------South Africa ... Preview #1

We are today taking a look at an underdog with the South African team
They will have one of the toughest opening matches, as they face Cuba

Opponents
South Africa is in group B of the World Baseball Classic, playing in Foro Sol Stadium in Mexico City
They face Cuba in the opener on Sunday, March 8th
In game two they will likely play against the loser of Australia versus Mexico, which already could mean the end due to the double elimination format

Recent Tournament History
The South African team didn’t play in the Beijing Olympics last August after finishing with a 0-7 record in eighth place at the Olympic Qualifier in Taiwan last March
In the Baseball World Cup in November 2007 at the same venue, South Africa also lost all seven games
In the inaugural World Baseball Classic in 2006 the team nearly upset Canada in the opener, leading 8-7 in the top of the ninth inning, but losing 8-10
In games two and three they lost 4-10, respective 0-17 against Mexico and Team USA
They are currently ranked 20th in the IBAF World Rankings

Exhibition Schedule
Wednesday, February 4th:
South Africa – Los Angeles Angels
Thursday, March 5th:
South Africa – Oakland Athletics
South Africa trains at the Oakland Athletics facilities in Phoenix, Arizona

Roster
No South African player has reached the MLB in the past, but there are six Minor Leaguers on the current roster
Barry Armitage, who pitched six years in the Kansas City Royals organization, leads the team
Currently under contract with MLB organizations are pitchers Alessio Angelucci (SD), Justin Erasmus (BOS), Dylan Lindsay (KC) and Hein Robb (MIN), infielders Anthony Phillips (SEA) and Gift Ngoepe (PIT)
Robb, Lindsay and Ngoepe went through the MLB Academy camp in Tirrenia, Italy last summer and signed with their clubs afterwards
Infielder Justin Lazarus had ten hits in twenty-one at-bats for the German Baseball-Bundesliga club Mannheim Tornados last season

Coaches
The 61-year-old former third baseman Rick Magnante (for the Reno Silver Sox) is once again the manager of the South African team at the 2009 WBC
He coached the team at all major tournaments since the 2006 edition of the Classic
In 1990 he was the head coach of Novara in the Italian Baseball League
Magnante managed in the Appalachian League and the NY-Penn League for the Detroit Tigers between 1987 and 1989
Since 2006 he is the manager of the Northwest League affiliate of the Oakland Athletics in Vancouver
Between 1996 and 2005 he was an area scout for the Athletics
In 1996 he played the Giants’ third base coach in the movie “The Fan”, featuring Robert DeNiro and Wesley Snipes

Chances
They are more than just an underdog in the World Baseball Classic
South Africa will be heavily overmatched in game one against Cuba
It will also be difficult to beat Australia or Mexico in the second match
However the 2006 opener against Canada showed that the three other teams need to stay focused

------South Africa ... Preview #2

Its roster doesn't include any current major leaguers, but they do have several players with North American minor league experience in RHP Alessio Angelucci (Padres), RHP Justin Erasmus (Red Sox), RHP Dylan Lindsay (Royals) and IF Anthony Phillips (Mariners), as well as some U.S. college players
The South Africans were overwhelmed in 2006, going 0-3, but they give Canada a good battle before losing 11-8, and followed with a 17-0 loss to the U.S. in five inning mercy rule
This team has no shot again, and are only in the tournament because 16 teams were needed to fill out the pools

------Mexico ... Preview #1

In our series of previews in front of the World Baseball Classic, we’re looking today at Mexico
Hosting one of the four preliminary round stops, the team has the home crowd behind their backs and hopes to feed from its energy to at least repeat their success from three years ago, when they finished in sixth place of the inaugural edition of the WBC

Opponents
In their home stadium Foro Sol in Mexico City, the team takes on Australia in a telling opening match of Pool B on Sunday, March 8th
If they win they most likely face Cuba in game two on Tuesday, March 10 and would probably play against Australia again in a decisive third match one day later
If Mexico advances into the second round of the World Baseball Classic, they are moving to San Diego to face the two Pool A winners from Asia, most likely South Korea and Japan, starting on Sunday, March 15

Recent Tournament History
As mentioned before Mexico finished in sixth place in the 2006 WBC, winning and losing each three games, including a split against Team USA
In pool play they lost the opener 0-2 against their arch rival and defeated South Africa (10-4) and Canada (9-1) easily to advance into the second round, where they lost against South Korea (1-2) and Japan (1-6)
They clinched sixth place with a 2-1 victory against the USA
In the 2007 Baseball World Cup they lost the first three games, before rallying with four straight wins to advance with a 4-3 record into the quarterfinals
After losing the first two games of the final round, the team won against Taiwan to secure sixth place in the tournament
A few months later Mexico again was in Taiwan for the Final Olympic Qualifying Tournament, where they also lost the opening three games, before winning the last four
However this time, it wasn’t enough, as only the top three teams clinched a spot in the Beijing Olympics
In the last two Continental Championships Mexico finished in third, securing a spot in the Baseball World Cup next September
They are currently ranked eighth in the IBAF World Rankings

Exhibition Schedule
Wednesday, March 4th:
Mexico – Arizona Diamondbacks
Thursday, March 5th:
Mexico – Colorado Rockies
Friday, March 6th:
Mexico – Arizona Diamondbacks
Mexico uses the Spring Training facilities of the Arizona Diamondbacks in Tucson, Arizona, when they are playing the exhibitions against the two MLB teams

Roster
Like most of the other 15 teams in the WBC, Mexico also suffers from player withdrawals
Pitchers Yovany Gallardo (Brewers), Alfredo Aceves (Yankees), Matt Garza (Rays) and Oscar Villarreal (Royals), and infielder Luis Cruz (Pirates) all skip the tournament and hurt the team especially in the starting pitching department
On the offensive side of the game, only Edgar Gonzalez of the San Diego Padres ponders a non-participation, if he is not the starting second baseman in the WBC
His brother Adrian Gonzalez, who also plays for San Diego in the MLB, is the unquestionable star of the team and already showed his potential and form in the Caribbean Series, where he shined for second-place finisher Mazatlán
Together with Jorge Cantu (Marlins), Jerry (Reds) and Scott Hairston (Padres) he hopes to produce enough runs to support the pitching staff, which is now led by Walter Silva (Padres), Jorge Campillo (Braves), Luis Ayala (Twins) and super-closer Joakim Soria (Royals)

Coaches
The Mexican legend Vinny Castilla is the manager of Mexico
He played 16 years in the Major Leagues for six different teams, batting .276 (OBP .321/SLG .476) with 320 homeruns in 1854 games
The third baseman retired following the 2007 Caribbean Series and works as special assistant for Rockies General Manager Dan O’Dowd
In 2007 he served as manager of Team Mexico in the Pan American Games and worked as player-manager in the 2008 Mexican Pacific League for Hermosillo

Chances
With the missing pitchers Garza, Aceves and Gallardo, the roster lacks depth and quality in the defensive department and it will be difficult to beat the favored teams in the World Baseball Classic
However with home field advantage in round one, Mexico is supposed to advance into the second round

------Mexico ... Preview #2

The major league talent pool gets deeper every season and Mexico's provisional roster sports many known names
RHP Matt Garza (Rays), LHP Oliver Perez (Mets), RHP Joakim Soria (Royals), C Rod Barajas (Blue Jays), IF Jorge Cantu (Marlins), 1B Adrian Gonzalez (Padres), Jerry Hairston Jr. (Reds) and OF Scott Hairston (Padres)
In fact, the Mexicans head into the tournament with 31 players that at least played in the minors
This country could challenge if they are able to field a full compliment of professionals and should give Cuba a good battle in this pool
This is where home field advantage could come into play
Where they may fall short is with starting pitching

------Cuba ... Preview #1

Today we look at the heavily favored team from Cuba

Opponents
The Cuban team is scheduled to start against South Africa on Sunday, March 8th in game one of Pool B at the Foro Sol Stadium in Mexico City
With nothing else as a victory expected in the opener, they will face the winner of the Australia-Mexico matchup in game two on Tuesday, March 10th
In round two, which Cuba definitely will reach, they face the two top teams from Pool A with Japan, Korea, Taiwan and China
This phase is supposed to begin on March 15

Recent Tournament History
When the first plans of the World Baseball Classic were revealed a few years ago, it was a possibility that such a tournament would be played without Cuba due to the difficult political relationships between the United States and the Caribbean country
However in the end this didn’t play a role three years ago in the inaugural edition of the WBC
Still the first Classic was remarkable for Cuban Baseball, not because the team did participate, but due to the fact that the seemingly unbeatable team lost in the finals against Japan
Back then nobody thought it would be a big deal, just another slip like 2000 in the Olympics
However since the Cuban team has a quite a streak of lost finals on their way to the 2009 WBC
Of course, this could be coincidence or simply bad luck, but it is still notable
Back to 2006: Cuba won the first two WBC games against Panama (8-6) and the Netherlands (11-2), before losing a meaningless third match to Puerto Rico (2-12)
In the second round they also won two out of three matches (7-2 VEN, 3-7 DOM, 4-3 PUR) to advance into the semi-finals
They defeated the Dominicans 3-1 to reach the title game against Japan, losing 6-10
In the following years the second-place finishes continued, besides a victory at the 2006 Intercontinental Cup
They lost the finals of the Olympic Qualifier in 2006 and the 2007 Baseball World Cup each time against Team USA
Last summer in the Olympics the Cuban team was upset by Korea to finish with the silver medal
They even ranked second in the latest two editions of the Haarlem Baseball Week (2006, 2008)
Nonetheless Cuba is ranked number one in the IBAF World Rankings with a 200-plus points lead over the USA and Korea

Exhibition Schedule
Cuba – Aguilas de Veracruz 8-3
Cuba – Pericos de Puebla 13-0
Cuba – Pericos de Puebla 7-4
Tuesday, March 3:
Cuba – Pericos de Puebla
Thursday, March 5:
Cuba – Pericos de Puebla
Cuba departed to Puebla, Mexico on Friday, February 20th to start the final training camp before the start of the 2009 World Baseball Classic

Roster
The Cuban team brings back most of their well-known highly talented players to the 2009 WBC
Obviously none of the Major League players from the Caribbean Island, like Alexei Ramirez, Jose Contreras or Yuniesky Betancourt are on the roster
Also missing is their best pitcher from 2006 Yadel Marti, who left the country at the end of last year to play in the United States
Not making the final cut were slugger Alexei Bell, all-time Cuban league batting leader Osmani Urrutia, 2006 offensive leader Yoandy Garlobo and pitchers Jonder Martinez, Yadier Pedroso and Vicyohandri Odelin
The pitching staff will be led by veteran reliever Pedro Lazo
He gets help out in the much important bullpen from Yulieski Gonzalez, Norberto Gonzalez and Vladimir Garcia
Aroldis Chapman, Yuneski Maya, Norge Vera and Luis Rodriguez are expected to start, though Norberto Gonzalez could also be an option
Especially southpaw Chapman could open some eyes during the WBC
He supposedly was clocked 102mph this season in Cuba
The Cuban teams of the last few years never had not enough fire power and this will not change for the 2009 World Baseball Classic
Catcher Ariel Pestano, who will finish his career after the IBAF Baseball World Cup next September, infielders Yulieski Gourriel and Alex Mayeta, plus switch-hitting outfielder Frederich Cepeda will lead the offense
They will be supported by the two young slugging outfielders Alfredo Despaigne (22) and Yoennis Cespedes (23), who combined for 50 homeruns this season

Coaches
Cuba is probably the only team in the tournament, which sends the president of the national baseball federation, as manager to the World Baseball Classic
Higinio Velez, who led the team to Gold at the 2004 Athens Olympics, to the Baseball World Cup titles in 2001, 2003 and 2005, and to the second-place finish in the inaugural edition of the World Baseball Classic three years ago, was named skipper of the Cuban selection a few weeks ago
He is the commissioner of the Cuban league since 2007
Velez succeeds Antonio Pacheco, who was heavily criticized in Cuba for the Silver Medal in Beijing

Chances
The expectations in Cuba are pretty high and anything else but a win at the World Baseball Classic will be considered a failure
They definitely have the talent on all positions to succeed
However it all will depend on their pitching staff and how it will fare in comparison to the top teams in the WBC
One thing should be clear - after the most recent results in international events the team will not take the games lightly and are extremely motivated to regain first place

------Cuba ... Preview #2

Finalists in the inaugural WBC, the Cubans are always deep in talent despite annual defections to the United States
RHP Yadel Marti and OF Yasser Gomez defected in December after being kicked off their club teams, but that shouldn't hurt their country's chances, especially in the weak pool
Led by OF Frederich Cepeda and Osmany Urrutia, this team should be able to put up a lot of runs
In 2006, its 44 runs and 117 total were second only to Japan
The defection of OF Alexei Ramirez, who now plays with the White Sox, will hurt, but this country routinely fields a fast young team and this year's edition should live up to that tradition
RHP Pedro Luis Lazo is the ace of a deep pitching staff

------Australia ... Preview #1

Australia surprised 2004 with a Silver Medal at the Olympics in Athens and since then was always considered as one of the favorites going into international Baseball tournaments
But despite a sixth place at the 2007 Baseball World Cup, they weren’t able to repeat their success in most of the last couple of events

Opponents
The Australian team was slotted into Pool B of the WBC at the Foro Sol Stadium in Mexico City
Their first opponent on Sunday, March 8th is host Mexico
If they can win, they will likely face Cuba in the second game, South Africa would wait after a loss
Besides Cuba the group isn’t an impossible task for the Aussies
In the second round they would face the two teams of the Asian Pool with Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and China

Recent Tournament History
As mentioned before, the best international result for Australia was their second-place finish at the 2004 Athens Olympics
In the following 2005 Baseball World Cup they finished in tenth position, before disappointing in the 2006 World Baseball Classic
They were shut out in the first two matches against Italy (0-10) and Venezuela (0-2), and also lost the third game against the Dominican Republic (4-6)
In the 2007 Baseball World Cup it seemed that they are poised to repeat their success from 2004, when they were second in Pool B of the preliminary round with a 6-1 record, the same as first-place Cuba
But in the quarterfinals waited Japan and Tadashi Settsu, eliminating them with a 3-0 victory
In the end they flew home from Taiwan with a sixth place
In March 2008 Australia returned for the Final Olympic Qualifying Tournament
They lost three games to finish with a 4-3 record, missing out on Beijing and the chance to defend their Silver Medal
Australia is currently ranked tenth in the IBAF World Rankings

Exhibition Schedule
Australia – Taiwan 1-4
Australia – Taiwan 9-8
Australia – Taiwan 9-3
Australia – Taiwan 4-5
Australia – Taiwan 9-3
Australia – Taiwan 7-6
Tuesday 24th February - Australia v Japan
Wednesday 25th February - Australia v Japan
Wednesday, March 4th - Australia v Seattle Mariners
Thursday, March 5th - Australia v Milwaukee Brewers
Friday, March 6th - Australia v Chicago White Sox
After traveling to Arizona, Australia trains at the Spring Training facilities of the Seattle Mariners in Peoria

Roster
The Australian provisional roster has a bunch of Major League players on it, although reliever Grant Balfour of American League winner Tampa Bay Rays and starting pitcher Ryan Rowland-Smith of the Seattle Mariners decided to skip the World Baseball Classic
They will also miss reliever Peter Moylan of the Atlanta Braves, who is recovering from elbow surgery
Another question mark could be pitcher Travis Blackley, who is trying to make the big league roster with the Arizona Diamondbacks, though he hasn’t made any remarks towards withdrawing from the WBC
His brother Adam Blackley, a former Boston Red Sox Minor Leaguer, signed with the Dutch champion L and D Amsterdam a few weeks ago
He also will pitch for Australia in the Classic
Another player with a contract in Europe is shortstop Brad Dutton, who will play for the German team Gauting Indians in the 2009 season
The rest of the team consists of players from American Major and Minor League teams like Brad Harman (Phillies), Luke Hughes (Twins), Rich Thompson (Angels) and Adam Bright (Rockies) to name a few, from Japanese professional clubs like pitchers Adrian Burnside and Michael Nakamura (both Yomiuri Giants) and from the Australian Baseball Leagues, though most of the legionnaires also played in their home country during the winter

Coaches
The 46-year-old former pitcher Jon Deeble manages the Australian team again in the World Baseball Classic this March
He was at the top of the coaching staff in the Olympics in 2004, as well as the 2006 World Baseball Classic and at the recent tournaments on the international Baseball calendar
He also worked as a coach and minor league manager in the Florida Marlins and Boston Red Sox organizations (First Base Coach in the MLB in 2005)
Deeble is the coordinator of scouting for the Pacific Rim region for the Red Sox

Chances
Obviously the Australian team doesn’t have a roster filled with MLB stars on hand during the World Baseball Classic and the missing pitchers Rowland-Smith, Balfour and Moylan hurt their chances
But advancing in group B should not be impossible
Another plus for the team is the timing of the WBC, as most of their players are coming fresh from their season in Australia, although this is true for their opponents in group B as well
The opening match against Mexico will be the key

------Australia ... Preview #2

While it's roster sports several players with major league experience - RHP Grant Balfour (Rays), LHP Travis Blackley (Diamondbacks), LHP Ryan Rowland-Smith (Mariners), RHP Phil Stockman (Braves) - this team is too short on talent if they plan on challenging the top two teams in the pool, Cuba and Mexico
They only scored four runs in 2006 while going 0-3, and lack of offence looks to do them in again this time
For the Aussie's to challenge, they will need minor leaguers C Joel Naughton (Phillies), IF Brad Harman (Phillies), IF Luke Hughes (Twins) and OF Mitch Dening (Red Sox) to step up
Beating Cuba is not an option, but they could surprise Mexico