Dutch infield, Cuban bats highlight World Baseball Classic Pool A

The 2023 World Baseball Classic will kick off on March 7 with Pool A action between Cuba and the Netherlands at 11 p.m. ET.

Pool A's round-robin play will take place in Taichung, Taiwan and feature the aforementioned Cuban and Dutch squads, who will be competing with Italy, Chinese Taipei and Panama to earn a spot in the quarter-finals.

Some notable MLB stars are taking their talents to play in the WBC and Pool A has plenty of big leaguers representing their countries.

Led by Chicago White Sox outfielder Luis Robert, Cuba is the favourite to win the pool, while San Diego Padres shortstop Xander Bogaerts and the Netherlands have the second-best odds to come out on top.

The top two teams from pool play will move on to the quarterfinals in Tokyo.

With all that said, let’s dive into each of the countries competing in Pool A to see who baseball fans should keep an eye on when first pitch flies:

Manager: Armando Johnson

WBC history: Cuba has competed in all four World Baseball Classics, finishing second in 2006, sixth in 2009, fifth in 2013 and seventh in 2017. It has an all-time record of 15-11 at the WBC.

Notable position players: The 2023 World Baseball Classic will be the first time that players who left Cuba are able to suit up for their country, opening the door for a number of MLB players to compete in the tournament.

Robert headlines the group of position players and will be joined by former all-star Yoenis Cespedes, Chicago White Sox third baseman Yoán Moncada and Detroit Tigers infielder Andy Ibáñez.

Veteran outfielder Alfredo Despaigne is another name to watch, having logged an illustrious pro-career that has included four Cuban National Series MVPs and three NPB all-star nods.

Notable pitchers: While there isn’t as much MLB talent joining Cuba’s pitching staff, baseball fans may still be familiar with the likes of Chicago Cubs lefty Roenis Elías and Kansas City Royals righty Ronald Bolaños. 

Baseball America also listed southpaw Livan Moinelo and righties Raidel Martinez and Yariel Rodriguez in their top 10 prospects that will be competing at the WBC.

Need to know: Cuba has always been one of the top-performing nations at the World Baseball Classic. Now, including its major leaguers, Cuba has a chance to improve upon its finishes at the last three WBCs — if its pitching can help it get there. 

While it is the favourite to advance out of the pool, Cuba will likely only go as far as its pitching staff takes it. The offence has a little more certainty with its established big-league talent, so if Cuba wants to not only move out of Pool A but to the semi-finals in Florida, its arms will have to prove themselves on the international stage.

Manager: Hensley Meulens

WBC history: The Netherlands has competed in all four World Baseball Classics and came on strong through the last two editions of the tournament. After placing 11th in 2006 and seventh in 2009, the Dutch placed fourth in 2013 and 2017 and hold an 11-13 all-time record in WBC play. 

Notable position players: The Netherlands features one of the top infields in the WBC. Joining Bogaerts on the dirt will be four-time gold glove winner Andrelton Simmons, Detroit Tigers second baseman Jonathan Schoop and veteran Didi Gregorius. 

While the infield will, deservedly, get all the headlines, former Toronto Blue Jay Josh Palacios, current free agent Jurickson Profar and former Washington National Roger Bernadina will make up the outfield group.

Notable pitchers: Much like Cuba’s, the pitching staff lacks top-level MLB talent. However, Shairon Martis, who threw the first-and-only no-hitter in WBC history, is back in the rotation and will be supported by former all-star Jair Jurrjens and veteran reliever Pedro Strop.

Toronto Blue Jays 21-year-old right-handed prospect Jiorgeny Casimiri will also be making the trip to represent the Netherlands after spending 2022 in the complex league and single-A.

Need to know: After a thrilling semifinal loss in extra innings against Puerto Rico in 2017, the Netherlands will look to break through to the championship game in 2023. While the Dutch have never finished atop their pool in round-robin play, advancing to the semifinals may be a tall task for whichever team finishes second in Pool A.

The top team in Pool B will be awaiting the second-place finisher and with Japan expected to win that pool, the top spot in Pool A would be important for a team like the Netherlands which hopes to build upon its two fourth-place finishes. 

Manager: Mike Piazza

WBC history: Italy has also competed in all four World Baseball Classics, finishing 10th in 2006 and 2009, seventh in 2013 and 12th in 2017. It has an all-time WBC record of 5-10.

Notable position players: Team Italy’s lineup will be led by Los Angeles Angels infielder David Fletcher and Kansas City Royals infielders Vinnie Pasquantino and Nicky Lopez.

Pasquantino is one of the more exciting players to watch at the World Baseball Classic as the 25-year-old shot up prospect boards before debuting with the Royals in 2022, where he posted a .295/.383/.450 slash line in 72 games.

Sal Frelick, one of the Milwaukee Brewers top prospects, will also be a name to watch in Italy’s lineup after a standout 2022.

Notable pitchers: Former all-star Matt Harvey will lead the way on Italy’s pitching staff. Joining ‘The Dark Knight’ on the pitching staff will be former Blue Jay Joe Biagini and current Seattle Mariners reliever Matt Festa. 

The Italians have a number of minor-league arms that will try to make a name for themselves with a strong tournament.

Need to know: Italy may not be one of the favourites to advance out of Pool A, but with a group full of up-and-coming talent, it could lay the foundation for future WBC success with a strong showing in 2023. 

With Piazza leading the way and a group almost entirely made up of affiliated players, Italy may be able to surprise some of the top dogs in the pool. The WBC has constantly been a proving ground for future major league stars to earn their stripes before breaking through at the MLB level and Italy may be giving several prospects that chance in Taichung.

Manager: Luis Ortiz

WBC history: Panama will return to the 2023 World Baseball Classic after missing the 2013 and 2017 tournaments. In its two previous trips, it finished 14th and 15th and failed to win a game.

Notable position players: Tampa Bay Rays catcher Christian Bethancourt and former New York Mets shortstop Rubén Tejada are the most notable names on the position player side of things for Team Panama. That duo will look to lead a group of minor leaguers and Panamanian and Mexican professionals to offensive success.

Another name to watch in Panama’s lineup is that of 22-year-old Los Angeles Dodgers outfield prospect Jose Ramos, who will be playing centre field in Taichung. He hit 25 home runs across two levels last season and appeared in the 2022 Arizona Fall League.

Notable pitchers: Jaime Barría of the Los Angeles Angels will lead Panama’s pitching staff. After a solid 2022, in which he finished with a 2.61 ERA in 79.1 innings out of the bullpen, he is looking to earn a spot in the Angels’ rotation in 2023 and will get a shot to show he’s got the chops to be a starter with Team Panama.

Colorado Rockies and Milwaukee Brewers relievers Justin Lawrence and Javy Guerra are two major leaguers to keep an eye on in the later innings of Panama’s games.

Need to know: Panama has fallen victim to some of its top players dropping out of the WBC due to commitments with their MLB teams. It has lost players such as St. Louis Cardinals catcher Iván Herrera, San Diego Padres and Canadian-born pitcher Miguel Cienfuegos and Washington Nationals pitcher Paolo Espino. 

However, the team still features 13 affiliated players that, like Team Italy’s prospects, will look to help their team to victory while establishing themselves as household names.

Manager: Yueh-Ping Lin

WBC history: In four World Baseball Classic trips, Chinese Taipei has placed 12th, 15th, eighth and 14th, racking up a 3-10 record across its four appearances.

Notable position players: Chinese Taipei’s roster primarily consists of players from the Chinese Professional Baseball League but will have a couple of names MLB fans might recognize.

Yu Chang is a middle infielder who has spent parts of the last four major league seasons playing with four teams. He is currently a member of the Boston Red Sox organization. 

Tzu-Wei Lin came up with the Red Sox and last appeared in MLB as a member of the Minnesota Twins in 2021. 

The final notable position player is Tsung-Che Cheng, who is a prospect in the Pittsburgh Pirates system and was a dynamic threat at single-A last season, posting a .270/.376/.418 slash line and stealing 33 bases.

Notable pitchers: While there is only one currently affiliated player on Team Chinese Taipei, Chih-Wei Hu, C.C. Lee and Wei-Chung Wang all pitched out of major league bullpens in their careers and figure to be a big part of the 2023 pitching staff.

Kai-Wei Teng is a 24-year-old righty that logged 136.1 innings with an 11.16 K/9 at double-A in the San Franciso Giants system last season.

Need to know: The Chinese Taipei consistently ranks among the world’s best baseball nations in the WBSC World Rankings — currently sitting at No. 2 — but has been unable to parlay that into success at the WBC. 

This year's tournament will be the second time that the Chinese Taipei will get to play in front of its home crowd in pool play. The Intercontinental Baseball Stadium played host to Pool B in 2013, which was also the only time Chinese Taipei has advanced out of its pool. 

With a strong group of teams descending upon Taichung, the Chinese Taipei will once again look to leverage home-field advantage into a trip to Tokyo.