The Dominican Republic approaches the World Baseball Classic as the great favorite of Group D, although the rosters presented by Puerto Rico and Venezuela induce what will be a pitched battle, while Israel and Nicaragua become stealthy with the intention of ruining the party and ending dealing a heavy blow.
Not for nothing have these been labeled the “group of death” by public opinion, forming a division that rightly establishes itself as the one with the greatest competitive parity within the entire stirrup for the World Cup.
Next, an analysis of each combination belonging to the group is designed, observing its strengths and weaknesses.
Dominican Republic
The Caribbeans have presented the youngest team in their history through the editions of the great event (27 years, 5 months), a ninth full of stars and constantly rising players who elevate them to a precious position from the paper among all the participants.
Strength: Offense and relief pitching.
They present an enviable bulk of lineup, who guided by the bats of Juan Soto, Manny Machado, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Rafael Devers and Julio Rodríguez, form one of the best batches.
Relief pitching is another bright spot for them, with the valuable trilogy of World Series winners in Bryan Abreu, Héctor Neris and Rafael Montero, as well as closers Camilo Doval and Gregory Soto.
Weakness: Starting pitchers.
At first glance, the starting rotation would seem like something of a dream for the Dominican, although the losses of Framber Valdez, Luis Castillo, Freddy Peralta and Luis Severino have changed things radically.
Having a reigning Cy Young winner in Sandy Alcántara and a rising star in Cristian Javier will be a plus, but the low-command tendency in Roansy Contreras and the unintimidating pitching of Johnny Cueto lead to long questions.
Venezuela
The South Americans have put together a roster that ensures they can hit through a solid offense, having a dynamic roster based on power hitters, followed by good runners and men whose greatest skill is contact.
Strength: Offensive.
They have managed to get their two main figures – such as Ronald Acuña Jr. and José Altuve – to be on the pitch as they walk through the tournament, something that combined with headlines of the level of Anthony Santander, Andrés Giménez and Luis Arráez, gives them the opportunity to form a golden lineup.
Weakness: Relief pitchers.
Betting that José Alvarado will continue to dominate opponents with his cutter is an easy path, as is how effective Ranger Suárez can be after replacing the starting pitcher, but no other reliever provides a clear guarantee of success. Darwinzon Hernández continues with control difficulties, repeating the same case in Andrés Machado.
Puerto Rico
The representative of the Isla del Encanto maintains a structure quite similar to 2017, although in that year they reached the final of the Classic, the weaknesses of that occasion are present again.
Strength: Offensive and relief.
Francisco Lindor and Javier Báez will once again be making a double play combination and appearing at the top of the lineup, accompanied by outfielders Enrique – Kiké -Hernández, Eddie Rosario and Henry Ramos, as well as first baseman and recent major league graduate José Miranda .
In the case of relievers, brothers Edwin and Alexis Díaz – who combined for a major league record 42 saves in 2022 – are projected to be in action once across the border into the eighth inning, while Jorge López and Emilio Pagán taking leading positions.
Weakness: Starting pitching.
Marcus Stroman didn’t quite pan out with his ace responsibility for the Chicago Cubs last season (3.50 ERA, 3.76 FIP), while José Berríos appears to be losing his All-Star form entirely after posting a 4.28 ERA in his last three harvests.
Israel
Baseball is far from symbolic in Israeli culture, however the fact that it is flexible to naturalize players through religion gives them the opportunity to have a roster with familiar faces.
Strength: Offensive.
Outfielders Alex Dickerson and Joc Pederson establish themselves as the combine’s leading hitters, with catcher Garrett Stubbs accompanying them, as do veterans Ryan Lavarnway and Danny Valencia.
The relievers section is another highlight of the selection, with Zack Weiss, Jake Fishman, Robert Stock and Rob Kaminsky, all of them with experience in the Big Top. Right-hander Drean Kremer (3.23 ERA in 2022 for Baltimore) is listed as the heaviest starter.
Nicaragua
This roster is one full of doubts, starting with how a team made up of 73.3% players from the local winter league (Nicaraguan Professional Baseball League) will be able to adapt to the highest level of competition.
The strengths and weaknesses of its roster do not stand up to analysis, since it is the team with the lowest competitive level on paper among the twenty present. They will have Erasmo Ramírez and Jonathan Loáisiga, both Major League relievers.
