It’s time. The World Baseball Classic is officially here, and many players are preparing for a once in a lifetime opportunity.

This tournament is sprinkled with young superstars and esteemed veterans. But which squad has the edge?

To answer this question, we really only have to look at two teams, Team USA and Team Dominican Republic. On paper, these teams are loaded from top to bottom with premium talent. Unfortunately , fans can only give one team “the best” title, so let’s break it down.

Catchers:

Notable Team USA Athletes:

J.T. Realmuto, Will Smith, Kyle Higashioka

Notable Team DR Athletes:

Francisco Mejía, Gary Sánchez

This might be the only category that has an obvious decision. Simply put, the American catchers are loaded. With J.T. coming off of another impressive 2022 campaign in the majors, slashing a .276 avg, with 22 bombs.

Now, if one All-Star catcher wasn’t enough, team USA also has the likes of Will Smith, having his own successful 2022 run, collecting 24 homers with a .343 OBP.

I’m not saying that the Dominican Republic doesn’t have talent behind the plate. While Sánchez and Mejía have struggled in the batter’s box in recent years, they do have two of the strongest and most respected arms in the majors, behind the plate.

However, against the talent that team USA possesses, bringing very little to the table, in terms of a threat at the plate, just won’t cut it in comparison to the American catchers.

Best Catchers?

• Team USA

Infielders:

Notable Team USA Athletes:

Pete Alonso, Tim Anderson, Nolan Arenado, Paul Goldschmidt, Trea Turner, Bobby Witt Jr.

Notable Team DR Athletes:

Rafael Devers, Wander Franco, Manny Machado, Ketel Marte, Jeremy Peña, Jean Segura

Just like that, we go from the easiest decision on this list, to a debate that keeps me up at night. These might be the most highly respective group of infielders that we will ever see on the world stage. So, let’s break this down.

Starting with the Dominican Republic, we are greeted by some of the greatest young stars in the game accompanied by elite veterans such as Manny Machado and Rafael Devers.

First, let’s recognize the elephant in the room. News came out that Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was opting out of the tournament. This is a catastrophic blow for team D.R., as Vlady was a crucial piece to this lineup. Luckily for the Dominican Republic they have no shortage of depth in the infield, but it simply won’t be the same without Vlady.

Moving on to the middle of the diamond, team D.R. has the deepest middle infield in the tournament. Consisting of Marte, Franco, Peña, Segura, Willy Adames, and Robinson Canó. Rodney Linares, the Dominican Republic’s skipper, has endless flexibility right at his fingertips. This absurd depth gives the Dominican Republic the ability to “play the hot hand” and play to their hitter’s strengths, depending on the pitcher on the bump.

Finally, wrapping up the infield for team D.R., we have third base. With both Machado and Devers reaching massive extensions with their clubs this offseason, it’s easy to see D.R. has unreal 3B depth. With Machado finishing 2^nd in NL MVP voting in 2022, and Devers still reaching his full potential this team has very few limits in the infield.

To account for the loss of Guerrero, the Dominicans will most likely try out either Machado or Devers at first base.

Now we have the U.S. infield. With no shortage of stars on the dirt, the Americans bring power and elite fielding at every position on the diamond.

In the American infield alone, they have the reigning 2022 NL MVP, Paul Goldschmidt, as well as the NL MVP 3^rd place candidate, Nolan Arenado, the 8^th place, Pete Alonso, and the 11^th place finisher, Trea Turner.

Simply put, this infield is going to be as electric as it gets. However, there’s one area that team D.R. has over the Americans, and that’s depth. While team USA still has a few guys like Alonso and Witt Jr. not starting on the field, it simply doesn’t compare to the plethora of quality athletes that the Dominican Republic has.

Despite recently losing Vlady, I still think that team D.R. still has the slight edge with the depth that they have in the infield.

However, losing Guerrero makes the gap between the two teams ever so slim.

Best Infield?

• Team Dominican Republic

Outfielders:

Notable Team USA Athletes:

Mookie Betts, Jeff McNeil, Cedric Mullins, Kyle Schwarber, Mike Trout, Kyle Tucker

Notable Team DR Athletes:

Teoscar Hernández, Eloy Jiménez, Julio Rodríguez, Juan Soto

Picture this, you’re playing uno and your entire hand is wild cards… that’s the feeling I get from these rosters. There’s simply nowhere you can go wrong. For the sake of the debate, lets break this down.

First, we head to the Dominican side, here you find some of the brightest young stars in the MLB. Starting us off, you have the reigning 2022 AL Rookie of the Year, Julio Rodríguez, who continues to impress in every plate appearance he’s given. You also have Juan Soto, who, at times, has proven to be the hardest out in baseball. Closing out the Dominican outfielders, Jiménez and Hernández gives D.R. bonus depth with dangerous power.

Now, let’s switch gears to team USA, and I’ll make this easy… Mike Trout. Mookie Betts. Kyle Tucker. It’s hard to get much better than that. With all three hitters coming off of 30+ homerun seasons, this trio is sure to give nightmares to any pitcher that has to face this team. The fun doesn’t end there, oh no, they also have Mullins, McNeil, and Schwarber, which would be a formidable starting three, in their own right.

The one-two-three of Trout, Tucker, and Betts, by themselves is enough to pick team USA here, let alone the All-Star caliber depth.

Best Outfield:

• Team USA

Pitchers:

Notable Team USA Athletes :

Daniel Bard, David Bednar, Kendall Graveman, Merrill Kelly, Lance Lynn, Miles Mikolas, Adam Ottavino, Ryan Pressly, Brady Singer, Adam Wainwright, Devin Williams, Brooks Raley

Notable Team D.R. Athletes :

Sandy Alcantara, Diego Castillo, Roansy Contreras, Johnny Cueto, Camilo Doval, Yimi Garcia, Cristian Javier, José Leclerc, Héctor Neris, Gregory Soto, Rafael Montero, Bryan Abreu

Starting with the obvious, team D.R. has the edge over Team USA with their starters.

Beginning with arguably the best pitcher in baseball, in Sandy Alcantara, who gives the Dominicans a significant advantage in this category, especially because he was nearly untouchable for a large part of 2022.

Following Sandy are two, young, dynamic hurlers in Contreras and Javier, both poised for electric 2023 MLB campaigns. The Dominican starters are capped off by the aging Cueto, that can still provide the team with a few solid innings, if necessary.

After losing Clayton Kershaw on the roster, the starters for the Americans became one of their weakest points on the team. Led by Merrill Kelly, Miles Mikolas, and Brady Singer, and accompanied by longtime veterans Lance Lynn and Adam Wainwright, team USA has a solid rotation, but, is missing that X-factor. The Dominican Republic definitely has the edge with Alcantara as their ace.

However, the Americans do have stellar relievers, led by the likes of Devin Williams, Brooks Raley, David Bednar, Daniel Bard, Ryan Pressley, Kendall Graveman, and the list goes on. The sheer depth of relievers that the USA possess, will help aid in any areas they may lack from their starting pitching.

Unfortunately for the Americans, the strengths they have in their bullpen, are met with equivalent fire power on their opposing rival. Led by Soto, Doval, Castillo and many others, the Dominicans bullpen can shut down any team once the ball is in their hands.

While the two bullpens are very close in skill, I would give the slight advantage to the Americans. However, with the starters the Dominicans have at their disposal, a slight edge in the bullpen simply isn’t enough.

Best Pitchers:

• Team Dominican Republic

I’ve gone back and forth multiple times on the better team here. On paper, both of these teams are sufficient top to bottom, but for me it comes down to playmaking ability when it matters.

Athletes like Juan Soto, Julio Rodríguez, Manny Machado, and Cristian Javier have been known to crave for, and thrive in, the big moments.

This is something that goes beyond the numbers, and with rosters that are both so talented, I believe that would be a trait that’s going to be the difference maker in who wins the World Baseball Classic.

For this reason, as well as for having a dangerous squad top to bottom, I have to end the debate with Team Dominican Republic, as the overall better team in the tournament.

Do you agree? Let us know your thoughts on Twitter @WeLikeSportzPC.

-Riley Bry

@RileyBry_

*Photo courtesy of YouTube*