Welcome to the World Baseball Classic! This is going to be so much fun, and we appreciate you following along with us for it.

First and foremost, we want to apologize for whatever happened with last Thursday’s newsletter. We have no idea how half of it cut off, but you know…technology.

Regardless, the time has come for this incredible tournament, which will then be followed by MLB Spring Breakout and Opening Day soon after. Baseball is back. We’re officially full steam ahead.

World Baseball Classic Power Rankings

By the time you’re reading this, a pair of WBC games will have already taken place in Japan! If Czechia found a way to upset Korea, we’d be looking a lot like frauds right now. Korea won in convincing 11-4 fashion, though, so we should be good… for now.

Team USA is the clear favorite. This team is loaded and they absolutely deserve to be the favorite. However, they have lost multiple stars to injuries and Tarik Skubal is only pitching against Great Britain. They’ve got serious competition, too…

Japan absolutely deserves a top-two spot as the reigning champs. This team is still incredibly good and is the second-favorite to win it all. Team Japan is the king of this tournament to date, winning three of the five tournaments. Shohei Ohtani will not pitch this time around, though, which does weaken the top of Japan’s rotation.

Dominican Republic and Venezuela will battle in Pool D. The final game of pool play in Miami will feature two of the top four teams in this tournament. While both can hypothetically advance, this game figues to be just about the best one of the first round.

Just Baseball Trivia of the Week

Our newsletter will have a trivia question every week to test and expand the baseball knowledge of our subscribers! The answer to the weekly trivia question will be at the bottom of the newsletter each week.

Which player led the 2023 World Baseball Classic in OPS (Min. 10 AB)?

A) Randy Arozarena

B) Juan Soto

C) Edouard Julien

D) Trea Turner

Lids Houston

There is an incredible event this weekend at Lids in Houston!

If you’re in the area, come meet Alex Bregman and Hall of Famer Craig Biggio. Plus, Aram Leighton. Not sure he’s on the level of two Houston legends, but we like him around here.

Lids is also giving fans a chance to win FREE tickets to a World Baseball Classic game on Sunday, in both Houston and Miami.

• Text "WBCHOUSTON" to 29017 for a chance to win tickets in Houston on Sunday

• Text "WBCMIAMI" to 29017 for a chance to win tickets in Miami on Sunday

• Even if you don't win, you'll receive a $10 off coupon on a purchase of $60 or more at your local Houston or Miami Lids!

Headlines Around MLB

Spring training takeaways should always be taken with a grain of salt, but it’s fun to enjoy baseball being back and maybe overreact a little to your favorite breakout pick dominating.

Prospects Shining

So many prospects have showed out in MLB camp, but the top two prospects in baseball have shined the brightest.

Konnor Griffin has been torching baseballs for the Pirates. The 19-year-old is proving that he deserves to be considered for the Opening Day roster despite his age and experience level.

Pittsburgh faces a challenging decision when it comes to when to call up Griffin given the layers of draft pick and service time complications. Regardless of when it happens, Griffin’s debut will highly anticipated.

Kevin McGonigle has reminded everyone why he’s the second-best prospect in MLB with some stellar performances lately including earlier this week in a scrimmage against Team Dominican Republic.

Four at-bats…four home runs. Orioles prospect Vance Honeycutt has gotten off to the best start imaginable for a prospect in spring training. What a showing!

PED Suspensions

A pair of players have reportedly tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs and are in line to receive hefty suspensions ahead of the 2026 season.

Jurickson Profar (stop us if this sounds familiar…) has tested positive for a second year in a row. After serving an 80-game suspension last year, Profar is now set to miss the entirety of the 2026 season. That’s looking like quite a rough three-year deal for Atlanta now.

Johan Rojas of the Philadelphia Phillies has reportedly tested positive as well, but is appealing the decision. The 25-year-old outfielder will miss 80 games if the decision is upheld.

Injury Bug

A variety of players, especially arms are dealing with issues early this spring. Hunter Greene and Joe Ryan both dealing with injuries that could hamper the start of their seasons.

Ryan was expected to be the No. 4 starter for Team USA, but will not throw until the second round at the earliest.

Many other stars across the league have already dealt with injuries early, which will be worth monitoring as the season gets rolling.

If You Could Be Earlier Than 85% of the Market?

Most read the move after it runs. The top 250K start before the bell.

Elite Trade Club turns noise into a five-minute plan—what’s moving, why it matters, and the stocks to watch now. Miss it and you chase.

Catch it and you decide.

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Just Baseball Discord

We have reached nearly 1,000 members of our Discord in just one year and expect another awesome season with our community!

Our Discord channel is the ultimate baseball group chat while also providing exclusive access to Peter’s MLB best bets, Aram’s prospect content, giveaways, and direct connection to the entire Just Baseball staff.

Read all the details about our Discord community here.

Trivia Answer: C) Edouard Julien

Julien was a star for Team Canada in the 2023 tournament during their four games played with seven hits and an 1.821 OPS.

Just Baseball Merch

Our newest merchandise features retro logos, tv-inspired designs, and the anti wave social club!

We have also restocked on all your favorites including our vintage World Series line, hats, hoodies, City Series line, spring line, and much more.

Check out the full collection of Just Baseball swag here!