Today we’ll continue with Pool B in our preview series for the upcoming Baseball World Cup. Just a short reminder on the format: The first round in the BWC consists of five pools with four teams apiece. The top two countries of each group advance into the second round, joined by the four best third-ranked squads. More info on 2009BaseballWorldCup.com
Venue
The games of Pool B will be played at the ballpark in Montjuic, home of the Spanish Division de Honor club FC Barcelona. The European Championships in 2007 and the last two European Champions Cup Final Fours also were hosted at this stadium. The opening ceremony on September 9th will begin at 18:35 CET with all four teams.
Spain
The host of pool B is going to play in its fifth Baseball World Cup, but never reached the second round. In 2007 they had a 2-5 record during the preliminary round, which was good for seventh in the group. A few months later they ranked seventh out of eighth in the Final Olympic qualifier, capturing just one victory. With new manager Mauro Mazzotti at the helm, they hope to reach at least the second round in the 2009 BWC. The roster was built out of players from the Division de Honor, the Italian Baseball League and American professional leagues like Manny Olivera, Rhiner Cruz or Lesther Galvan. Several of their national team players, Dewis Navarro, Jorge Balboa, Yoel Hernandez to name a few, signed with Italian teams last winter and were able to compete on a higher level in comparison to the Spanish League. It is going to be interesting, if this will translate into success with the national team. Spain prepared for the Baseball World Cup with a five-game series against UCLA. Their first match against South Africa on September 9th should decide if they have a chance to advance into the second round.
Cuba
Cuba wants to recapture the Baseball World Cup crown in Europe, which got away in 2007 with the loss to the USA in the finals in Taiwan. They also are highly motivated to erase the memories of the disappointing results at the 2008 Olympics (loss in Gold Medal Game) and the 2009 World Baseball Classic (out in second round). Although Cuba will miss pitchers Yadel Marti and Aroldis Chapman (both defected since the 2007 BWC), they still have a highly favored squad at the start. Retiring catcher Ariel Pestano in his last big tournament, new captain Frederich Cepeda and Yulieski Gourriel lead the team going into the BWC. Cuba traveled to Italy for the last training camp and participated in the Italian Baseball Week with Italy, Venezuela and Taiwan.
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico has some up-and-down results in the International Baseball. They twice finished in fifth place in the World Baseball Classics, but only were eighth in the 2005 Baseball World Cup and didn’t even qualify for the 2007 edition. However they are highly motivated to change this perception and hope for their first title since 1951. They are sending a team, which was built only out of professional players from Major League organizations, including former big leaguers Juan Padilla, Raul Casanova, Alex Cintron or Jose Santiago among others. The first game against Cuba on September 10th should tell, if they are really that good, as it looks on paper.
South Africa
South Africa has a 2-35 record in Baseball World Cup history. In 2007 in Taiwan they remained winless in seven games. In the most recent 2009 World Baseball Classic, they were ranked 16th out of 16 teams at the end. However despite the constant underdog status for the squad, they have several promising players on the roster, including infielder Gift Ngoepe and Dylan Lindsay. Anthony Phillips, Brett Willemburg and Hein Robb also have played for professional teams in the past. They need to beat Spain in the opener to book a trip to the Netherlands or Italy.
Schedule
September 9th:
19:00 Spain – South Africa
September 10th:
19:00 Cuba – Puerto Rico
September 11th:
11:00 Cuba – South Africa
18:00 Spain – Puerto Rico
September 12th:
11:00 South Africa – Puerto Rico
18:00 Cuba – Spain
Tickets and Local Website
Tickets are available on the local website of Pool B www.bwcspain.es