World Baseball Classic: Pool B Preview

When the list of teams in Pool B were announced, those who follow the World Baseball Classic were anxious to watch this group of four teams meet.  All four teams are ranked in the Top 10 of the IBAF world rankings; Korea (#4), Chinese Taipei (#5), Netherlands (#7) and Australia (#10).

The schedule for Pool B is as follows:

Friday, March 1, 10:30 pm CT - Australia at Chinese Taipei
Saturday, March 2, 5:30 am CT - Korea at Netherlands
Sunday, March 3, 12:30 am CT - Netherlands at Chinese Taipei
Monday, March 4, 4:30 am CT - Korea at Australia
Monday, March 4, 10:30 pm CT - Australia at Netherlands
Tuesday, March 5, 5:30 am CT - Chinese Taipei at Korea

All games will be shown on television in the United States on the MLB Network.

All games in Pool B will be played at the Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium in Taichung, Taiwan.  The format is simple, each team will play the three other teams in the pool.  The two teams with the best record will advance to the second round, where they will face the two top teams in Pool A.

Here is a brief look at each of the four teams in Pool B.


AUSTRALIA

OF Chris Snelling

Australia enters the tournament as the lowest ranked team in Pool B, despite being the #10 team in the world rankings.

The Australian team features a pair of ex-Major League players in outfielder Chris Snelling and first baseman Justin Huber.

David Kandilas is a young, up-and-coming outfielder on the Australian team, as he hit .266 during the 2012 Australian League season and stole 19 bases.

In a pool that features three high powered offenses, Australia will need to get great pitching from a relatively unknown staff.  Don't be surprised if Australia wins a game, or even two, during pool play, but do not be surprised if they go without a win as well.

CHINESE TAIPEI

1B Cheng-Min Peng

Cheng-Min Peng is a 34 year old first baseman for the Chinese Taipei team that has played 12 professional seasons.  His best year was perhaps back in 2008 when he finished with a .391 batting average.  He averages around 10 home runs per season, but Taipei will need more of his power in this tournament.

Despite being ranked as the #5 team in the world, there are some who doubt how much success this team will have in the tournament.  Their first game is against Australia, which will be a great measuring stick for  both teams.  This is another team, just like Australia, that could win a couple of games and reach the second round, or they could end up at the bottom of the standings.

KOREA

1B Tae-Kyun Kim

The Korean team is hoping to earn a trip back to the World Baseball Classic finals, where they lost to Japan in 2009.

Returning to the team are two players who were named to the All-WBC Team during that tournament, Tae-Kyun Kim and Hyun-Soo Kim.  

Tae-Kyun Kim hit .345 with three homers and 11 RBI during the 2009 tournament, while Hyun-Soo Kim went 11-for-28 with three doubles and four RBI.  

As the highest ranked team in Pool B, they are considered the favorites, but if they do not get quality starting pitching, any of the other three teams could knock them off.

NETHERLANDS

OF Andruw Jones

While it is yet to be seen how much of a role Andruw Jones will play on this team, the younger players for the Netherlands team have to be excited to be around such an accomplished player.

With young prospects such as Xander Bogaerts and Andrelton Simmons as well as major league outfielder Roger Bernadina, this team is capable of reaching the second round.

Bogaerts is the #8 prospect in all of baseball, as he hit 20 homers and knocked in 81 runs during the 2012 season.  Simmons is a member of the Atlanta Braves, and Bernadina has spent time with a couple of major league teams.  With former major league Hensley Meulens as their manager and Hall of Famer Bert Blyleven as the pitching coach, watch out for this up and coming Netherlands bunch.

Predictions

I feel as if there is a clear cut favorite to win this pool (Korea), but after that, I believe it is truly up for grabs.  Any of the other teams could get hot and ride the momentum into the second round.  However, I have to make a prediction of some sorts, so here it goes:

Korea (3-0)

Chinese Taipei (2-1)

Netherlands (1-2)

Australia (0-3)