Japan, Mexico and the U.S. lead field for Premier12 tournament next year
Michael Clair
@michaelsclairHave you been in an international baseball funk since Shohei Ohtani struck out Mike Trout to end the World Baseball Classic in March? Think you can't make it until 2026 when the WBC returns? Well, have no fear: International baseball is a year-round sport and we just learned the 12 teams that will play in the WBSC (World Baseball Softball Confederation) Premier12 tournament next November.
The tournament, the third in history, pits the top 12 nations in the world as determined by WBSC rankings. South Korea won the first iteration in 2015 with an 8-0 victory over the U.S., before Japan defeated South Korea, 5-3, to win the 2019 event. Meanwhile, the United States has finished second in 2015 and fourth in 2019 after losing to Mexico, 3-2.
Here's what you need to know ahead of next year's tournament:
Who is playing?
Japan leads the way as the No. 1 ranked team -- hardly a surprise given their remarkable run at this year's World Baseball Classic. Mexico also reached the No. 2 ranking for the first time in the country's history -- leapfrogging the USA -- following a semifinals run in the WBC and a bronze medal in the 2023 Pan American Games. Australia also joins the tournament for the second time and Panama makes it to the Premier12 for the first time.
They'll be joined by Korea, Chinese Taipei, Venezuela, the Netherlands, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico.
When is the tournament and how does it work?
The Premier12 will be held from Nov. 10-24 next year, with the 12 nations being broken into two groups. Group A will play in a location still TBD from the 10th to 14th of November, while Group B will play in Taipei City from the 14th to 18th of November.
The top two teams from each group will then play in the Super Round, hosted in the Tokyo Dome from November 21-23 in a round robin format. The final will be held on Nov. 24th.
Who should I look for?
While we won't see rosters for a long time, the tournament features high stakes international action and the possibility of seeing plenty of ballplayers who may later make a big impact in the Major Leagues. While players on 40-man rosters are ineligible to play, Shohei Ohtani appeared in the 2015 tournament -- striking out 21 batters and surrendering 0 runs in 13 innings of work -- while Hyun-Soo Kim was named MVP of that tournament before joining the Orioles the next year.
In 2019, Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki, Padres shortstop Ha-Seong Kim, and new Giants signing Jung-Hoo Lee were all named to the All-World Team in the tournament.
In addition, MLB players like Jake Cronenworth, Alec Bohm, Daulton Varsho, Otto Lopez, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Geraldo Perdomo, Brennan Bernardino and Tyler O'Neill are just some of the current MLB players who appeared in the tournament before reaching the Show.
Expect the 2024 rosters to be similarly stacked.