8 players to watch at Premier12 international tournament

This is an excerpt from the latest edition of Michael Clair's International Beat Newsletter, bringing global baseball news to your inbox every month. Sign up for future installments HERE and check out the full newsletter HERE.

The Premier12 tournament is here and play begins this weekend! Group A starts in Mexico with three games on Saturday before Group B begins in Japan and Taiwan next week. The tournament features the top 12 men’s national baseball teams in the world as determined by their World Baseball and Softball Confederation (WBSC) ranking, making this the biggest international baseball tournament outside of the World Baseball Classic and the Olympics. We’ll have more info and stories on MLB.com coming up soon – familiar names Jon Morosi and Tyler Maun will be on site broadcasting the games – but for now know that you can stream the action on DAZN or head to the tournament’s website for more info.

Today, I wanted to talk about the eight players I am most excited to see and who you should keep a close eye on at this year’s tournament.

1. Chandler Simpson (Rays No. 4 prospect) - Team USA

There are some higher-profile players on the USA roster -- including Simpson’s Rays org teammate and MLB Pipeline's No. 4 overall prospect Carson Williams -- but Simpson has the kind of speed in this game that you simply must marvel at. The former second baseman has been moved to the outfield where he can use what MLB Pipeline jokingly referred to as 90 speed on the 20-80 scale. His bat may not have a lot of pop, but a solid approach and that Flash-like speed saw Simpson hit .355 with 104 stolen bases across two levels last season.

(While Team USA’s top prospects rightfully get the attention, don’t forget that the incredible, ageless 44-year-old Rich Hill will also be pitching for Team USA, too!)

2. Hiroto Takahashi (Chunichi Dragons) - Japan

A member of Samurai Japan’s 2023 World Baseball Classic-winning squad (3 IP, 1 R, 5 K including strikeouts of Paul Goldschmidt and Mike Trout), Takahashi is just 22 years old and is already one of the best pitchers in NPB. This season, the right-hander went 12-4 with a 1.38 ERA and 130 strikeouts in 143 2/3 innings for the Chunichi Dragons. Takahashi took it up another notch after spending the offseason working and training with Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Armed with an upper-90s fastball and a killer split-finger, don’t be surprised if this is the next player MLB teams begin salivating over.

Also, keep an eye on first baseman Kotaro Kiyomiya, who will be manning the position after Kazuma Okamoto had to pull out of the tournament with an injury. Kiyomiya played and pitched for Japan in the 2012 Little League World Series and held the Japanese high school home run record before Stanford baseball commit Rintaro Sasaki later broke it. He hit .300 with 15 home runs this summer in just 89 games.

3. Travis Bazzana (Cleveland Guardians No. 1 prospect) - Australia

Years ago, Bazzana wrote a note in his phone, putting together his dream Australian national team lineup that saw him leading off and playing second base. Now, just a few months since being selected first overall in the MLB Draft, that is coming true. Bazzana is off to the Premier12 to make his senior debut with the national team.

The Oregon State star is a true all-around ballplayer, with a quick swing, smooth hands in the field, and good speed on the bases. Australia surprised with its performance in the 2023 WBC and could be set for even greater things with Bazzana now on the squad.

4. Yu-Min Lin (D-backs No. 7 prospect) - Chinese Taipei

A freak injury put Lin on the injured list for six weeks after a foul ball struck him in the face while in the dugout, limiting his innings and chances of reaching the big league squad, but the D-backs were impressed enough to send the 21-year-old southpaw to Triple-A for one start at the end of the season. Unlike most pitching prospects, Lin isn’t a velo guy, mostly sitting in the low 90s. However, a low-80s changeup that racks up whiffs and a solid curve/slider combo keeps batters off balance. Lin pitched nine innings, racking up nine K’s, in the AFL this fall.

5. Dylan Farley (Nicholls State University / Amsterdam Pirates) - Netherlands

The left-handed Farley has a lot of baseball bonafides: His father, Brian, pitched in the Minors with the Cardinals in the ‘80s and his mother played second base for the Dutch national team at the 1996 Olympics. On the roster for the 2023 World Baseball Classic (he failed to get into a game), Farley showed off his stuff at this fall’s U-23 World Cup where he gave up one earned run in seven innings.

6. Edgardo Villegas (University of Miami) - Puerto Rico

The nephew of two-time Royals All-Star reliever José Rosado, Villegas is coming off an MVP Award win for his performance at the U-23 World Cup this fall. Puerto Rico won silver at the tourney, and Villegas went a remarkable 10-for-20 with -- this is not a typo -- 10 walks. Ten! That’s not new for the outfielder, either: Villegas has a career .417 OBP entering his senior season with Miami.

7. Yoán Moncada (Free agent) - Cuba

Yes, you read that right: Moncada is on the roster for Cuba. Players on 40-man rosters are ineligible for the tournament, but because Moncada is currently a free agent, he’s available for the Cuban national team. Moncada played in just 12 games for the White Sox this season due to a left adductor strain, so he will be looking to show off a healthy swing this tourney. Though his last above-average offensive season as judged by OPS+ came in 2021 when he posted a .787 OPS, the third baseman will be just 30 years old next season. Compare that to his Cuban teammate and World Baseball Classic legend Alfredo Despaigne: He’s 38.

8. Do-yeong Kim (Kia Tigers) - Korea

Kim is coming off an incredible 2024 season, culminating in a Korean Series championship over the Samsung Lions. Just 20 years old, Kim became the youngest player in KBO history to post a 30 home run, 30 stolen base season, finishing the campaign with 38 home runs and 40 stolen bases. He also became the youngest and fastest player to score 100 runs in a season, doing it in just 97 games and topping Seung-yuop Lee’s record, which was set when the KBO legend was 22 years old in 1998. Add in a .347 average and the third baseman offers a complete package which should terrify any pitcher going up against Korea’s lineup.