There won't be a team at the World Baseball Classic that can match Team USA's top of the pitching rotation with Tarik Skubal and Paul Skenes.
But the batting order? The Dominican Republic might have the hitters to match.
The tournament is still almost three months away, but it's fun to look ahead and think about the magic that the WBC will bring to us in March.
And the D.R. Roster is shaping up brilliantly.
MORE: Team USA's projected WBC lineup is incredible
Dominican Republic projected lineup for WBC
This is just a possible lineup arrangement for the Dominican Republic based on the players we know to be participating in the WBC as of the week of Christmas:
- Fernando Tatis Jr., RF
- Juan Soto, LF
- Jose Ramirez, DH
- Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 1B
- Manny Machado, 3B
- Julio Rodriguez, CF
- Ketel Marte, 2B
- Yainer Diaz, C
- Geraldo Perdomo, SS
Yeah, that'll work.
Clearly, there are a lot of different ways of arranging those hitters to make this happen.
The D.R.'s best starting pitcher is probably Sandy Alcantara, a step down from what the U.S. Will bring, so the bats would have to deliver if they reach a knockout matchup.
By the same token, it's March, so pitching plans will be unusual anyway. These Dominican Republic bats might turn out to be more than enough.
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