically an amateur), so here are some you should know about:

Yulieski Gourriel is probably the best known of this group, an infielder (primarily 3B) who, especially when he was younger, would have MLB teams fighting for the rights to sign him if they could. He hit .273 in the 2006 WBC and .333 in the 2009 edition, where he also hit two home runs.

Alfredo Despaigne is another veteran of past WBCs, an outfielder who played for Cuba in 2009. He holds the Cuban National Series (the aforementioned “amateur” league) record for home runs, which he set when he hit 36 in the 2011-2012 season.

Amongst the pitchers, a name to watch is Ismel Jimenez, a right-handed veteran of the ’09 Classic who currently leads the Cuban National Series in strikeouts this season.

More WBC news as it comes out.

Late World Baseball Classic news for January 16, 2013 (Part 1 of ?)

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Okay, some more WBC news to go over as you ponder the bizarre tale of Manti Te’o…

More WBC news if it comes out. Also, don’t forget that all 16 rosters come out tomorrow. The Continuum will have lots of coverage, so don’t forget to come here. Also, if you are a fan of international baseball, you may be interested in the guide from Joe Connor.

Rosters (and possibilities/non-possibilities) of the World Baseball Classic as of 12:30 PM of Jan. 16, 2013

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While we all wonder if Justin Verlander will change his mind and join the WBC (he’s leaning to no, at least for the initial round), here’s the latest news:

  • Xander Bogaerts, one of the top prospects of the Boston Red Sox, will be representing the Kingdom of the Netherlands (he’s from Aruba).
  • The Korean press is apparently a bit worried about the Taiwanese team, which, unlike Korea, will have some of it’s MLB-experienced talent with it. Of course, Taiwan also will have some domestic players: new names revealed in the article include Lamigo Tigers star SS Chih-Sen Lin and young pitching phenom Jen-Ho Tseng, who, although only 18, has already pitched well for Chinese Taipei in international competitions.
  • Edited in at 12:48- Drew Butera, of Italian descent, will play for Italy in the WBC.

As usual, you can find it the whole list after the jump, and more news will be posted as it is revealed, in addition, you might be interested in Joe Connor’s World in a Ballpark:

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Rosters (and possibilities/non-possibilities) of the World Baseball Classic as of 1:17 PM of Jan. 15, 2013

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Today’s WBC news:

  • The third catcher for Team USA will be J.P. Arencibia. Perhaps not coincidentally, he’s one of the catchers for the Blue Jays, and will be one of the people responsible for trying to catch R.A. Dickey‘s knuckleball this season.
  • As expected, Dustin Pedroia won’t be playing. He was expected to take part only if his surgically repaired ligaments in his finger was 100%.

As usual, you can find it the whole list after the jump, and more news will be posted as it is revealed, in addition, you might be interested in Joe Connor’s World in a Ballpark:

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