NBA Postseason Best Bets (5/17)
Alex Christenson
The 2023 World Baseball Classic kicks off March 7, the first edition of this tournament since 2017. Mexico looks to improve on its 13th-place finish back in 2017, and they certainly have the arms on their club to do just that. The 2023 WBC is must-watch TV for all baseball lovers with the most talent-packed rosters to date.
It will be tough to top what happened in 2017 when USA’s center fielder Adam Jones robbed his former Orioles teammate Manny Machado of a HR in an elimination game versus the Dominican Republic with the world watching. But I wouldn’t be surprised if we see something that we’ll remember for years.
Mexico Team Preview: WBC 2023
Mexico opens its 2023 WBC tournament against Colombia March 11 in Phoenix. Mexico is part of the Pool C group along with the United States, Colombia, Canada and Great Britain. There won’t be time to rest, as the Mexican club faces Mike Trout and the U.S. the following day. (Check out the entire World Baseball Classic schedule.)
Here’s the WBC bracket (via MLB.com), with the WBC Championship being played March 21 in Miami.
WBC: Mexico Roster
Mexico’s roster is filled with major leaguers and looks to be the most talented roster the country has ever featured in the WBC, especially as far as position players go. Their pitching rotation is certainly the team’s strength, led by 2022 National League ERA leader in Dodgers star Julio Urías. The lineup is led by Tampa Bay Rays star Randy Arozarena. The loss of slugger Alejandro Kirk certainly hurts the club, as he added a ton of pop in the middle to the order. We could see manager Benji Gil roll out a lineup that looks something like this:
- Randy Arozarena
- Luis Urías
- Rowdy Tellez
- Isaac Paredes
- Alex Verdugo
- Joey Meneses
- Alan Trejo
- Austin Barnes
- Alek Thomas
WBC: Mexico Pitchers
The Mexico pitching staff is the strength of the club, led by young-lefty Julio Urías. The Team Mexico starting rotation should look something like this.
The bullpen has plenty of firepower with closer Giovanny Gallegos and Luis Cessa leading the way. Mexico will also rely on Javier Assad, Adrian Martinez, JoJo Romero, Cesar Vargas and other arms out of the pen.
Mexico WBC History
- 2006: 6th
- 2009: 8th
- 2013: 11th
- 2017: 12th
Team Mexico Betting Odds
- Mexico to Win WBC: +2000
- Mexico to Win Group – Pool C: +400
Be sure to check out the rest of our World Baseball Classic team previews at FTNBets.
