Tuesday, March 31

Welcome to the International Beat newsletter. I'm MLB.com's Michael Clair. Thanks for being here. 

We are almost here: The World Baseball Classic is about to begin! We’ve been churning out tons of stories, so make sure you head to WorldBaseballClassic.com where we have previews, player features, and enough stories to fill up every minute until the tourney starts. And the next time this newsletter hits your inbox, we’ll know if Japan was able to repeat, if USA gets the trophy back, if the D.R. repeats its undefeated performance from 2013 or if we have a brand new winner. 

You can fill out your own bracket here, but here are my picks for the pools and my eventual champion: 

Pool A (San Juan) 

Canada, Puerto Rico 

This may be the most balanced of pools with little separating all five teams – think of it like 2023’s Taiwan pool that saw the whole group finish tied at 2-2. I think Canada, which has never advanced beyond the first round, will take the crown in this one. I’m really impressed by the level of depth and talent they have all around the field and in the rotation. 

For second place, I was debating between Puerto Rico and Colombia, which were very impressive in the Tucson Qualifier. While Puerto Rico’s roster isn’t as strong as in recent years with players like Francisco Lindor missing with injury, there is still plenty of talent. Playing in front of the home crowd gives them the edge. 

A view of the fans at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the last time it played host to the World Baseball Classic in 2013.

Pool B (Houston) 

USA, Mexico

Given the way the USA has stacked its lineup and rotation this time around – even if Tarik Skubal only pitches once in the tournament, these are still the best arms that the United States have ever brought – it would be a major letdown if the team fails to advance. They’re going to take the pool, but I expect a few of the contests to be a lot closer than many American fans are hoping for. That's not a knock against Team USA, but more a statement of how strong every team is this year. 

The battle for second is down to Mexico, Italy and Great Britain. With Mexico playing Italy on the final day of the pool and after blowing two ninth-inning leads to the Azzuri in 2013 and ‘17, I think Mexico gets its revenge and moves on. 

Pool C (Tokyo) 

Japan, Chinese Taipei

Japan’s roster isn’t quite as strong as in 2023: Shohei Ohtani isn’t pitching, Roki Sasaki is out, and assuming that Seiya Suzuki is going to play center field – a position he’s only lined up at once in the Majors – the defense has taken a hit, too. However, the lineup may be even stronger this time around with Suzuki back after injury caused him to miss out and Teruaki Sato and his 45 home runs at third may not even get into the starting lineup with Kazuma Okamoto and Munetaka Murakami playing the corners. They advance and it’s not particularly close. 

Another tight one, I give Chinese Taipei the edge after its Premier12 upset of Japan. Riding high after the biggest win in team history (and bouncing back from a rough start at the Taipei Qualifier) and with a young and exciting pitching staff, CT narrowly edges Australia and Korea. It'll go to Miami, advancing beyond the group stage for the first time since 2013. 

Italy celebrates after John Andreoli's single rolls through the infield to walk off Mexico. Click image to view highlight. 

Pool D (Miami) 

Dominican Republic, Venezuela

Two of my favorites to win the whole thing will start the tournament in Miami and I expect them both to advance. For who finishes first in the pool, just look to who wins the head-to-head matchup between these two. In 2023, it was Venezuela that defeated the D.R., 5-1. 

Both clubs have rosters loaded with mashers, have the best pitching staffs they’ve ever brought to the tourney, and could even see each other again in the final. 

FINAL: Dominican Republic over Japan

This is probably the fourth or fifth time that I’ve changed my prediction. I’ve had Japan winning it all once again – until someone stops them, they're still the team to beat. I’ve had the U.S. winning it behind a super-powered roster. I’ve even considered Mexico beating Japan in the semis and winning it all or even Venezuela getting to the final. I reserve the right to change my mind every day until the tournament is over. 

For now: I’m taking the D.R.’s absolutely stacked lineup and ace Cristopher Sánchez getting past Japan in the final. 

Of course, simply by making these predictions, I’m guaranteed to get them very wrong. If that’s the case, Japan goes winless, the United States has an ERA above 5, and Czechia wins the whole thing. (Speaking of, my book about them -- "We Sacrifice Everything to Baseball" -- comes out on April 1 and you can get 40 percent off with code 6AS26 from the publisher.) 

MEET THE CANADIAN & CZECH OHTANI 

Ryan Johnson, center, with Czechia captain Martin Mužík (left) and Jan Pospíšil (right). Click on image to watch interview. 

Shohei Ohtani may strictly be a DH this time around, but he’s not the only two-way player coming out for the Classic. Meet Winnipeg, Canada, native Ryan Johnson, who is lining up for the Czech Republic. He’s been a first baseman/pitcher for the Třebíč Nuclears in the Czech Extraliga for the past five seasons -- while also pulling double duty as an English teacher. He made his official national team debut in Czechia’s bronze medal run at the European Baseball Championship, fighting through a knee injury along the way, and will now make his WBC debut this week. 

For more from Johnson – and with teammates Martin Mužík and Jan Pospíšil dropping in for a little fun – click on the image above to watch the video. 

Watch the new "Behind the Flag" episode on Korea by clicking on the above image. 

• If you have a family or a job, chances are you can’t watch every World Baseball Classic game. I looked at the 10 can’t-miss contests. 
• Who can build the best team out of WBC stars? Me and Mike Petriello drafted. He got Ohtani and Judge … but I’m still proud of my club. 
• I also drafted the potential winners, 1-20, with Will Leitch. Will either of us be right? 
• Here are 17 of my favorite players in the tournament. These are the guys who may not be big leaguers, but they are international legends or have incredible backgrounds. 
• I also wrote about a key player for all 20 teams here. 
• We polled the staff for the WBC Power Rankings. No surprise, but Japan takes first place. 

• Here's our pool-by-pool preview. Get everything you need in one spot. 

• Have you seen the new Behind the Flag feature about Korea? Written by the great Joe Na and narrated by Jaeki Cho, it’s a great look at Korea’s past, golden era in the aughts, and the lean years since losing in the 2009 World Baseball Classic final. Watch it on YouTube here. 

AUSTRALIA'S PITCHING TWINS

Alex and Lachlan Wells in Miyazaki before the start of the World Baseball Classic. Click image to watch interview.  

There are a few teams with brothers on their roster: Great Britain has Tristan and Brendan Beck, Colombia has Carlos and Michael Arroyo and Venezuela has the Contreras brothers. But only Australia has pitching twins in Alex (who is older by seven minutes) and Lachlan Wells. Both pitched in the states – Lachlan was actually signed by the Twins in a bit of cosmic luck, while Alex reached the Majors for the Orioles in 2021-22 – but now Alex pitches in the Australian Baseball League and Lachlan is in the KBO. 

I had a chance to speak with them at Australia’s workout day in Miyazaki, Japan, before the start of the tournament. Here’s a portion of our conversation: 

MLB: What does it mean to not just be pitching for Team Australia, but to be doing it with your brother? 

Lachlan Wells: It means the world. Obviously, family and friends back home are going to be tuning in and watching. They’ve obviously seen us grow up playing baseball together and then going our separate ways through pro ball. To play on the national team with my brother is a pretty cool experience.

MLB: Were you both pitchers growing up? Or since one was a pitcher, the other was a catcher kind of thing? 

AW: Yeah, we both pitched, but we would always catch each other's bullpens when we're younger. I mean, we still occasionally do it when we can't find anyone. We always had that throwing partner to be there, and it made life a lot easier when we wanted to go play catch.

MLB: So was there a rivalry there? Did it feel like you were competing against each other? 

LW: I wouldn't say we were trying to beat each other too much when we were on the same team when we're younger – obviously just wanted each other to have success. And then when we got to pro ball, we were obviously away from each other, just checking in and trying to one-up each other, week in, week out, with an outing. 

Lachlan Wells throws a pitch in the 2017 World Baseball Classic. 

MLB: What was the process like being scouted and signing with an MLB team? That’s obviously fairly unique in Australia

AW: Growing up, you always wanted to play professional baseball in the States and have that goal of playing in the big leagues. Lachlan signed first, and definitely the jealousy was there. I signed a year later, but that made me want it even more, watching him put his signature on a piece of paper. 

MLB: You literally have a baseball family. And Alex, you reached the big leagues and Lachlan is now pitching in the KBO. But was there ever a time when you fell out of love with the game? 

LW: I took a little bit of time away from the game as I've said in the past. It became more of a chore rather or a job rather than a sport and a game that I used to love playing. To have that time off and then basically just refresh the body, refresh the mind, and get back into baseball – it's obviously what I've loved doing for a very long time. To be able to do it again and be in this situation right now, it’s something that you dream of as a kid. 

MLB: Alex, did you experience something similar? 

AW: An injury definitely derailed the career a little bit. I needed some time away from the game – as Lachlan said to gather some thoughts, and clear the space a little bit. To come back and play in the ABL and now be here on the Australian team, it's pretty cool. I never thought I'd be back here, and I just wanted to enjoy the game again. And it's me enjoying the game that has brought me back here, so it's awesome.

MLB: You’ve been playing in Australia over the winters now. What does it mean to you to play in Australia? 

AW: It means everything playing in the ABL. I mean, that's it for a lot of guys, that's the top-tier competition.  The rivalries we have there and everyone plays, obviously, to win the Claxton Shield. It’'s a good league to play in. There's definitely some good competition. And yeah, a lot of imports come out and take their knowledge back to the league, and they share it. And you always see new guys come in and you hear their stories from previous imports. It's definitely a good winter league to play in. If guys need reps, or guys looking to keep playing a little bit more. Ask enough Australian guys, it means everything.

MLB: Lachlan, you now pitch in the KBO with giant crowds filled with singing and dancing. What was that experience like running out in front of 40,000 people for the first time? 

LW: I think I had tuned it out a little bit in the first inning. The adrenaline was there a little bit. I didn't really think about it too much. And then after getting through that first inning, sitting down and then going back out again, it seemed a little bit louder. They love it over there, and the fans are in it from 30 minutes before the game until the final pitch. It’s one of those experiences that you can try and describe. But until you're in it, then you really, it's really hard to describe to someone.

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For tips, hints, or just to talk about international baseball, find me @michaelsclair on X/Twitter and IG or email me at Michael.Clair@MLB.com.

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