The 2023 WBC is finally upon us! After a long break due to covid-19, the world's biggest international baseball tournament returns and it is stacked with the best talent on earth. Join us for our WBC odds series with a World Baseball Classic prediction and pick.
The three teams to look out for this year are Dominican Republic, USA, and Japan. The DR is arguably the top team in this tournament, as their lineup is just too damn good. They have the pitching and hitting that should put them on top, as to why they are the favorites heading into the tourney. USA and Japan are second with the next highest odds. Japan has always produced amazing talent and Shohei Ohtani (MLB's No. 1 player heading into the season) is the face of the squad.
The DR is the favorite to win the WBC. Back in 2017, we witnessed one of the best baseball games ever played at Petco Park in San Diego. Team USA and the DR played an absolute banger of a game that saw two Baltimore Orioles teammates go head-to-head. Remember the catch Adam Jones made to rob teammate Manny Machado of a homerun late in the game? I sure do, as I was able to witness that in person from the left-field view. That was the semi-finals of the tournament and USA went on to win the game. They then beat Puerto Rico 8-0 to lift the trophy.
The first game will be tonight Tuesday, March 7, as Cuba and the Netherlands get things going for Pool A.
Here are the WBC odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
WBC Odds: 2023 Winner Odds
Dominican Republic: +220
USA: +260
Japan: +260
Venezuela: +1000
Korea: +1400
Mexico: +1800
Puerto Rico: +2100
Cuba: +4500
Netherlands: +7500
Canada: +10000
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Why DR Could Win The WBC
This DR squad features a ton of names, as Manny Machado is leading the way. Nelson Cruz (Machado's new San Diego Padres teammate) is the GM of the team and has put together an insanely good roster. Where do I start? Outside of the No. 5 player in baseball, they contain Juan Soto, Rafael Devers, Vlad Guererro Jr., Jose Ramirez, Julio Rodriguez, Jeremy Pena, Sterling Marte, Ketel Marte, Teoscar Hernandez, and Wander Franco. I haven't even mentioned their hurlers yet. CY Young winner Sandy Alcantara leads the way, with Cristian Javier, Luis Garcia, Rafael Montero, Johnny Cueto, and Camilo Doval.
Baseball is a tough sport. But with all that talent, it's hard not to see them go far in this tournament. At +220 odds, I really like that value right now before it gets even lower. DR plays in Pool D in Miami, Florida. Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Nicaragara, and Israel round out Pool D.
Why USA Could Win The WBC
The reigning champs are back and they have a roster capable of winning once again. 2022 NL MVP Paul Goldschmidt and St. Louis Cardinals teammate Nolan Arenado lead the way for Team USA. Angels outfielder Mike Trout will play this time around and will see Mookie Betts and likely Kyle Tucker next to him in the OF. Cedric Mullins, Kyle Schwarber, and Jeff McNeil bring much-needed left-handed hitters off the bench. In the infield, Trea Turner should start at shortstop next to Arenado, and we should also see Tim Anderson get some reps. We could even see Turner at second if they do indeed want to start Anderson as SS. The Polar Bear Pete Alonso and Bobby Witt Jr. round out the infield as Alonso could see a lot of time at DH. JT Realmuto will be the starting catcher.
On the bump, the pitchers will not be as talented as they were back in 2017 when USA won it all. Lance Lynn and Adam Wainwright lead the way as starters, with Kyle Freeland and Brady Singer looking to back them up. Nick Martinez will be playing after a late change to Clayton Kershaw and Merrill Kelly is another strong starter. In the pen, Devin Williams leads the way with David Bednar, Jason Adam, Daniel Bard, and Ryan Pressly waiting to get their turn.
USA plays in Pool C which is played in Phoenix, Arizona starting March 11. They will face off against Mexico, Columbia, Canada, and Great Britain. The red, white, and blue are very capable of repeating as champs with the roster they contain.
Why Japan Could Win The WBC
Japan is a squad no team wants to face. Led by the top player in the world, Ohtani can do it all, clearly. Ohtani will have help from MLB players Yu Darvish, Lars Nootbar, and Masataka Yoshida. Yoshida will debut at the end of the month for the Boston Red Sox. Those are the only four in the MLB right now, but Japan has always had a ton of talent in their professional league. Yuki Matsui and Tetsuto Yamada return to the squad where they have seen a lot of success.
Darvish is one of the more consistent pitchers in the MLB as he was in the top-3 last season with consecutive quality starts thrown. Ohtani and Darvish will be the best 1-2 punch in the WBC. If they are on their game, then they should win their group with ease and work their way to another WBC championship.
Japan plays in Pool B, and they will host their group stage in Tokyo. Korea, Australia, China, and the Czech Republic round out the rest of the pool. Korea provides solid defense with Tommy Edman and Ha-Seong Kim, but nobody should really compete with Japan.
Why The Field Could Win The WBC
Let's stick with Korea for right now. They have some young talent that will be posted to Major League Baseball after this upcoming season. Jeong Choi and ByungHo Park are sluggers who are both in the top-4 all-time in KBO home runs. Jung-Hoo Lee is the reigning KBo MVP, and will command a lot of attention following this season. They also have a stud closer, Woo-suk Go, who posted a 1.48 ERA and 42 saves last year in the KBO. Look out for the Koreans.
Venezuela has a ton of talent as well. Led by rising superstar Ronald Acuna Jr., they have a ton of MLB talent ready to make a statement. Anthony Santander and David Peralta round out the OF, with Gleyber Torres, Eugenio Suarez, Luis Arraez, Eduardo Escobar, and Jose Altuve leading the way in the infield. Andres Gimenez has an incredible campaign in 2022 and will be a huge name for them as well. Salvador Perez should be the starting catcher. On the bump, they contain a solid rotation with Martin Perez, Pablo Lopez, Eduardo Rodriguez, Ranger Suarez, and Jesus Luzardo. They would need to compete with the DR to win their group.
Mexico and Puerto Rico also contain a good amount of MLB talent. Mexico has a chance to finish second in Pool C and Puerto Rico has a tough group with DR and Venezuela in Pool B.
Final 2023 WBC Prediction & Pick
With the lineup the DR contains, it seems like no one will stop them. Look for them to win their first WBC since 2013 where they dominated.
Final 2023 WBC Prediction & Pick: Dominican Republic +220
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