World Baseball Classic: Round 2 preview

The World Baseball Classic excites me for several reasons. First, I'm a baseball junkie. Baseball and football are by far my favorite sports, with basketball a distant third. Second, ever since I was a kid, I've envisioned a tournament like this with the best players in the world participating. And third, I'm a baseball junkie.

Yes, I understand all the criticism surrounding the tournament. In 2006, many pitchers who participated were either injured later in the year or had bad seasons. Of course, this happens every year to pitchers; injuries are a part of an unnatural motion repeated over-and-over. But if teams believe this early, intense pitching leads to a higher chance of injury or ineffectiveness, than you can't blame them (or their fans) for wanting to protect their pitchers.

Jake Peavy was part of the disappointing 2006 squad, and according to several announcers, he was a cheerleader to get guys on the team. He takes a lot of pride in putting the USA jersey on, and he enjoyed his experience from three years ago. But in 2006 in his MLB season, Peavy was an average pitcher, when he's usually one of the best starters in the NL. He went on to win the Cy Young in 2007.

But despite that, he came back. And I guess that's another reason I love the WBC. The national pride adds another intriguing piece to the competitive puzzle.

So without further adu, I've ranked the final eight teams and given my predictions.

Round 2 Losers

Netherlands. That clincher against the DR was one of the coolest games I've ever watched. It had the tension of MLB playoff baseball, with the added intrigue of the fact that the Dutch team had no business beating the DR All-Stars once, let alone twice. I thought once A-Rod was taken off the roster, the DR would loose it's choking reflex. I was wrong. Regardless, I think the Dutch run has come to an end. I think Venezuela will beat them, and then they'll lose to the loser of the Puerto Rico-USA game. Still, what a run.

Mexico. Truth be told, Adrian Gonzalez could get hot and carry Los Mexicanos into the final round, but otherwise the lineup is thin and the pitching is thinner. And once those hitters get to sea level, don't expect more double digit explosions (I'm talking to you, Karim Garcia).

Puerto Rico. This one was tough, as I chose Venezuela over Puerto Rico. I just don't think they have the pitching. They don't have a single pitcher who strikes fear in anyone. Yes, Delgado and Carlos Beltran could get very hot and win some 10-7 games, but anytime the artist formally known as Bernie Williams is involved, let's just say I don't think they'll be waving him home again anytime soon. He looked like a beer-leaguer who had been shot rounding third.

Korea. This is a tough team for me to analyze because I don't really know much about the key players. That being said, from what I watched in the first round, I think they're pitching will be unable to beat Cuba. They need to pray for Cuba to lose against Japan and then possibly Mexico. That could carry them in.

The Final Four

4. Venezuela. I like a couple of their pitchers and the lineup is well-rounded and solid (even if it's dominated by Detroit Tigers). Their middle relief is a little weak, but that's a weakness most of the teams share. I guess I just don't like any of these pieces enough.

3. Cuba. Not as much juice as the 2006 team, but man there are some good players. The batters were probably inflated at 10,000 feet in Mexico City, but some of their pitchers looked awesome, including 6-3 lefthander Aroldis Chapman.

2. Japan. Japan's pitching has been fantastic, and though their lineup lacks the power of Cuba, Venezuela and the USA, their pitching, defense and beyond-solid fundamentals will carry them far, maybe even to a second consecutive WBC title. The player to watch is 6-5 righty Yu Darvish, who is like a foot taller than everyone else on the team.

1. USA. Listening to Rick Sutcliff (one of my least favorite announcers in any sport), you'd think the 2006 team was filled with a bunch of losers, but this year's squad all loves each other, goes to dinner together, and will all be naming their next son Derek. I think that's a load of crap. The USA will win behind the pitching of Peavy and Oswalt and a superior lineup (as long as Davey Johnson starts Rollins over Jeter at SS and leaves DeRosa and Granderson on the bench where they belong). The Achilles heal of Team USA is a weak middle relief corps. If they can get the ball to Putz, they will win. But it could be a bumpy ride to get there.