With the start of the U12 and U18 World Cups around the corner, the WBSC unveiled the latest men’s baseball world rankings. Team Italy remains in the top 12 as it do before in the most recent April ranking with a total of 1969 points. The first three positions also remain unchanged with Japan (5274 points) in the lead followed by USA (4654) and Mexico (4226), while South Korea (4025) rises to fourth place and passes by Taiwan (3991).
There were a few, but significant changes in the top 12 of the world ranking, which determines which countries participate in the Premier 12 next year: Venezuela (3744), Australia (2576) and the Dominican Republic (2482) remain anchored respectively in sixth, ninth and tenth place while the Kingdom of the Netherlands overtakes Cuba in seventh place with 3187 points. Panama made an impressive move upwards three positions (11th, 2196), while Puerto Rico drops down (13th, 1902) and trails Team Italy by 67 points. Canada also got demoted from the top 12 in the process(14th, 1692).
Among the European nations, Czech Republic (1628) and Germany (1100) gain positions, respectively fifteenth and seventeenth, while Israel drops to nineteenth place with 1034 points. Great Britain (20th), Spain (21st) and France (22nd) are the only other European nations in the top twenty-four positions.
The WBSC rankings include the results obtained in international competitions, from youth to elite for the last four years excluding 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Forza #Italia!
by Roberto Angotti
(Photo of Team Italy manager Mike Piazza before the game against Cuba in the 2023 World Baseball Classic courtesy of MLB)
