Even though the MLB doesn’t come back for 100 days, tons of exciting events will take place worldwide in baseball. Here is a preview of some of the events that will take place before Opening Day.
Winter Leagues Playoffs, Serie del Caribe
Currently, several leagues in the Caribbean will have their league’s respective playoffs before coming together this year in Mexicali for the Serie del Caribe at the end of January.
The Serie del Caribe will feature the champions of Liga Béisbol Profesional Republica Dominicana (LIDOM), Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional (LVBP), Liga ARCO Mexicana de Pacifico (LAMP), Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente (LBPRC), and a team from Japan. The competition will begin on January 31 and run until February 7.
Serie de las Americanas
Another series that will take place a week before the Serie del Caribe is the Serie de las Americanas. This new series is a non-participation of several leagues that will not compete in the Serie del Caribe.
The Serie de las Americanas will begin on January 24 and run until the 30th. The champions of leagues played in Colombia, Nicaragua, Argentina, Panama, and Curaçao, along with the champion of the Serie Nacional de Cuba. The countries reiterated that if they are invited to participate in the Serie del Caribe, they will still play in the Serie de las Americanas in the future.
WBC Qualifiers
The final event, which takes place during MLB’s Spring Training this season, will be the World Baseball Classic Qualifiers being held in Taipei, Taiwan, and in Tucson, Arizona. With four spots remaining in the tournament, here is who is participating in each group:
The Taipei Qualification pool will begin play from February 21-25. The reigning Premier12 champions, Chinese Taipei, will look to get back into the World Baseball Classic, as they will be tasked with facing Spain, South Africa, and Nicaragua.
As for Tucson, Arizona, that pool will begin play on March 2 and run until the 6th. The teams participating in Tucson will be China, Germany, Brazil and Colombia. This is the first season that China has fallen into the qualifying rounds, as they have played in every World Baseball Classic since 2006.
