MLB analyst on Team Dominican Republic in World Baseball Classic: "One of the very best infields ever assembled anywhere in the history of baseball"
Perhaps the biggest threat to the United States repeating as World Baseball Classic champions this year is the Dominican Republic. The Dominicans claimed one of the previous four WBC championships, defeating Puerto Rico to win the 2013 title.
According to MLB analyst Jon Morosi, the 10-year anniversary of that championship may just be celebrated by winning another one.
"There are no places to go on this roster and say, 'Oh, that's a weakness,'" Morosi said during MLB Network's "Hot Stove" morning show. "This is going to be one of the great teams we see in this (World Baseball Classic) ever."
"One of the very best infields ever assembled anywhere in the history of baseball."
- @jonmorosi on the potential star-studded Dominican Republic lineup entering next month’s #WorldBaseballClassic. 🇩🇴 https://t.co/sbuhSLND0T
Morosi saved his greatest compliment for the prospective Dominican Republic starting infield of first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., second baseman Jose Ramirez, shortstop Jeremy Pena and third baseman Manny Machado.
"One of the very best infields ever assembled anywhere in the history of baseball," Morosi said of the quartet of MLB superstars.
Guerrero, of the Toronto Blue Jays, is a two-time All-Star that led MLB with 48 home runs and 123 RBIs in 2021. He has one Gold Glove and one Silver Slugger Award to his name in a four-year big league career.
Ramirez, of the Cleveland Guardians, is a 10-year MLB veteran with four All-Star appearances. He has hit 192 home runs with 174 stolen bases in his career, while hitting .279 overall.
Machado, of the San Diego Padres, is coming off finishing as the National League MVP runner-up in 2022. A six-time All-Star, the 11-year MLB veteran has hit for a .282 lifetime average with 283 home runs and 853 RBIs.
The newcomer of the group is Pena. All he did was win World Series MVP after playing an integral role in helping the Houston Astros to the 2022 championship. Overall, in placing fifth in the NL Rookie of the Year race, Pena hit .253 with 22 homers, 63 RBIs and 11 steals.
World Baseball Classic begins March 8
The World Baseball Classic runs from March 8-21, during MLB's spring training. The event usually runs every four years, but the 2021 version was postponed until this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In addition to one championship apiece for the Dominican Republic and the United States, Team Japan has two WBC titles. Japan won the inaugural WBC in 2006 and then repeated as champions in 2009.