U.S., Dominican Republic, Japan expected to dominate World Baseball Classic

MIAMI, Feb. 17 (UPI) -- Team USA, the Dominican Republic, Japan and Puerto Rico enter the 2023 World Baseball Classic with All-Star-filled rosters and huge expectations to dominate. The tournament, postponed two years due to COVID-19, will start March 8.

Games will air on Fox, FS1, FS2, the Fox Sports App and Fox Deportes. Coverage will start March 7 due to the time difference in Asia.

Twenty teams are to compete in the international tournament, which will be held in Japan, Taiwan and the United States. Those teams will be split into four pools and play each team in that group in double-elimination format in the first round.

The Top 2 teams from each pool will advance to an eight-team single-elimination bracket.

Pool play will be held in Taiwan, Tokyo, Phoenix and Miami. The quarterfinals will be held March 15 and 16 in Tokyo and March 17 and 18 in Miami. The semifinals will be March 19 and 20 in Miami. The title game is March 21 in Miami.

Cuba will take on the Netherlands in the tournament opener at 11 p.m. EST March 7 on FS1. The Americans will start with a Pool C game against Great Britain at 10 p.m. March 11 on Fox.

The tournament will overlap MLB's spring training schedule. Spring training games will start Feb. 24 and run through late March, which means many teams will be without star players as they prepare for the 2023 season.

Players who participate in the tournament were required to report to spring training a few days earlier than those who will not to compensate for some missed time.

Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Juan Soto and Sandy Alcantara will be among the elite players away from their MLB teams during the competition.

Alcantara, Soto and Guerrero each will sport the same jersey as part of a well-stocked Dominican Republic roster, but several other countries will boast potent lineups, as well.

San Diego Padres outfielder Juan Soto (R) is among the top players in the Dominican Republic lineup. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI

Dominican Republic

The Guerrero-Soto tandem will not be the only power plugged into the Dominican Republic batting order. Manny Machado, Jeremy Pena and Rafael Devers are among the infielders on the roster.

Julio Rodriguez, Teoscar Hernandez and Eloy Jimenez will join Soto in the Dominican Republic outfield rotation. Alcantara will lead the pitching rotation. Christian Javier, Gregory Soto and Bryan Abreu will be among the team's other top arms.

St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado is among the All-Star players on the Team USA roster for the World Baseball Classic. File Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI

Team USA

Trout, Nolan Arenado, Paul Goldschmidt, Mookie Betts, Tim Anderson, Trea Turner, Pete Alonso, Kyle Schwarber, Jeff McNeil and Kyle Tucker are among the All-Star position players on the Team USA roster.

Clayton Kershaw and Miles Mikolas will lead the Team USA starting rotation. David Bednar and Devin Williams are among the All-Star relief pitchers on staff.

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Yu Darvish (pictured) will join Shohei Ohtani in Japan's starting rotation at the World Baseball Classic. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI

Japan

Ohtani and Yu Darvish are among the MLB pitchers in Japan's starting rotation. The Japanese team also boasts stars from the Nipon Professional Baseball league, including starting pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki.

Munetaka Murakami, the reigning NPB MVP, led the league last season with a .318 batting average, 56 home runs and 134 RBIs. The third baseman will join fellow NPB star Masataka Yoshida in the efficient Japan batting order.

New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor is among the players on the Puerto Rico roster who have All-Star experience. File Photo by Peter Foley/UPI

Puerto Rico

Shortstop Francisco Lindor will lead the Puerto Rico offense. All-Star reliever Edwin Diaz is the top pitcher on the staff.

Veteran infielders Javier Baez and Kiké Hernandez and outfielder Eddie Rosario are among the top hitters in the Puerto Rico batting order. Marcus Stroman, a 2019 All-Star, is in the starting rotation.

Others to watch

Infielders Jose Altuve, Luis Arraez and Andres Gimenez, outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. and catcher Salvador Perez will be among Venezuela's top players at the tournament.

Luis Robert (Cuba), Jung-hoo Lee (Korea) and Joc Pederson (Israel) will be among other outfielders to watch. Pitchers Julio Urias (Mexico), Jose Quintana (Colombia) and Jonathan Loaisiga (Nicaragua) will play.

Shortstop Xander Bogaerts (Netherlands), catcher Alejandro Kirk (Mexico) and first basemen Freddie Freeman (Canada), Vinnie Pasquantino (Italy) will be among the top players on their respective teams.

Schedule

All times EST

March 7

Pool A: Cuba vs. the Netherlands at 11 p.m. on FS1

March 8

Pool A: Panama vs. Chinese Taipei at 6 a.m. on FS2

Pool B: Australia vs. South Korea at 10 p.m. on FS1

Pool A: Panama vs. the Netherlands at 11 p.m. on FS2

March 9

Pool B: China vs. Japan at 5 a.m. on FS2

Pool A: Italy vs. Cuba at 6 a.m. on Tubi

Pool B: Czech Republic vs. China at 10 p.m. on Tubi

Pool A: Cuba vs. Panama at 11:30 p.m. on FS1

March 10

Pool B: Korea vs. Japan at 5 a.m. on FS2

Pool A: Italy vs. Chinese Taipei at 6 a.m. on Tubi

Pool B: China vs. Australia at 10 p.m. on FS2

Pool A: Panama vs. Italy at 11 p.m. on FS1

March 11

Pool B: Czech Republic vs. Japan at 5 a.m. on FS1

Pool A: The Netherlands vs. Chinese Taipei at 6 a.m. on FS2

Pool D: Nicaragua vs. Puerto Rico at noon on FS2

Pool C: Colombia vs. Mexico at 2:30 p.m. on Fox

Pool D: Dominican Republic vs. Venezuela at 7 p.m. on FS1

Pool C: Great Britain vs. USA at 10 p.m. on Fox

Pool B: Czech Republic vs. Korea at 10 p.m. on FS1

Pool A: Chinese Taipei vs. Cuba at 11 p.m. on FS2

March 12

Pool B: Japan vs. Australia at 6 a.m. on FS1

Pool A: The Netherlands vs. Italy at 7 a.m. on FS2

Pool D: Nicaragua vs. Israel at noon on FS2

Pool C: Great Britain vs. Canada at 3 p.m. on FS1

Pool D: Venezuela vs. Puerto Rico at 7 p.m. on FS1

Pool C: Mexico vs. USA at 10 p.m. on FS1

Pool B: Australia vs. Czech Republic at 11 p.m. on FS2

March 13

Pool B: Korea vs. China at 6 a.m. on FS2

Pool D: Dominican Republic vs. Nicaragua at noon on FS2

Pool C: Colombia vs. Great Britain at 3 p.m. on FS2

Pool D: Israel vs. Puerto Rico at 7 p.m. on FS1

Pool C: Canada vs. USA at 10 p.m. on FS1

March 14

Pool D: Nicaragua vs. Venezuela at noon on FS2

Pool C: Canada vs. Colombia at 3 p.m. on FS2

Pool D: Israel vs. Dominican Republic at 7 p.m. on FS1

Pool C: Great Britain vs. Mexico at 10 p.m. on FS1

March 15

Quarterfinals: Pool B runner-up vs. Pool A winner at 6 a.m. on FS2

Pool D: Venezuela vs. Israel at noon on FS2

Pool C: Mexico vs. Canada at 3 p.m. on FS2

Pool D: Puerto Rico vs. Dominican Republic at 7 p.m. on FS2

Pool C: USA vs. Colombia at 10 p.m. on FS1

March 16

Quarterfinals: Pool A runner-up vs. Pool B winner at 6 a.m. on FS2

March 17

Quarterfinals: Pool C runner-up vs. Pool D winner at 7 p.m. on FS1

March 18

Quarterfinals: Pool D runner-up vs. Pool C winner at 7 p.m. on Fox

March 19

Semifinals: Quarterfinal winner vs. quarterfinal winner at 7 p.m. on FS1

March 20

Semifinals: Quarterfinal winner vs. quarterfinal winner at 7 p.m. on FS1

March 21

Championship: Semifinal winner vs. semifinal winner at 7 p.m. on FS1