Despite the fact that we'll be treated to the thrilling TV spectacles of archery, canoe slalom and weightlifting over the next three weeks on the NBC family of networks, baseball and softball will be conspicuously absent from our viewing palette.
The good news is that baseball and softball, which apparently are considered one in the same by the IOC, are on their way back for the 2020 games in Tokyo following an absence from the 2012 games in London and these games in Rio. You'd think with Bob Costas, the baseball nut that he is, dodging diseases far more severe than pink eye down in South America they'd throw him a bone of sorts, but I digress. Just know I'm afraid of a Homer Simpson situation like when Springfield's First Family visited Brazil.
I still can't totally wrap by head around why baseball was removed from the games following Beijing 2008. The amateurism aspect wasn't working I guess? No house hold names on rosters? The '08 U.S. roster was comprised entirely of minor leaguers, save for one college player: Stephen Strasburg. Jake Arrieta, Dexter Fowler and Brett Anderson are really the only other players who've amounted to anything in the majors.
In order to use MLB players, you'd have to shut down the regular season for a few weeks -- a la hockey -- which is definitely a cause for concern, as the baseball season is already juuuust a bit too long as it is.
In order to use MLB players, you'd have to shut down the regular season for a few weeks -- a la hockey -- which is definitely a cause for concern, as the baseball season is already juuuust a bit too long as it is.
But if you're looking at a sport in terms of popularity from a global perspective -- not just an American one -- I'd have to say there'd be a great deal more parity in baseball than in Olympic basketball or hockey.
Consider that of the 18 gold medals handed out in men's basketball, 14 have gone to the U.S. The four misses on gold consisted of a silver, two bronzes, and a boycotted games (Moscow, 1980). The U.S. men's basketball team is on par with the UConn women's basketball team in not only its expectation of winning, but its expectation of making teams look foolish along the way.
Would the U.S. baseball team be the odds-on favorite to win the Olympic tournament with major leaguers? If everyone actually played? Probably. Would it be a lock to run a blowout-littered table? Hardly.
Baseball was an official sport in five Olympic games: 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004 and 2008. The U.S. won just one gold medal, at Sydney in 2000, and came away with bronze in '96 in Hotlanta and again in '08. Amateurs or no, small sample size or no, baseball is allegedly America's past time. Winning just one gold is perplexing. Inexcusable, even.
Not that I condone the World Baseball Classic, but through three of those events, the U.S. hasn't mustered a finish higher than fourth place.
Baseball, and the Olympics in general, have a storied history of juicing. So there's no reason that the U.S., along with the rest of the baseball competitors, couldn't load up their rosters for old times sake. With players, of course. Not with steroids.
I've created a 12-team, pool play-style field (previous formats had just eight teams), more or less on shuffle. I included Brazil because host countries always get an automatic bid; the game is growing in Brazil, as they just produced its first MLB player (Yan Gomes of the Cleveland Indians) four years ago. But it's certainly not among the top 12 baseball-playing countries in the world yet.
Apologies to Colombia and Panama for being shutout of this hypothetical tournament. I suppose I could've thrown the Aussies a bone too, and perhaps Nicaragua, but you get the feeling those match-ups could turn into your typical Duke vs. Northeast Nebraska A&M round one match-up if they went up against a power house.
When applicable, I'll provide a full roster breakdown, but for as much useless info as I've been known to spout out, I'm not sure who would be playing shortstop for Brazil or Taiwan. I'm basing the roster breakdowns on which teams would have the best chance of knocking off a hypothetical U.S. roster, which I'll attempt later on.
All information on players comes to you via Baseball Reference, or as I like to call it, the procrastinator's bible.
Group A
United States
Brazil
Puerto Rico
South Korea
Group B
Venezuela
Dominican Republic
Mexico
Canada
Group C
Netherlands
Japan
Taiwan
Cuba
Baseball was an official sport in five Olympic games: 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004 and 2008. The U.S. won just one gold medal, at Sydney in 2000, and came away with bronze in '96 in Hotlanta and again in '08. Amateurs or no, small sample size or no, baseball is allegedly America's past time. Winning just one gold is perplexing. Inexcusable, even.
Not that I condone the World Baseball Classic, but through three of those events, the U.S. hasn't mustered a finish higher than fourth place.
Baseball, and the Olympics in general, have a storied history of juicing. So there's no reason that the U.S., along with the rest of the baseball competitors, couldn't load up their rosters for old times sake. With players, of course. Not with steroids.
I've created a 12-team, pool play-style field (previous formats had just eight teams), more or less on shuffle. I included Brazil because host countries always get an automatic bid; the game is growing in Brazil, as they just produced its first MLB player (Yan Gomes of the Cleveland Indians) four years ago. But it's certainly not among the top 12 baseball-playing countries in the world yet.
Apologies to Colombia and Panama for being shutout of this hypothetical tournament. I suppose I could've thrown the Aussies a bone too, and perhaps Nicaragua, but you get the feeling those match-ups could turn into your typical Duke vs. Northeast Nebraska A&M round one match-up if they went up against a power house.
When applicable, I'll provide a full roster breakdown, but for as much useless info as I've been known to spout out, I'm not sure who would be playing shortstop for Brazil or Taiwan. I'm basing the roster breakdowns on which teams would have the best chance of knocking off a hypothetical U.S. roster, which I'll attempt later on.
All information on players comes to you via Baseball Reference, or as I like to call it, the procrastinator's bible.
Group A
United States
Brazil
Puerto Rico
South Korea
Group B
Venezuela
Dominican Republic
Mexico
Canada
Group C
Netherlands
Japan
Taiwan
Cuba
Group A breakdown:
-Don't think I gave the U.S. a free pass in this group by any means. You know who won the gold medal in '08? South Korea. The country has produced only 21 MLB players, most notably Shin-soo Choo and Chan Ho Park, but has a solid professional league of its own, the KBO. Having said all that, odds of beating a team of U.S. pros: 50 to 1
-Gomes is now one of three players from Brazil to make it to the bigs, as Paulo Orlando and Andre Rienzo have joined him. Odds of beating U.S.: 1,000 to 1
-Puerto Rico: 256 MLB players all-time
Projected Lineup:
SS Francisco Lindor (Indians)
3B Javy Baez (Cubs)
RF Carlos Beltran (Rangers)
2B Carlos Correa (Astros)
C Yadier Molina (Cardinals)
CF Angel Pagan (Giants)
1B Kennys Vargas (Twins)
DH Alex Rios (Free Agent)
LF Eddie Rosario (Twins)
SP Jose Berrios (Twins)
Hall of Famers: Roberto Alomar, Roberto Clemente, Orlando Cepeda
Other notable retired players: Carlos Delgado, Juan Gonzalez, Ivan Rodriguez, the rest of the Molina clan, Jorge Posada, Bernie Williams and Danny Tartabull.
-Don't think I gave the U.S. a free pass in this group by any means. You know who won the gold medal in '08? South Korea. The country has produced only 21 MLB players, most notably Shin-soo Choo and Chan Ho Park, but has a solid professional league of its own, the KBO. Having said all that, odds of beating a team of U.S. pros: 50 to 1
-Gomes is now one of three players from Brazil to make it to the bigs, as Paulo Orlando and Andre Rienzo have joined him. Odds of beating U.S.: 1,000 to 1
-Puerto Rico: 256 MLB players all-time
Projected Lineup:
SS Francisco Lindor (Indians)
3B Javy Baez (Cubs)
RF Carlos Beltran (Rangers)
2B Carlos Correa (Astros)
C Yadier Molina (Cardinals)
CF Angel Pagan (Giants)
1B Kennys Vargas (Twins)
DH Alex Rios (Free Agent)
LF Eddie Rosario (Twins)
SP Jose Berrios (Twins)
Hall of Famers: Roberto Alomar, Roberto Clemente, Orlando Cepeda
Other notable retired players: Carlos Delgado, Juan Gonzalez, Ivan Rodriguez, the rest of the Molina clan, Jorge Posada, Bernie Williams and Danny Tartabull.
That middle infield, have a day. Including Baez, all three could play shortstop, and all three are 23 years old or younger. The rest of the lineup is on the older side, however, and Jose Berrios is the only active pitcher -- really a prospect still -- who would make any sense to start a game. Odds of beating U.S.: 30 to 1
Group B Breakdown:
-One of my favorite trivia questions of all-time is, "which three Canadian baseball players have won their respective league's MVP award?" I love when I get a Jason Bay name drop. Canada has produced 245 major leaguers, which is roughly the same as the number of hockey players its produced, just without a few 0's added on to the 245. Fergie Jenkins is the lone baseball Hall of Famer from up north. Odds of beating U.S.: less than Gary Bettman adding a second team to Winnipeg
-Mexico has produced 121 MLBers, which seemed surprisingly low. They're yet to send a player to the Hall of Fame, with Vinny Castilla as its most polished hitter and Fernando Valenzuela its most prominent pitching export. Odds of beating U.S.: 75 to 1
-Venezuela: 349 MLB players all time
Projected Lineup:
2B Jose Altuve (Astros)
CF Gerardo Parra (Rockies)
LF Carlos Gonzalez (Rockies)
1B Miguel Cabrera (Tigers)
DH Victor Martinez (Tigers)
C Salvador Perez (Royals)
SS Elvis Andrus (Rangers)
3B Pablo Sandoval (Red Sox, sort of)
RF Willson Contreras (Cubs)
SP Felix Hernandez (Mariners)
SP Carlos Carrasco (Indians)
SP Eduardo Rodriguez (Red Sox)
Hall of Famer: Luis Aparicio
Other notable retired players: Omar Vizquel, Bobby Abreu, Magglio Ordonez, Ozzie Guillen, Freddy Garcia, Johan Santana, Carlos Zambrano
You might say that Venezuela is a well-oiled machine. Miggy Cabrera and Felix Hernandez are headed for the Hall of Fame, and although it's early in their careers, Altuve and Perez may be on that sort of track. Not that anyone cares, but I traded Altuve from my fantasy team (keeper league) at the start of the season, thinking he'd never hit for power. Cue the Larry David "I fahked up" routine. I included the Panda for what he's capable of, and Contreras for what he could be. People forget that Sandoval won a World Series MVP with the Giants as recently as Obama's first term.
Any who, this team would be dangerous. Or as they say in Venezuela, muy peligroso. Odds of beating U.S.: 8 to 1
-Dominican Republic: 656 MLB players all-time
Projected Lineup:
CF Starling Marte (Pirates)
3B Adrian Beltre (Rangers)
2B Robinson Cano (Mariners)
DH David Ortiz (Red Sox)
RF Jose Bautista (Blue Jays)
LF Nelson Cruz (Mariners)
1B Albert Pujols (Angels)
C Carlos Santana (Indians)
SS Juan Uribe (Free Agent)
SP Johnny Cueto (Giants)
SP Bartolo Colon (Mets)
SP Yordano Ventura (Royals)
Hall of Famers: Pedro Martinez, Juan Marichal
Should be in: Vlad Guerrero
Other notable retired players: Sammy Sosa, Manny Ramirez, Alfonso Soriano, Aramis Ramirez, Miguel Tejada
I took a few liberties with the DR's lineup, such as moving Santana back behind the plate and Uribe back to shortstop, where they each played earlier in their careers. This lineup can straight up MASH...but with the exception of Marte, everyone is 30 or older. No matter in the context of this year, but if it feels like there hasn't been much in the way of top-end talent come from the Dominican lately, you wouldn't be wrong. If you're a fan of the youth movement, 20-year-old Nomar Mazara is probably the best bet.
It is downright appalling, sad even, what's become of Pujols in Anaheim. He hasn't had an OPS above .800 since his first year, nor a batting average over .280, and while he did crank 40 homers last year, he did so with a .244 average and a .307 on-base percentage. I could easily have left him off the team in favor of Edwin Encarnacion.
The current pitching staff beyond Cueto isn't anything special, with the former Montreal Expos great Colon and the enigmatic Ventura the next tier down. But in one game, with Cueto on the bump? This would be my pick for best odds to knock off the U.S. Odds of beating U.S.: 4 to 1
Group C Breakdown:
-Taiwan has won the most Little League World Series titles, with 17, so that's gotta count for something (the U.S. breaks down its champions into states, since we get our own half of the bracket anyways). Like several of the Far East nations, their list of MLB players produced is small (11, with Wei-Yin Chen and Chien-Ming Wang the most noteworthy) but the Taiwanese professional league lags behind in productivity to Japan and South Korea; as of 2013, only four teams compete in the Chinese Professional Baseball League. Odds of beating U.S.: 800 to 1
-When considering the Netherlands, Aruba and Curacao are also taken into effect. Between the three, the Dutch have produced 31 major leaguers all-time, including one Hall of Famer in Bert Blyleven, current Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts, and former Braves great Andruw Jones. Odds of beating U.S.: 250 to 1
-Japan is home to the consensus second-best professional baseball league in the world, Nippon Professional Baseball. Players seemingly have no problem spending their entire careers in Japan; who knows how many major league stars never were because they were content staying at home? What we do know is that they've produced Ichiro Suzuki and a slew of talented pitchers, including Hideo Nomo, Yu Darvish, Koji Uehara, Masahiro Tanaka, Kenta Maeda, Hideki Irabu (RIP) and Daisuke Matsuzaka. So if the strategy was to have Ichiro bunt his way on, do his thing on the bases and steal home, you could see Japan being problematic in a low-scoring game. Odds of beating U.S.: 9 to 1
-Cuba: 197 MLB players all-time
Projected Lineup:
2B Yoan Moncada (Red Sox/minor leagues)
1B Jose Abreu (White Sox)
RF Yasmany Tomas (Diamondbacks)
CF Yoenis Cespedes (Mets)
DH Kendrys Morales (Royals)
LF Yasiel Puig (Dodgers/minor leagues)
3B Yunel Escobar (Angels)
C Yasmani Grandal (Dodgers)
SS Jose Iglesias (Tigers)
SP Jose Fernandez (Marlins)
Hall of Famer: Tony Perez
Other notable retired players: Luis Tiant, Livan and Orlando Hernandez, Jose Contreras, Rafael Palmeiro, Jose Canseco
Lots of boom or bust potential in this Cuban lineup. Puig was demoted to the minors the other day, something that seemed unfathomable in 2013. Abreu isn't the same player he was when he first came over, either. But Cespedes has flourished since heading to the Mets (an oxymoron in a sense), Tomas appears to be figuring it out in Arizona, and Fernandez is the projected Opening Day starter for the either the Red Sox or Yankees in 2018. Like many things pertaining to Cuba, it's all a mystery. How much of an effect will improved relations between the nations have on Cuban ballplayers in the states? Too soon to tell. But for now, the odds of beating the U.S.: 20 to 1
Check back later today for an entire U.S. 25-man roster.
Group B Breakdown:
-One of my favorite trivia questions of all-time is, "which three Canadian baseball players have won their respective league's MVP award?" I love when I get a Jason Bay name drop. Canada has produced 245 major leaguers, which is roughly the same as the number of hockey players its produced, just without a few 0's added on to the 245. Fergie Jenkins is the lone baseball Hall of Famer from up north. Odds of beating U.S.: less than Gary Bettman adding a second team to Winnipeg
-Mexico has produced 121 MLBers, which seemed surprisingly low. They're yet to send a player to the Hall of Fame, with Vinny Castilla as its most polished hitter and Fernando Valenzuela its most prominent pitching export. Odds of beating U.S.: 75 to 1
-Venezuela: 349 MLB players all time
Projected Lineup:
2B Jose Altuve (Astros)
CF Gerardo Parra (Rockies)
LF Carlos Gonzalez (Rockies)
1B Miguel Cabrera (Tigers)
DH Victor Martinez (Tigers)
C Salvador Perez (Royals)
SS Elvis Andrus (Rangers)
3B Pablo Sandoval (Red Sox, sort of)
RF Willson Contreras (Cubs)
SP Felix Hernandez (Mariners)
SP Carlos Carrasco (Indians)
SP Eduardo Rodriguez (Red Sox)
Hall of Famer: Luis Aparicio
Other notable retired players: Omar Vizquel, Bobby Abreu, Magglio Ordonez, Ozzie Guillen, Freddy Garcia, Johan Santana, Carlos Zambrano
You might say that Venezuela is a well-oiled machine. Miggy Cabrera and Felix Hernandez are headed for the Hall of Fame, and although it's early in their careers, Altuve and Perez may be on that sort of track. Not that anyone cares, but I traded Altuve from my fantasy team (keeper league) at the start of the season, thinking he'd never hit for power. Cue the Larry David "I fahked up" routine. I included the Panda for what he's capable of, and Contreras for what he could be. People forget that Sandoval won a World Series MVP with the Giants as recently as Obama's first term.
Any who, this team would be dangerous. Or as they say in Venezuela, muy peligroso. Odds of beating U.S.: 8 to 1
-Dominican Republic: 656 MLB players all-time
Projected Lineup:
CF Starling Marte (Pirates)
3B Adrian Beltre (Rangers)
2B Robinson Cano (Mariners)
DH David Ortiz (Red Sox)
RF Jose Bautista (Blue Jays)
LF Nelson Cruz (Mariners)
1B Albert Pujols (Angels)
C Carlos Santana (Indians)
SS Juan Uribe (Free Agent)
SP Johnny Cueto (Giants)
SP Bartolo Colon (Mets)
SP Yordano Ventura (Royals)
Hall of Famers: Pedro Martinez, Juan Marichal
Should be in: Vlad Guerrero
Other notable retired players: Sammy Sosa, Manny Ramirez, Alfonso Soriano, Aramis Ramirez, Miguel Tejada
I took a few liberties with the DR's lineup, such as moving Santana back behind the plate and Uribe back to shortstop, where they each played earlier in their careers. This lineup can straight up MASH...but with the exception of Marte, everyone is 30 or older. No matter in the context of this year, but if it feels like there hasn't been much in the way of top-end talent come from the Dominican lately, you wouldn't be wrong. If you're a fan of the youth movement, 20-year-old Nomar Mazara is probably the best bet.
It is downright appalling, sad even, what's become of Pujols in Anaheim. He hasn't had an OPS above .800 since his first year, nor a batting average over .280, and while he did crank 40 homers last year, he did so with a .244 average and a .307 on-base percentage. I could easily have left him off the team in favor of Edwin Encarnacion.
The current pitching staff beyond Cueto isn't anything special, with the former Montreal Expos great Colon and the enigmatic Ventura the next tier down. But in one game, with Cueto on the bump? This would be my pick for best odds to knock off the U.S. Odds of beating U.S.: 4 to 1
Group C Breakdown:
-Taiwan has won the most Little League World Series titles, with 17, so that's gotta count for something (the U.S. breaks down its champions into states, since we get our own half of the bracket anyways). Like several of the Far East nations, their list of MLB players produced is small (11, with Wei-Yin Chen and Chien-Ming Wang the most noteworthy) but the Taiwanese professional league lags behind in productivity to Japan and South Korea; as of 2013, only four teams compete in the Chinese Professional Baseball League. Odds of beating U.S.: 800 to 1
-When considering the Netherlands, Aruba and Curacao are also taken into effect. Between the three, the Dutch have produced 31 major leaguers all-time, including one Hall of Famer in Bert Blyleven, current Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts, and former Braves great Andruw Jones. Odds of beating U.S.: 250 to 1
-Japan is home to the consensus second-best professional baseball league in the world, Nippon Professional Baseball. Players seemingly have no problem spending their entire careers in Japan; who knows how many major league stars never were because they were content staying at home? What we do know is that they've produced Ichiro Suzuki and a slew of talented pitchers, including Hideo Nomo, Yu Darvish, Koji Uehara, Masahiro Tanaka, Kenta Maeda, Hideki Irabu (RIP) and Daisuke Matsuzaka. So if the strategy was to have Ichiro bunt his way on, do his thing on the bases and steal home, you could see Japan being problematic in a low-scoring game. Odds of beating U.S.: 9 to 1
-Cuba: 197 MLB players all-time
Projected Lineup:
2B Yoan Moncada (Red Sox/minor leagues)
1B Jose Abreu (White Sox)
RF Yasmany Tomas (Diamondbacks)
CF Yoenis Cespedes (Mets)
DH Kendrys Morales (Royals)
LF Yasiel Puig (Dodgers/minor leagues)
3B Yunel Escobar (Angels)
C Yasmani Grandal (Dodgers)
SS Jose Iglesias (Tigers)
SP Jose Fernandez (Marlins)
Hall of Famer: Tony Perez
Other notable retired players: Luis Tiant, Livan and Orlando Hernandez, Jose Contreras, Rafael Palmeiro, Jose Canseco
Lots of boom or bust potential in this Cuban lineup. Puig was demoted to the minors the other day, something that seemed unfathomable in 2013. Abreu isn't the same player he was when he first came over, either. But Cespedes has flourished since heading to the Mets (an oxymoron in a sense), Tomas appears to be figuring it out in Arizona, and Fernandez is the projected Opening Day starter for the either the Red Sox or Yankees in 2018. Like many things pertaining to Cuba, it's all a mystery. How much of an effect will improved relations between the nations have on Cuban ballplayers in the states? Too soon to tell. But for now, the odds of beating the U.S.: 20 to 1
Check back later today for an entire U.S. 25-man roster.
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