The enthusiasm rises two days before the start of the U-18 WBSC 2025 Baseball World Cup presented by Raxus in the prefecture of Okinawa, in Japan, with the best of young international baseball.
The Japanese Baseball (BFJ) and NPB Enterprise Federation co-organized competition with the support of the Japanese Lycean baseball federation in Okinawa Cellular Stadium, a stage of 15,000 places in Naha, main land, and the Nishizaki Stadium with a capacity of 12,000 places in Itoman.
The competition begins Friday, September 5 and the fans responded with enthusiasm for the Samurai Japan preparation meetings played on August 31 and September 2.
The fact that Okinawa Shogaku High School won its first summer Koshian (the national high school baseball championship) just a few weeks before the competition added an additional motivation for local fans.
Group A
Japan, world n ° 1, is the favorite of Group A. Manager Masayoshi Ogura has selected high school stars whose rapid right -hander Ishigaki Genki. Gaucher Ryosuke Sueyoshi made the last withdrawal during the Koshien 2025.
According to the manager, the pitching will be “the key”. Ogura has selected nine launchers and looked for players who could play in several positions. “I think players will have the results if they are not afraid,” said Ogura.
The South Korean ° 4 is a serious candidate for a place in the second round, manager Soo Chul Sok has selected a competitive team. The powerful right-hander Jun-Hyun Park is the AS launcher of a solid group of launchers. Hyunnseung Ha is a phenomenon, a complete player who has already represented South Korea at the U-5 level.
Manager Eddie Gonzalez made Porto Rico play, n ° 7 in the domestic league of the Collegiate Summer League. “We have looked for players who can evolve in different positions and launchers who can start meetings and enter during the match,” commented Gonzalez. “We play at the highest level and we must have as many solutions as possible. The team includes the right-handed Pablo Figueroa that recruiters consider the best prospect for several years.
Cuban ° 12 has two prospects, such as the Copstist and Captain Jonathan Moreno and the receiver Yaidel Ruiz. They both played in the National League (National Series). The veteran manager Abeicy Pantoja has only selected seven launchers and the supervision will not have as much depth as the other teams.
Le Manager William Guglielmo Shooting Is Que L‘Italyn ° 14 would play the competition with a young workforce. He has talented players, like the powerful left -handed striker Patrick Silva, but does not seem to aim for the second round.
L’South African ° 26 completes the group. Manager Dean McKinnon believes that his team will show “resilience and passion”. He said his players “formed a group together that reflects the spirit of South African baseball.”
Group B
China Taipei, n ° 2 and the United States, n ° 3 seem the favorites of group B.
The manager of UNITED STATES Rick Eckstein said the level of talents observed during the selection process was “incredible”. The Grady Emerson interior field should be the first choice of the Draft 2026 of the Major Baseball League (MLB). The Jacob Lombard interior field and the left -handed launcher and power striker Giovanni Rojas should also be choices of the first round.
The manager of the Chine Taipei Hung-Yuan Liao counts on the depth and quality of his group of launchers. The left-handed chung yi-en, choice n ° 1 of the Draft by the Rakuten Monkeys of Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPB), has five different throws, including a Splitter. The right -hander Lai Qianfan is a succession launcher whose quick ball touches the 152 km/h.
The Panama, N ° 9 is also ambitious. Manager Carlos Maldonado can count on two professional players. The receiver Juan Rujano played 35 games for the St. Louis Cardinals in the Dominican Summer League and struck for, 279 on average with three home-rings. The inner field Michael Nieto played stop, second base and third basis for the Philadelphia Phillies in Dominican Summer League. He only made three errors in 25 games. José Serva, a 16 -year -old left -hander, will be launcher leaving for competition.
Manager Jason Pospishil, who selected eight launchers and twelve position players, believes that theAustralian ° 10 has a “very versatile team”. The left -handed launcher Mitch Evans signed a professional contract with the Detroit Tigers of the Major Baseball League (MLB) in July. The utility player Matt Trainor was MVP of the national U-18 championships.
The manager of theGermany Georg Bull said the world No. 18 would play the U-18 baseball world cup with “big ambitions.” He added: “We must remain realistic. In most participating countries, baseball is a major sport and the level will be very high.”
Manager Guojun Lai, a former international star launcher, will run a young team from Chinen ° 19 which can count on talents like the recipient Zhao Xin. He will need solid services to the launch of the right -hander Zheng Zijian and Li Xiaobo, a powerful right -handers, to remain competitive.
The U-18 WBSC 2025 Baseball World Cup presented by Raxus is played according to the traditional format of the WBSC baseball world cuts, with twelve participating teams divided into two groups. The best three of each group are qualified for the second round, and the first two of the second round then compete in the World Championship final, the next two in the match for the bronze medal.
The U-18 baseball world cup is the oldest young youth baseball world cup. Newark (United States) hosted the first edition in 1981, the event holding every two years since 1997. Canada organized the U-18 WBSC Baseball World Cup 13 times, a record, the United States six times.
Cuba has the most titles with 11 (including the most recent in 2004), followed by the United States with 10, South Korea with 5, China Taipei with 3, and Canada and Japan with 1 each. After taking second place four times, Japan won its first title in 2023, winning in the final against China Taipei to win the XXXI U-18 WBSC Baseball World Cup.
The U-18 WBSC Baseball World Cup has long been a platform for the emergence of legends. The stars of the MLB Shohei Ohtani and Roki Sasaki carried the colors of Japan for the first time during this competition, respectively in 2012 and 2019, while the rising stars of the MLB Tyler Soderstrom and Pete Crow-Armstrong have both played for the United States in 2019.
Travis Bazzana, now one of the Top Prospects of the MLB, also brought the colors of his country to the U-18 level in 2022 before quickly climbing the ladder in the professional world. He already represented his country during the WBSC Premier12 2024, and the Guardians of Cleveland recently promoted him to the Triple A level.
Korean underwater launcher Byung-Hyun Kim, who played in MLB, NPB and Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), played the 1998 Baseball World Cup as an adolescent. Meanwhile, Samuel Aldegheri, the first Italian launcher to reach the MLB level, played the U-18 WBSC 2017 Baseball World Cup and Alex Liddi, the first player trained in Italy to have played in Italy, played two U-18 baseball world cups in 2004 and 2006.
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