Tonight\u2019s the night \u2013 or for those of you in Tokyo, today\u2019s the day.<\/p>\n
On Thursday (or Wednesday if you\u2019re behind the International Date Line), Chinese Taipei and Australia will open the 2026 World Baseball Classic, playing the first game of the Pool C schedule at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan.<\/p>\n
World Baseball Network\u2019s writers were asked to pick the two teams that would advance out of each pool, as well as which team would finish last in each pool, forcing them to play in the next World Baseball Classic Qualifier.<\/p>\n
Here are the writers\u2019 picks for Pool C, which features Japan, Chinese Taipei, South Korea, Australia, and Czechia, with all the games being played at the Tokyo Dome.<\/p>\n
Picks to Win Pool C<\/p>\n
Japan \u2013 There is not much to explain with this pick. Japan is loaded with MLB and NPB talent and has the single best player in the world. Their rotation is not as strong this year, but led by Yoshinobu Yamamoto, they figure to be more than good enough to win this pool. Munetaka Murakami and Kazuma Okamoto both signed MLB deals this offseason and are going to show the world why they made the jump to the big leagues as well. \u2013 Aaliyan Mohammed<\/p>\n
Japan is clearly the class of Pool C, and they have a great mix of\u00a0MLB and Nippon Professional Baseball players.\u00a0Shohei Ohtani will return, although he\u00a0won\u2019t\u00a0pitch this time around. Yoshinobu Yamamoto is one of the best pitchers on the planet, and he will be their ace.\u00a0\u2013 Julian Guilarte<\/p>\n
Samurai Japan are the defending champions, and\u00a0it\u2019s hard to imagine a team without Shohei Ohtani winning the pool. He can flip a game upside down with one swing. This group has years of experience together and is well-balanced.\u00a0\u2013 Conor Liguori<\/p>\n
Samurai Japan is not nearly as formidable as its 2023 super team, but should not struggle to top the pool. Yoshinobu Yamamoto spearheads a pitching staff comprised of both MLB talents and NPB stars, giving Hirokazu Ibata plenty of weapons at his disposal. The lineup has some question marks defensively, but the sheer firepower of names like Shohei Ohtani, Munetaka Murakami, Kazuma Okamoto, Seiya Suzuki, and Shugo Maki put Japan in strong position to defend their title. \u2013 Yuri Karasawa<\/p>\n
Sure, Ohtani\u2019s not pitching, and both Roki Sasaki and Yuki Matsui will miss the WBC, but this Japan team is still the best in this pool. A finish worse than 4-0 in Pool C for Japan would likely cost Hirokazu Ibata his job. \u2013 Leif Skodnick<\/p>\n
They\u2019re the No. 1-ranked national team in the World Baseball Rankings, the best team in the pool and the defending champion. Tough to pick against Japan. \u2013 Matt Tallarini<\/p>\n
Picks to Finish Second in Pool C<\/p>\n
South Korea \u2013 Korea and Chinese Taipei figure to be battling for this spot, but Korea\u00a0seems to have\u00a0a slight edge.\u00a0Jyeseong\u00a0Kim, Jahmai Jones and Jung Hoo Lee all had solid years in the big\u00a0leagues, and\u00a0Do-yeong\u00a0Kim\u00a0is a name fans will know by the time this tournament is over. The rotation has some question marks, but\u00a0Tae-in Won\u202fis a solid starter and Riley O\u2019Brien figures to be a great\u00a0option\u00a0in the backend of the bullpen after his breakout season. \u2013 Aaliyan Mohammed<\/p>\n
South Korea will get second place because of a strong offense. Jung-hoo\u00a0Lee, Jahmai Jones, and\u00a0Hyesong\u00a0Kim will provide a good offensive foundation. Their pitching is led by Hyun-jin\u00a0Ryu, who was a solid MLB pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays, and is currently pitching\u00a0in the Korea Baseball Organization. \u2013 Julian Guilarte<\/p>\n
South Korea is naturally the second-most talented roster on paper, but their pitching depth is nonexistent and the team has struggled in many international competitions over the past decade. Chinese Taipei, on the other hand, has momentum after taking down Japan in the 2024 Premier12 gold medal game, albeit it with rosters that are very different from the WBC. The team will likely struggle to consistent put runs on the board, but their excellent rotation of Ruei-Yang Gu Lin, Jo-Hsi Hsu, Yu-Min Lin, and Wei-En Lin is incredibly underrated. \u2013 Yuri Karasawa<\/p>\n
Chinese Taipei \u2013 Chinese Taipei is my pick for second place. Catcher\u00a0Kungkuan\u00a0Giljegiljaw\u00a0may be one of the more underrated hitters in the tournament.\u00a0Reui-Yang Gu Lin and Jo-Hsi Hsu are a nice one-two punch atop the rotation.\u00a0\u2013 Conor Liguori<\/p>\n
Chinese Taipei upset Japan in the championship game of the 2024 WBSC Premier12 at Tokyo Dome. They\u2019re a better team than they were in 2023, when they lost the\u00a0absurd five-way tiebreaker and had to qualify for this year\u2019s WBC. They\u2019ll finish 3-1 and advance to the quarterfinals. \u2013 Leif Skodnick<\/p>\n
Chinese Taipei may have had to run the qualifying gauntlet, but that\u2019s only because they lost a tiebreaker in 2023. They\u2019ve since beaten Japan at the Tokyo Dome in the WBSC Premier12 Final and will beat Czechia and Australia and should be able to get by South Korea. \u2013 Matt Tallarini<\/p>\n
Headed Back to the World Baseball Classic Qualifier<\/p>\n
Czechia \u2013 As is the case with all of the last-place picks, Czechia\u2019s roster just does not stack up.\u00a0They could beat Australia, but Australia has more talent on their squad, headlined by Travis\u00a0Bazzana. The only way Czechia does not finish last is if they pull off an upset against Australia.\u00a0\u2013 Aaliyan Mohammed<\/p>\n
Czechia will finish in last place because its offense and pitching won\u2019t\u00a0be able to keep up with the rest of Pool C. They have one\u00a0really strong bat in Martin \u010cervenka, but after that, it\u2019s\u00a0rough sledding. Their pitching staff also\u00a0has no standouts. \u2013 Julian Guilarte<\/p>\n
Czechia\u2019s best opportunity for a win may be against Australia, but they\u00a0probably don\u2019t\u00a0have enough firepower and talent to do much more. The loss of former Major League infielder Eric Sogard due to injury hurts their chances. Who knows,\u00a0maybe they surprise everyone. \u2013 Conor Liguori<\/p>\n
Czech baseball continues to make steady progress, and the team enters the tournament with fewer unknowns than in 2023. After completing multiple exhibition tours in Asia and building stronger ties with several NPB organizations, they are more battle-tested against high-level competition than ever before. Still, they face an uphill climb in a pool loaded with powerhouse nations and will likely be completely outclassed. \u2013 Conor Liguori<\/p>\n