2017 World Baseball Classic Preview and Predictions

Pool A in Seoul

The first pool consists of teams from Korea, Chinese Taipei, the Netherlands and Israel. None of these countries really stick out as baseball hotbeds. While Korea is the host country for this pool, their team is not full of big time talent. Neither does the Chinese Taipei squad. Don’t expect either of those to teams to make an impact.

The other two teams have more MLB talent on their respective rosters. Israel’s team will be carried by Scott Feldman, Craig Breslow, Sam Fuld, Ike Davis and Ryan Lavarnway. They also will feature former major leaguer Jason Marquis. Team Israel is not loaded with talent like other rosters, but since qualifying for the tournament they have been an intriguing team to keep an eye on.

The team that will stand out in Pool A is the one from the Netherlands. Their roster features such talents as Xander Bogaerts, Andrelton Simmons, Kenley Jansen, Didi Gregorius and Jurickson Profar. For good measure, they even have former major leaguer Jair Jurrjens. The team from the Netherlands, on paper, is the superior one in Pool A. On the other hand, this is baseball and there is always a chance for surprises.

Pool A Predictions:

Pool A Winners: Netherlands and Israel

Player to Watch: Xander Bogaerts, Shortstop, Netherlands