For the second time in the history of the World Baseball Classic, the main tournament will be preceded by four Qualifiers, which effectively expands the total number of teams to 28. Only the winners qualify for the 2017 World Baseball Classic. On Thursday, February 11 the first WBC Qualifier commences at Blacktown International Sportspark in Sydney, Australia, home of the Sydney Blue Sox of the Australian Baseball League. The participants will be Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the Philippines.
The WBCQ in Sydney starts with a doubleheader on Thursday, as South Africa faces New Zealand in the afternoon and the Philippines square off against Australia in the evening. It is going to be a double-elimination format with the winner booking the elusive ticket on Sunday afternoon. ESPN Pac-Rim, MLB Network and Solar Sports will broadcast the WBC Qualifier in their respective regions. Live Streaming and MLB GameDay Livescoring should be available for all games through MLB.com, although the official press release says live streaming will be only available in the US and Puerto Rico.
Australia
Obviously the heavy favorite will be Team Australia. They have to play in the WBCQ after finishing last in their first-round group during the 2013 World Baseball Classic. They have a big advantage, as most of their players are coming fresh from a full season of Australian Baseball League with the Brisbane Bandits taking the title. The team also can rely on a couple of former Major Leaguers to lead the team. Travis Blackley, Peter Moylan and Ryan Rowland-Smith all have pitched in the big leagues in the past. Brad Harman and Trent Oeltjen look back to some big league games from the offensive side. As usual manager is going to be Jon Deeble.
New Zealand
New Zealand surprised during the 2012 round of Qualifiers with a strong run at the WBCQ in Taipei, finishing second only to Chinese Taipei. The “Diamondblacks” had a strong showing and not only because of the Haka. However this year they have to recover from a big blow a couple of weeks ago, when Lincoln Holdzkom got killed during a car accident. They will honor him with a #37 patch on the front of their jerseys. His brother John Holdzkom isn’t on the roster. The team will be led by MLB signees Beau Te Wera Bishop and Boss Moanaroa and also feature Daniel Lamb-Hunt of the German club Bonn Capitals on the roster. The biggest names are on the coaching staff with former Major Leaguers Chris Woodward and DJ Carrasco.
South Africa
South Africa was set for the first two editions of the World Baseball Classic as Africa’s representative. They are still the lone African team in the tournament, but need to survive the Qualifiers first. In 2012 they lost in the WBCQ in Jupiter/Florida and now travel Down Under as underdog. The best player on the roster for sure is Gift Ngoepe. The middle infielder of the Pittsburgh Pirates was added to the 40-man roster of the MLB club this offseason. Overall nine players are under contract with MLB organizations including pitchers Hein Robb and Dylan Unsworth. Former Mannheim Tornados player Kyle Botha is one of two catchers on the team. South Africa will be managed by former national team player Alan Phillips. Andrew Berglund is also on the coaching staff.
Philippines
The Philippines are even more underdog than the South African team. They played alongside New Zealand in the 2012 WBC Qualifier in Taipei, but missed out on the final, losing against the Kiwis in the decisive game. However they shouldn’t be underestimated this time around. The team includes former Major Leaguers Clay Rapada and Chris Aguila. Pitcher Jon Jon Robles played a couple of seasons in the Czech Extraleague. Kevin Vance reached Triple-A with the Arizona Diamondbacks, while his brother Matt Vance is playing for the Buchbinder Legionaere Regensburg in Germany. The Philippines will be managed by Texas Rangers Single-A manager Tim Hulett.
Schedule
Three more World Baseball Classic Qualifiers will be played this year. From March 17 to 20, Germany, Mexico, Czech Republic and Nicaragua will square off in Mexicali, while France, Panama, Spain and Colombia compete in Panama City. From September 22 to 25 Israel, Brazil, Pakistan and Great Britain will meet in Brooklyn. Only the winners qualify for the 2017 World Baseball Classic to be held in March next year. The World Baseball Classic is organized by Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association and is sanctioned by the World Baseball Softball Confederation. The winner will be named World Baseball Champion. The Dominican Republic is the defending title holder.