Japan won the first two World Baseball Classic championships, and it was only fitting that one of the greatest players from Japan was right in the middle of both titles.
Outfielder Ichiro Suzuki played for Japan in both 2006 and 2009, hitting a combined .312 with five stolen bases, 10 RBIs and 14 runs scored in 17 games. But it was his final at-bat that sealed his WBC legacy. With the 2009 championship game between Japan and Korea tied 3-3 in the top of the 10th inning, Ichiro stepped to the plate with two runners on and two outs.
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With a 2-2 count, he slashed a classic Ichiro line drive up the middle, scoring both runners and helping to lift his country to the championship. Because of course he did.
With the start of the 2023 World Baseball Classic less than a week away, we’ll take a look at the best outfield groups for this year’s tournament.
First, though, let’s watch the best individual defensive play in WBC history, turned in by USA center fielder Adam Jones in the 2017 WBC quarterfinals vs. the Dominican Republic.
7. South Korea
Outfielders: Jung-Hoo Lee, Hyun Soo Kim, Sung-Bum Na, Kun-Woo Park
Why they're here: Lee has played six full KBO seasons, producing a career .342/.407/.575 slash line, and he added a bit of power last year, with 23 homers to go with 36 doubles and 10 triples in 142 games. It was his Age 23 season. Think of the WBC as his introduction to American baseball fans — if Korea makes it past pool play, of course — because he’s set to be posted after the 2023 season, meaning he’ll likely be playing in MLB next season. Kim and Na both regularly produce 20-homer KBO seasons, too.
6. Mexico
Outfielders: Randy Arozarena, Alex Verdugo, Alek Thomas, Jarren Duran,
Why they're here: Well, we all know Arozarena loves the big stage. Who can ever forget his epic 2020 postseason, when he hit 10 homers in 20 games and posted a 1.273 OPS? Thomas and Duran are promising youngsters who have struggled a bit in their short time in the bigs, but should benefit from this WBC experience. Verdugo hasn’t developed into the All-Star Boston was hoping for when he was a key piece of the Mookie Betts trade return, but he’s solid.
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5. Japan
Outfielders: Seiya Suzuki, Lars Nootbaar, Masataka Yoshida, Kensuke Kondo
Why they're here: There’s a lot of “prove it” for the three primary outfielders on this team. Suzuki had a fine first season in the bigs, hitting 14 homers with a 116 OPS+ for the Cubs, but he didn’t show the consistency that was his hallmark in Japan. The Cubs are expecting him to be an All-Star, and the WBC is a great way to kick off his 2023 season. Nootbaar enters the WBC hoping to pick back up where he left off in 2022, as a key piece of the Cardinals’ present and future in the outfield. And Yoshida? Yeah, lot of eyes are on him after he landed a big contract to join the Red Sox this offseason.
4. Venezuela
Outfielders: Ronald Acuna Jr., Anthony Santander, David Peralta,
Why they're here: Acuna is one hell of a headliner — he’s motivated to show what he can do in his first (hopefully) healthy full season since 2019 — but Santander is coming off one of the quietest 33-homer seasons in recent memory. And Peralta? Professional hitter, through and through.
3. Cuba
Outfielders: Luis Robert, Yoenis Cespedes, Alfredo Despaigne, Rodriguez, Yadir Drake Dominguez, Yoelquis Guibert Steven, Roel Santos Martinez
Why they're here: If this is the year Luis Robert finally reaches his potential as a healthy MVP candidate, a star turn in the WBC sure would be a nice launching point. And wouldn’t it be fun to see Cespedes show there’s still a little kick left in his bat, at 37 years old? As with Japan, there’s a lot of “prove it” in the outfield for Cuba, and that’s good motivation for a showcase tournament such as this. Oh, and WBC fans know all about Despaigne. He owns the record for most career WBC home runs, with seven, and has a .370 batting average, with 16 RBIs and 12 runs scored in 17 career games.
2. USA
Outfielders: Mike Trout, Mookie Betts, Kyle Tucker, Kyle Schwarber, Cedric Mullins
Why they're here: Truth is, if I ranked this again tomorrow, the USA group might be No. 1. So maybe we think of them as 1A and 1B. Trout and Betts, you know all about. Former MVPs still at or near the peak of their game. Tucker’s coming off back-to-back 30-homer seasons, Schwarber hit 46 homers last year and Mullins has 46 homers and 64 stolen bases the past two years. Yeah, that’ll play.
1. Dominican Republic
Outfielders: Julio Rodriguez, Juan Soto, Teoscar Hernandez, Eloy Jimenez, Ketel Marte
Why they're here: That 1-2 combo of J-Rod and Soto is just ridiculous. Rodriguez is one of the few players in the AL talented enough to challenge Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge for MVP honors, and Soto, even in a “down” year in 2022, had a 149 OPS+ and 5.6 bWAR, on the heels of a 175 OPS+ and 7.1 bWAR in 2021. Jimenez probably will see most of his time at DH, with Hernandez — 56 homers and 193 RBIs over the past two MLB seasons — playing the field.
