Ultimate 2026 World Baseball Classic international teams preview

The 2026 edition of the World Baseball Classic starts next Wednesday, and now is the time to get familiar with every squad looking to be the last team standing. While the United States of America has one of its best rosters ever in the tournament, which international teams should they have their eyes on?

On this episode of Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman break down every international team’s roster to try and figure out who poses the biggest threat to Team USA. They are joined by the creator of Yakyu Cosmopolitan and NPB expert Yuri Karasawa to talk all things Team Japan and why Shohei Ohtani not pitching this year is a bigger deal than people realize. As the current reigning champion, will Japan be able to defend its title?

Later, Jake and Jordan talk about the other teams, including why they feel the Dominican Republic and Venezuelan squads might have the best chance to reach the finals and raise the WBC trophy. They then make their picks for sleeper teams and discuss which long shots could pull off a huge upset.

1:31 - Yuri Karasawa previews Team Japan
5:20 - What is the Ohtani vibe going into the WBC?
27:59 - Who could be starting for Japan?
43:11 - Around the League: DR & Venezuela
1:15:42 - Who are the sleeper teams?
1:39:25 - All the other teams

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