The World Baseball Softball Confederation released the latest update of the men’s baseball rankings last week.
Based on performance in international tournaments and WBSC events, the rankings evaluate the accomplishments and or shortcomings of the top 83 nations across dozens of levels. Taken into consideration is everything from U-12 events to professional tournaments like the Premier12 and World Baseball Classic.
Venezuela’s WBC victory over the United States earned them 1,150 points, including 150 bonus points. They have narrowed the sizeable difference (3,023 to 2,345 points) between them and No. 1-ranked Japan. With a total of 3,992 points, Venezuela remains in the No. 5 spot, however.
Here is the top 10 in the latest World Baseball Ranking:
1. Japan (6,337 points)
2. Chinese Taipei (5,302 points)
3. USA (4,357 points)
4. South Korea (4,239 points)
5. Venezuela (3,992 points)
6. Puerto Rico (3,298 points)
7. Mexico (3,227 points)
8. Panama (2,744 points)
9. Australia (2,425 points)
10. Netherlands (2,358 points)
Right outside the top 10, the Dominican Republic (No. 11) switched places with Cuba (No. 12). Nicaragua is now ranked 15th, trading spots with Czechia. For the full, updated WBSC baseball rankings, click here.
Explaining WBC Payouts for Each Federation
For the players who participated in the WBC, representing their respective nations was the first step among many varying goals. On one side of the spectrum, winning one game would have been a success for Brazil, something they failed to accomplish. For others, like Japan, the United States, and the Dominican Republic, anything but a win in the championship is considered a failure.
However, each federation was competing for a substantial amount of money, which was dependent on how far they advanced in the tournament. For starters, each of the 20 teams in the WBC received $750,000 just for participating.
Venezuela received a $2.5 million bonus for winning the title, giving them a total payout of $6.75 million, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Nightengale also reports that half of the winnings go to the Federacion Venezolana de Beisbol, while the other half was distributed amongst the players and staff.
The Athletic’s Evan Drellich reported two weeks ago that each player on Venezuela’s roster earned approximately $100,000 in prize money.
The WBC’s second-place finishers, the United States, received a total of $4.25 million. Teams that advanced out of pool play (United States, Dominican Republic, Canada, Korea, Puerto Rico, Italy, Venezuela, Japan) received a $1 million bonus.
WBC teams that won their quarterfinal (Dominican Republic, United States, Italy, Venezuela) and/or semifinal matchups (United States, Venezuela) received a $1.25 million bonus following the round.
