The Super Bowl (snooze fest of a game… baseball > football) is in the rearview mirror, and it is officially baseball season!

Pitchers and catchers have reported to spring training this week, as the first games are set for next weekend. While we ease into the spring, the World Baseball Classic is right around the corner, as well as the start of college baseball this weekend.

We have so much to be excited about right now, but we’ll start with those two before diving further into the upcoming MLB season in weeks to come.

World Baseball Classic Rosters

One of the absolute best events in professional sports will return in just three weeks as 20 teams are slated to face off in this year’s edition of the World Baseball Classic!

We cannot wait to bring you coverage on all four pools and the subsequent elimination rounds with boots on the ground at multiple locations and a ton of content planned for the two-week tournament.

As we gear up for the event, rosters were finalized this past Friday, which leads to further perspective on just how incredible and entertaining some of these teams will be for the WBC.

Team USA is ready for revenge with a much stronger pitching staff. After being taken down by Japan three years ago, this year’s team representing the United States could be legendary as the two best pitchers in baseball, Tarik Skubal and Paul Skenes, will lead a pitching staff that is drastically better than the one rolled out by the USA in 2023.

This team has the potential to be just about the best team we ever seen take the field…but they have serious competition in this tourney.

Team Japan is searching for the second repeat in WBC history. The winner of three of the five World Baseball Classics to date, Japan returned to the top of the world leaderboard after winning its first tournament since the first two ever, both of which they won.

This team is back with a similarly stacked roster of Japanese MLB stars and plenty of top-tier players from NPB in Japan. While Shohei Ohtani will not pitch in the tournament this time around, Yoshinobu Yamamoto leads a still dynamic pitching staff with Ohtani plus MLB newcomers Munetaka Murakami and Kazuma Okamoto leading the offense.

Team Dominican Republic appears stronger than ever. The third team to ever win a WBC is loaded with MLB stars this year as they look to make it past the quarterfinals for the first time since winning it all back in 2013. The past few tournaments have been rather disappointing for this team, but this lineup should be able to hang with Team USA and Team Japan.

The bigger question for the Dominican Republic is whether the pitching staff can compete with the top teams. The bullpen is honestly loaded with high-end MLB relievers, but the trio of starters behind Cy Young runner-up Cristopher Sánchez all come with question marks. If Sandy Alcantara returns to his former superstar status and Brayan Bello can handle this stage, this team could make a deep run.

Venezuela, Italy, Canada, and others hope to make noise as underdogs. There are plenty of talented rosters in the tournament beyond the trio of favorites to win it all. Venezuela’s lineup is loaded with MLB talent, while Italy and Canada feature a ton of high-end prospects and young players trying to make a name for themselves.

This tournament is going to be exceptional, just like the last one, and we’ll have you covered with all of the content your heart desires across platforms!

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 team lost in the championship to Japan in the first ever World Baseball Classic in 2006?

A) USA

B) Korea

C) Dominican Republic

D) Cuba

College Baseball Opening Weekend

Baseball is back! The collegiate season kicks off this Friday with a ton of exciting non-conference play getting the year started. The College Baseball Show is your go-to home for the best coverage all season long on college baseball and the MLB Draft.

Full College Baseball Season Guide. Your one-stop shop for everything to preview the college baseball season!

Just Baseball’s Preseason All-Americans. The best players in the country were awarded as such in our full preseason awards. Check out who we think the top players in the country will be this year!

Conference previews for the 2026 season. Our staff of incredible college writers put together previews for every major conference. If you have a particular conference you like to follow, this is the place to start.

Omaha 8 Predictions. A variety of staff selected the eight teams that they think will make it to the College World Series in Omaha this June. Check out their predictions!

Other Headlines

🐅 Justin Verlander is returning to Detroit on a one-year, $13 million deal. He spent the first half of his legendary career with the Tigers and will likely end it there now.

🤕 Injuries are striking early around MLB camps with several stars already set to potentially miss the start of the year. Cobrin Carroll, Jackson Holliday, and Francisco Lindor are all dealing with hamate injuries while Spenecer Schwellenbach is set to miss extended time. Anthony Santander and Kris Bryant are additional notable names who will open the year on the 60-day IL.

Just Baseball Discord

We launched a Just Baseball community on Discord! There is no better time than right now to join our Discord than the start of the season!

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: D) Cuba

Despite never having many MLB players on their roster for the tournament, Team Cuba finished second in the first WBC and just finished fourth in the recent tournament. They’re always a sneaky team to watch out for in this event.

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!