Pitcher Lachlan Wells of Australia throws in the bottom of the fifth inning during the World Baseball Classic Pool B Game Five between Australia and Cuba at the Tokyo Dome on March 10, 2017 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Matt Roberts/Getty Images)
The 2024 WBSC Premier12 tournament will feature the top 12 nations in the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s World Baseball Rankings from Nov. 10-24, 2024.
The 12 nations competing are No. 1 Japan, No. 2 Mexico, No. 3 United States, No. 4 Korea, No. 5 Chinese Taipei, No. 6 Venezuela, No. 7 Netherlands, No. 8 Cuba, No. 9 Dominican Republic, No. 10 Panama, No. 11 Australia, and No. 12 Puerto Rico.
Let’s examine potential players in this year’s Premier12 for the United States, Netherlands, and Australia.
No. 3 United States
Pitchers
Andrew Painter of the Philadelphia Phillies pitches during a spring training game against the Minnesota Twins on March 1, 2023 at the Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers, Florida. (Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images)
Andrew Painter, RHP, Philadelphia Phillies – According to his MLB Pipeline bio, Painter is ranked the No. 27 Major League Baseball prospect and projects to make his MLB debut in 2025. Standing 6-foot-7, 215 pounds, Painter utilizes his four-seam fastball, ranging from 95-100 mph.
Tink Hence, RHP, St. Louis Cardinals – MLB Pipeline ranks Hence as the No. 64-ranked MLB prospect. In 2021, he posted a dominant 1.83 ERA with 81 strikeouts in 52.1 innings at Single-A Palm Beach. On Friday, he threw two scoreless innings in the Cardinals’ 3-2 loss against the Miami Marlins.
Catcher
Kyle Teel of the Virginia Cavaliers catches during warm ups before the ACC Baseball Championship at Durham Bulls Athletic Park on May 25, 2023 in Durham, North Carolina. Teel is now a top prospect of the Boston Red Sox. (Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images)
Kyle Teel, C, Boston Red Sox – MLB Pipeline ranks Teel the No. 40 overall MLB prospect. The Red Sox drafted him 14th overall in the 2023 Major League Baseball Draft, and he hit .363 with two home runs and 22 RBI between the Florida Complex League, High-A Greenville, and Double-A Portland.
Infielders – Potential infielders for the United States include shortstop Jett Williams, second baseman Termarr Johnson, third baseman Jace Jung, and first baseman Kyle Manzardo.
Williams is ranked the No. 45 MLB prospect by MLB Pipeline and projects to begin the 2024 minor league baseball season at Double-A Binghamton with the New York Mets. The 20-year-old posted a .832 OPS with six home runs in 79 games with Single-A St. Lucie in 2023.
Johnson is ranked the No. 44 MLB prospect by MLB Pipeline and projects to begin the 2024 minor league baseball season at High-A Greensboro with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Johnson, 19, hit an impressive .348 with two home runs and a 1.052 OPS in his first 15 games in spring training with the Pirates.
Jung is ranked the No. 60 MLB prospect by MLB Pipeline and plays second and third base. He is the younger brother of Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung and hit 14 home runs with 43 RBI with High-A West Michigan, the Detroit Tigers’ high-A affiliate, in 2023.
Manzardo is a power-hitting first baseman in the Cleveland Guardians organization. He has hit .381 with a .985 OPS in 13 spring training games. MLB Pipeline ranks Manzardo as the No. 59 MLB prospect.
Outfielders – Potential outfielders for the United States include Roman Anthony, Dylan Crews, and James Wood.
Crews and Wood are ranked the No. 7 and No. 14 MLB prospects, respectively, and are minor league superstars in the Washington Nationals organization. Both players hit for average and power and spent most of the 2023 MiLB season with Double-A Harrisburg, but could make their MLB debuts as early as this year.
Anthony is ranked the No. 24 overall MLB prospect by MLB Pipeline and hit 12 home runs with 38 RBI with Double-A Portland in the Boston Red Sox organization in 2023.
No. 7 Netherlands
Pitchers
Jair Jurrjens, RHP, Free Agent – Jurrjens played eight years in MLB, mostly with the Atlanta Braves, and posted a 3.72 ERA in 128 starts. He pitched for the Netherlands in the 2006, 2017, and 2023 World Baseball Classic.
Scott Prins, RHP, L&D Amsterdam Pirates – Prins struggled in six games in the 2024 Caribbean Series for Curacao, allowing six earned runs on seven hits in six innings. The right-hander posted a 3.19 ERA in 53.2 innings in 2023 for the L&D Amsterdam Pirates of the Honkbal Hoofdklasse, the highest level of professional baseball in the Netherlands.
Catcher
Hendrik Clementina of Curacao bats in the third inning during a game between Nicaragua and Curazao at loanDepot park as part of Serie del Caribe 2024 on February 5, 2024 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Luis Gutierrez/Norte Photo/Getty Images)
Hendrik Clementina, C, Atlanta Braves – Clementina was Curacao’s starting backstop in the 2024 Caribbean Series in Miami. He recorded just three hits in 30 plate appearances, but he hit a three-run homer in a 6-3 win over Nicaragua.
Infielders – Potential infielders for the Netherlands include shortstop Didi Gregorius, second baseman Sharlon Schoop, third baseman Dwayne Kemp, and first baseman Juremi Profar.
Gregorius is the most well-known player in the infield. He played 11 MLB seasons from 2012-22 and replaced Derek Jeter as the New York Yankees shortstop after Jeter retired following the 2014 season. He hit 134 home runs in his MLB career with a .728 OPS.
Schoop and Profar played for Curacao in the 2023 World Baseball Classic and the 2024 Caribbean Series. Schoop is the older brother of MLB veteran Jonathan Schoop, and Profar is the younger brother of San Diego Padres utility man Jurickson Profar.
Kemp, 36, has played professional baseball for 19 years, 15 with the Curaçao Neptunus of the Honkbal Hoofdklasse.
Outfielders – Potential outfielders for the Netherlands include Wladimir Balentien, Roger Bernadina, and Ademar Rifaela.
Balentien holds the all-time single-season NPB home run record with 60 in 2013 and played for the Netherlands in the 2023 WBC and Curacao in the 2024 Caribbean Series.
Roger Bernadina, 39, hit 28 home runs and 59 stolen bases in his seven-year MLB career from 2008-14 and is the unofficial veteran captain of the Netherlands and Curacao in international tournaments.
The left-handed hitting Rifaela was Curacao’s starting right fielder in the 2024 Caribbean Series and hit a lowly .067 with four strikeouts, but is above-average defensively in the outfield.
No. 11 Australia
Pitchers
Pitcher Lachlan Wells of Australia throws in the bottom of the fifth inning during the World Baseball Classic Pool B Game Five between Australia and Cuba at the Tokyo Dome on March 10, 2017 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Matt Roberts/Getty Images)
Lachlan Wells, LHP, Philadelphia Phillies – Wells was one of the Adelaide Giants’ best pitchers in the Australian Baseball League this year, posting a 0.94 ERA in nine starts. His performance earned him a minor-league contract with the Phillies.
Samuel Holland, RHP, Brisbane Bandits – Holland has pitched for the Brisbane Bandits since the 2014-15 ABL season and with Australia in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. He struck out 28 in 30.2 innings in 2023-24 for Brisbane and only walked nine.
Catcher
Robbie Perkins, C, Canberra Cavalry – Perkins was selected to play for the Australian national team at the 2017 and 2023 World Baseball Classic and 2019 Premier12. His veteran presence and experience should earn him a spot on Australia’s 2024 Premier12 roster.
Infielders –Potential infielders for Australia include first baseman Rixon Wingrove, shortstop Robbie Glendinning, third baseman Sam Kennelly, and second baseman Mike Jarvis.
Wingrove hit .297 with 31 RBI for the Adelaide Giants during the 2023-24 ABL season and posted a .769 OPS in 101 games with High-A Jersey Shore in the Philadelphia Phillies organization during the 2023 MiLB season.
Glendinning was the starting shortstop for the Melbourne Aces during the 2023-24 ABL season and hit .262 with five home runs in 40 games.
Kennelly, 28, played his first season in the ABL as a 16-year-old in 2012-13 and has 10 years of experience in the league, making him an excellent candidate to represent Australia at the Premier12.
Jarvis stole 20 bases in 61 games for High-A Greensboro during the 2023 MiLB season and played for the Sydney Blue Sox in the ABL during the 2023-24 season.
Outfielders – Potential outfielders for Australia include Tim Kenelly, Aaron Whitefield, and Andrew Campbell.
Tim Kennelly has represented Australia in several international tournaments, including the 2023 WBC and 2019 WBSC Premier12. He is the all-time ABL home run leader with 62.
Aaron Whitefield played three games in MLB with the Minnesota Twins in 2020 and five games with the Los Angeles Angels in 2022. He hit .282 with a .736 OPS in 2023-24 for the Melbourne Aces.
Like Kennelly and Whitefield, Campbell played in the 2023 WBC for Australia and was the Chinese Professional Baseball League Home Run Derby champion in 2018.