World Baseball Classic Odds, Picks & Predictions: Wednesday (3/8)

by John Supowitz |
Mar 08, 2023

Day two of the World Baseball Classic, and this time there are three games to watch. One game will feature a former WBC winner and is favored to be in that position again.

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Wednesdayâ€™s Best World Baseball Classic Bets

Here are my favorite WBC bets for Wednesdayâ€™s slate.

Panama vs. Chinese Taipei

Panama has some current MLB hitters, including Christian Bethancourt and Jonathan Arauz, along with a former big leaguer for Ruben Tejada. One hitter to watch for will be Dodger prospect Jose Ramos, who bashed 25 home runs between A and A+ ball last year.

Their relief pitching will be their strength, with Angels' Jaime Barra, Rockies' Justin Lawerence, and former ten-year veteran Javy Guerra.

Chinese Taipei has no players with MLB experience, but they have a few MLB prospects and some of the best players in the Chineses Professional Baseball League.

The lineup is stacked with CPBL MVP Li Lin, who batted .335, former Guardian prospect Kungkuan Giljegiljaw, who led the theCPBL in home runs, and Tsung-Che Cheng, who had a .376 OBP for the Pirates A-ball affiliate.

Chinese Taipei has the better lineup and will jump out to an early lead before Panama get to their bullpen.

Pick: Chinese Taipei

Australia vs. Korea

Australia has virtually no MLB experience on this roster. Warwick Saupold played three seasons with the Tigers, 45-year-old Chris Oxford spent some time with the Brewers, and Aaron Whitfield has played for the Twins and Angels. Whitfield is probably their best player and has four seasons in the MiLB with 30+ stolen bases and is a two-time ABL MVP.

Korea has a stellar roster mixed with MLB talent and KBO all-stars. Cardinals Tommy Edman and Padres Ha-Seong Kim are the notable major leaguers, but the players you don't know are the headliners.

Jung-hoo Lee is the reigning KBO MVP with a slash line of .349/23/113 and will be one of the most sought-after Korean players when he's posted after the 2023 season. Eui-ji Yang is a two-time KBO MVP and is considered one of the best catchers in league history, and Jeong Choi is an 18-year veteran with five 30+ home run seasons in his last seven.

Korea has goals of winning Pool B, and a far better roster should take of Australia easily.

Pick: Korea

Panama vs. Netherlands

Panama will have to play again later in the day as they take on the Netherlands.

The Netherlands got the 4-2 win yesterday against Cuba. This lineup has a lot of firepower in the lineup, including Jonathan Scoop, Didi Gregorius, and Xander Bogerts. Cuba held them down for most of the game, but in the sixth, they got some timely hits to break it open.

The Netherlands pitching was far better than we expected, especially with an excellent Cuba lineup. They hold a significant advantage on offense, pushing them to an early 2-0 record in this tournament.

Pick: Netherlands

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