The Netherlands is clearly the best baseball country in Europe. Now rubbing shoulders with the rest of the world during the World Baseball Classic, this will give rise to some excellent duels.
The Dutch’s throwing corps is one of the best in the tournament, which could give them a distinct advantage against teams that don’t all have their best squads in this area.
Having former Major League glory Andruw Jones as bench coach, the Netherlands have a solid infield with Xander Bogaerts, Jonathan Schoop, Andrelton Simmons and former MLB player Didi Gregorius among others. Defensively, we can expect small gems.
The rest of the team will feature some of major league baseball’s top prospects. Here’s what the starting lineup might look like:
- Roger Bernadina LF
- Jonathan Schoop 2B
- Xander Bogaerts SS
- Wladimir Balentien 1B
- Didi Gregorius DH
- Andrelton Simmons 3B
- Josh Palacios CF
- Ray-Patrick Didder RF
- Chadwick Tromp C
Leaving Group A should be a formality for the Dutch team, facing Cuba, Italy, Panama and Chinese Taipei. The rest could be more complicated, even if the potential of this formation is not to be neglected.
