While Japan, the United States and the Dominican Republic are drawing a lot of attention, Venezuela is perhaps the best team no one is talking about, especially now that Ronald Acuña Jr. joins the list. Acuña, who is 100% healthy after returning from his 2021 cruciate ligament rupture last season, is looking to re-establish himself as a consistent MVP candidate and could start taking hardware at this year’s Classic. Acuña leads a rich lineup that could also include Jose Altuve, Salvador Perez, Gleyber Torres, Luis Arraez and World Baseball Classic veteran Miguel Cabrera, entering the final season of his illustrious career. The Venezuelans also have depth on the pitching side — Pablo Lopez, Martin Perez, Jesus Lozardo, Eduardo Rodriguez and Luis Garcia all have extensive starting experience, and teammates Ranger Suarez and Jose Alvarado proved their mettle in the 2022 postseason. It won’t be an easy road for the Venezuelan side, who are in the same group with the Republic and Puerto Rico and may face the United States early in the quarter-finals, but this team has the talent to win anything.
