The schedule for Pool C is as follows:
Thursday, March 7, 5:30 pm CT - Venezuela at Dominican Republic
Friday, March 8, 4:30 pm CT - Spain at Puerto Rico
Saturday, March 9, 10:00 am CT - Dominican Republic at Spain
Saturday, March 9, 4:30 pm CT - Puerto Rico at Venezuela
Sunday, March 10, 11:30 am CT - Spain at Venezuela
Sunday, March 10, 6:30 pm CT - Dominican Republic at Puerto Rico
All games will be shown on television in the United States on the MLB Network.
All games in Pool C will be played at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The format is simple, each team will play the three other teams in their pool. The two teams with the best records will advance to the second round, where they will face the two top teams in Pool D.
Here is a brief look at each of the teams in Pool C.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
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| 2B Robinson Cano and SS Jose Reyes |
Offensively, the Dominican Republic will be led by their middle infielders, Jose Reyes of the Blue Jays and Robinson Cano of the Yankees.
But that is just the tip of the iceberg, as the team will also feature Hanley Ramirez of the Dodgers at third base and Edwin Encarnacion of the Blue Jays at first base. And how about a utility group of infielders that features Erick Aybar of the Angels and former major leaguer Miguel Tejada?
The outfield will feature Nelson Cruz of the Rangers and Alejandro De Aza of the White Sox. Pitching, more specifically starting pitching, could be the downfall of this Dominican Republic team. The best two starters on the club are Wandy Rodriguez of Pittsburgh and Edinson Volquez of San Diego, but there is a significant drop off after those two names. Fernando Rodney of the Rays and Jose Veras of the Astros are the only current major league closers on the roster.
PUERTO RICO
In what will more than likely be the final World Baseball Classic of his career, Carlos Beltran would love to lead his home country to a WBC Championship. He will no doubt have his work cut out for him, as Puerto Rico will face stiff competition to even advance past pool play.
But that is just the tip of the iceberg, as the team will also feature Hanley Ramirez of the Dodgers at third base and Edwin Encarnacion of the Blue Jays at first base. And how about a utility group of infielders that features Erick Aybar of the Angels and former major leaguer Miguel Tejada?
The outfield will feature Nelson Cruz of the Rangers and Alejandro De Aza of the White Sox. Pitching, more specifically starting pitching, could be the downfall of this Dominican Republic team. The best two starters on the club are Wandy Rodriguez of Pittsburgh and Edinson Volquez of San Diego, but there is a significant drop off after those two names. Fernando Rodney of the Rays and Jose Veras of the Astros are the only current major league closers on the roster.
PUERTO RICO
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| OF Carlos Beltran |
Puerto Rico , who is ranked #12 in the IBAF Rankings, will have plenty of fire power in the middle of their lineup, including Beltran and White Sox outfielder Alex Rios. Yadier Molina of the Cardinals and Martin Maldonado of the Brewers gives Puerto Rico a nice duo of backstops, with the flexibility to hit both due to the designated hitter spot. Angel Pagan of the Giants will more than likely be the third outfielder for the team, and Mike Aviles of the Boston Red Sox will be the leader of a young infield.
Pitching for Puerto Rico could be a problem, just as it could be for the Dominican Republic. Hiram Burgos of the Brewers and J.C. Romero, a left-handed veteran in the major leagues, are the two most recognizable names on the roster. If their pitching holds up and the offensive stars perform as they are capable, Puerto Rico will find themselves competing in the second round.
SPAIN
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| OF Engel Beltre |
Spain enters the 2013 World Baseball Classic as enormous underdogs in Pool C. Spain is ranked #16 in the IBAF World Rankings, and will be making their first appearance in the WBC after winning their regional qualifier back in September.
Spain knocked off France 8-0 in their opening game, before falling to Israel 4-2. Spain then defeated South Africa, 13-3, to advance to the championship game against Israel. Spain earned revenge against Israel, beating them 9-7 and earning a berth in the World Baseball Classic. Yunesky Sanchez, who plays shortstop, was one of the key offensive contributors for Spain in that tournament, batting .368 with seven hits and five RBI. Second baseman Paco Figueroa hit .438 in the tournament as well.
Engel Beltre, who is a member of the Texas Rangers organization, hit .375 for Spain in the qualifier with three RBI and three stolen bases. He is the most recognizable name on the roster for Spain.
Pitching will be an issue for Spain considering the talent they will be competing against, but watch for Nick Schumacher and Richard Salazar, who each pitched over six innings for Spain in the qualifier, only allowing one run combined and striking out seven hitters.
VENEZUELA
Venezuela enters Pool C as the highest ranked team in the IBAF World Rankings, at #8. There is no reason to believe that this team is not capable of winning the entire tournament.
VENEZUELA
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| 2B Marco Scutaro and 3B Miguel Cabrera |
Venezuela reached the semi-finals of the 2009 World Baseball Classic, losing to the eventual runner-up, Korea, 10-2.
The team will be able to throw out an All-Star type of lineup every single game of the tournament, starting behind the plate, where the Venezuelan team has three quality catchers in Miguel Montero of Arizona, Salvador Perez of Kansas City and Ramon Hernandez of Colorado. Around the horn in the infield, Venezuela will feature Pablo Sandoval at third, Elvis Andrus or Asdrubal Cabrera at shorstop, Marco Scutaro at second base and Miguel Cabrera at first base. Omar Infante will serve as a utility player on the infield.
The outfield will feature Carlos Gonzalez of the Rockies and Martin Prado of the Diamondbacks, as well as his Arizona teammate, Gerardo Parra.
On the mound, Venezuela will use Carlos Zambrano and Anibal Sanchez as its two best starters, while Juan Rincon and Ronald Belisario will be used the most out of the bullpen.
PREDICTIONS
While last weekend gave us a great look at star players we do not get to see here in the United States, this weekend will give us a chance to look at dozens of major league stars playing for their home countries. Pool C is loaded with big league talent, and with the opening game of Pool C possibly being the best match-up, it will not take long to figure out who will be in the drivers seat for the rest of the first round.
With that said, here is how I see Pool C playing out:
Venezuela (3-0)
Dominican Republic (2-1)
Puerto Rico (1-2)
Spain (0-3)
The team will be able to throw out an All-Star type of lineup every single game of the tournament, starting behind the plate, where the Venezuelan team has three quality catchers in Miguel Montero of Arizona, Salvador Perez of Kansas City and Ramon Hernandez of Colorado. Around the horn in the infield, Venezuela will feature Pablo Sandoval at third, Elvis Andrus or Asdrubal Cabrera at shorstop, Marco Scutaro at second base and Miguel Cabrera at first base. Omar Infante will serve as a utility player on the infield.
The outfield will feature Carlos Gonzalez of the Rockies and Martin Prado of the Diamondbacks, as well as his Arizona teammate, Gerardo Parra.
On the mound, Venezuela will use Carlos Zambrano and Anibal Sanchez as its two best starters, while Juan Rincon and Ronald Belisario will be used the most out of the bullpen.
PREDICTIONS
While last weekend gave us a great look at star players we do not get to see here in the United States, this weekend will give us a chance to look at dozens of major league stars playing for their home countries. Pool C is loaded with big league talent, and with the opening game of Pool C possibly being the best match-up, it will not take long to figure out who will be in the drivers seat for the rest of the first round.
With that said, here is how I see Pool C playing out:
Venezuela (3-0)
Dominican Republic (2-1)
Puerto Rico (1-2)
Spain (0-3)
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