As the U-23 Baseball World Cup concluded with Japan defeating Puerto Rico, the rankings have been updated in the WBSC. Japan’s 5-0 victory over Puerto Rico leaves them at the top of the pile, ranking at No. 1. Here’s how some of the rankings were determined and how some teams moved up higher than others.
Points can be accumulated from most international competitions. Those include the U-15, U-18, and U-23 World Cups, the WBSC Premier12, the World Baseball Classic, and the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Points were also included from Prague Baseball Week, including two other cup events that took place in Europe and Asia. Japan has 5.756 points, which is the most in the WBSC.
With their recent silver medal finish in the U-23 Baseball World Cup, Puerto Rico also moved from 11th to 8th in the new update. They now have 3,122 points, their highest movement in the rankings since 2023.
Chinese Taipei is second in the rankings, tied with Mexico with the same number of points. They are both deadlocked at 4,118 points, the highest ranking it has held since 2022.
As for the USA, they round out the top five, with Venezuela climbing to fourth in the rankings. Some of the biggest movers in the rankings were El Salvador, climbing from 69th to 61st. Sri Lanka and Costa Rica also climbed the ladder, moving up five places to 49th and 51st.
With the WBSC Premier12 approaching in what will feel like a few short weeks away, we will see which teams will help themselves out and keep their spot within the WBSC rankings.
Photo Credit: Japan’s baseball players celebrate a walk-off victory. (Photo by KAZUHIRO FUJIHARA / AFP) (Photo by KAZUHIRO FUJIHARA/AFP via Getty Images)
