World Baseball Classic Guide: Pool B

The 2017 World Baseball Classic runs from March 6-22 and will be the fourth installment of the international competition that features 16 countries. We continue our pre-tournament preview with Pool B.

POOL A I POOL C I POOL D

Venue

Stadium: Tokyo Dome
Location: Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan
Capacity: 46,000
Opened: 1988

Schedule

Teams

Japan

WBSC Ranking: 1st
WBC Appearance: 4th
WBC Record: 17-7
Best Finish: 1st (2006, 2009)
2013 Finish: 3rd (Lost 3-1 to Puerto Rico in Semifinals)

"Samurai Japan" will be hoping to take their World Baseball Classic one step further than last time. The national club was cast aside 3-1 in the 2013 semifinals by Puerto Rico, which lost the final against the Dominican Republic, 3-0. But Japan will have to pull it off with a ton of talent from the Nippon Professional Baseball league, with Nori Aoki the only MLB name on the roster. It'll also be without pitcher-slugger phenom Shohei Otani, who is skipping the tournament to heal a lingering ankle injury.

Player to Watch: Yoshitomo Tsutsugo

Without Otani in the lineup, look out for Tsutsugo to carry the bulk of the offensive load for Japan. The 25-year-old outfielder raked in 133 games last season in the Japanese Pacific Coast League, mashing 44 home runs with a .322/.430/.680 slash line.

Notable absences: Masahiro Tanaka, Shohei Otani, Yu Darvish, Kenta Maeda

ROSTER

Manager: Hiroki Kokubo

Catchers: Ginjiro Sumitani, Seiji Kobayashi, Shota Ohno

Infielders: Sho Nakata, Ryosuke Kikuchi, Nobuhiro Matsuda, Tetsuto Yamada, Hayato Sakamoto, Kosuke Tanaka

Outfielders: Norichika Aoki, Seiichi Uchikawa, Shogo Akiyama, Ryosuke Hirata, Yoshitomo Tsutsugo, Seiya Suzuki

Pitchers: Tomoyuki Sugano, Takahiro Norimoto, Kodai Senga, Ayumu Ishikawa, Shintaro Fujinami, Hirotoshi Masui, Kazuhisa Makita, Naoki Myanishi, Ryo Akiyoshi, Yoshihisa Hirano, Toshiya Okada, Yuki Matsui, Kenta Ishida, Yuta Iwasada, Tatsushi Masuda, Masahiko Morifuku, Yusuke Nomura, Daichi Ohsera, Hirokazu Sawamura, Shota Takeda, Yasuaki Yamasaki

Australia

WBSC Ranking: 10th
WBC Appearance: 4th
WBC Record: 1-8
Best Finish: 12th (2009)
2013 Finish: 16th (Eliminated in 1st Round)

It looks to be another tough outing at the WBC for the Aussies. Major-league reliever Liam Hendriks reportedly pulled out of the tournament in February, leaving the side bereft of MLB talent. That's not to say it has no chance, though. Australia qualified for the tournament by downing the Philippines 11-1, before beating South Africa twice, 4-1 and 12-5, and it could be a dark horse in the pool.

Player to Watch: Warwick Saupold

With a name like "Warwick Saupold," how can you expect anything less than riveting stuff from the Detroit Tigers right-hander? Saupold made his major-league debut in 2016, appearing in six games and posting a 7.45 ERA, but the 27-year-old's Triple-A performance showed more promise after he crafted a 2.30 ERA in 74 1/3 innings (11 starts).

Notable absences: Liam Hendriks

ROSTER

Manager: Jon Deeble

Catchers: Robert Perkins, Allan De San Miguel

Infielders: Stefan Welch, Brad Harman, Logan Wade, Mitchell Nilsson, Mike Walker, James Beresford, Luke Hughes

Outfielders: Trent Oeltjen, David Kandilas, Mitchell Dening, Aaron Whitefield

Pitchers: Tim Atherton, Travis Blackley, Dushan Ruzic, Warwick Saupold, Alexander Wells, Lachlan Wells, Josh Tols, Jon Kennedy, Timothy Kennelly, Peter Moylan, Steven Kent, Ryan Searle, Ryan Rowland-Smith, Todd Van Steensel, Matt Williams

Designated Pitchers Pool: Daniel McGrath, Chris Oxspring, Samuel Holland, Samuel Street, Tom Bailey, Joshua Guyer, Justin Erasmus

China

WBSC Ranking: 18th
WBC Appearance: 4th
WBC Record: 2-7
Best Finish: 11th
2013 Finish: 13th (Eliminated in 1st Round)

It could be another quick tourney for Team China. After being bounced in the first round in 2013 in a similar group with Cuba, Japan, and Brazil, the Chinese side will be hard-pressed to find a victory this time around, with the only change seeing Australia in Brazil's place.

Player to Watch: Bruce Chen

Team China's entire roster will be composed of players without MLB experience, with the exception of one. Bruce Chen, the former big-league starter of 17 seasons, is switching allegiances from his native Panama to represent China at the tournament. He is a few years removed from a 3.27 ERA season with the Royals in 2013, though you can expect Chen to lead the team's rotation.

Notable absences: None

ROSTER

Manager: John McLaren

Catchers: Ning Li, Weiqiang Meng, Wei Wang

Infielders: Ray Chang, Fujia Chu, Xiaolei Du, Zeyuan Li, Joey Wong, Gui Yuan Xu

Outfielders: Yanpeng Chen, Zhenhong Lu, Chuang Na, Shunyi Yang, Yanyong Yang

Pitchers: Bruce Chen, Kun Chen, Andrew Chin, Quan Gan, Haicheng Gong, Kwon Ju, Xin Li, Yu Liu, Chao Lu, Yusong Lu, Xia Luo, Jiping Qi, Menghao Wang, Yanyong Yang, Chaoqun Zheng

Cuba

WBSC Ranking: 5th
WBC Appearance: 4th
WBC Record: 13-7
Best Finish: 2nd (2006)
2013 Finish: 5th (Eliminated in 2nd Round)

Perennial WBC contenders Cuba will have a whole lot of new faces this time around. In line with its tradition of not fielding players who previously defected from the country, the Cuban team will rely on a new generation of talent in the hopes of beating its runner-up finish in 2006.

Player to Watch: Yoelkis Cespedes

Though it won't have any major leaguers, that doesn't mean the roster will be devoid of any direct links to MLB. Yoelkis Cespedes, the younger half brother of New York Mets center fielder Yoenis, is the most likely candidate in all of Pool B to have a breakout tournament, and MLB clubs will have their eye on the promising 19-year-old.

Notable absences: Jose Abreu, Yoenis Cespedes, Aroldis Chapman

ROSTER

Manager: Carlos Marti

Catchers: Yosvani Alarcon, Frank Morejon, Osvaldo Vazquez

Infielders: Guillermo Aviles, Alexander Ayala, Carlos Benitez, Jeferson Delgado, Alfredo Despaigne, Yurisbel Gracial, Yordan Manduley, William Saavedra

Outfielders: Frederich Cepeda, Yoelkis Cespedes, Victor Mesa, Roel Santos

Pitchers: Freddy Alvarez, Vladimir Banos, Lazaro Blanco, Erlis Casanova, Yoalkis Cruz, Dachel Duquesne, Noelvis Entenza, Jose Angel Garcia, Vladimir Garcia, Leomil Gonzalez, Yasmany Hernandez, Miguel Lahera, Jonder Martinez, Leandro Martinez, Raidel Martinez, Frank Medina, Livan Moinelo, Jose Rodriguez, Alain Sanchez, Yosvani Torres, Yoanni Yera

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)