Germany and China will kick off the final World Baseball Classic Qualifier as the final two teams will qualify for the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
Germany enters the qualifier in what is the biggest tournament in German baseball history.
In Game One, Germany takes on China. The Germans are expected to turn to Niklas Rimmel to start the tournament. Rimmel, a former Twins prospect, last pitched in the MLB system in 2023. He had a 3.16 ERA for A+ Cedar Rapids. He was released in 2023 and returned home to Germany to pitch in the Baseball Bundesliga.
In 2024 in the Bundesliga, Rimmel had a 2.20 ERA and 66 strikeouts in 49 innings and just eight walks in the regular season for Bundesliga champion, Bonn Capitals. In the playoffs, his numbers took a dip. He was 0-5 with a 4.05 ERA with 25 strikeouts in 26 2/3 innings. He gets the ball in this must-win game for Germany if they hope to at least get to a game 7 of the qualifier.
Offensively, Germany will be led mainly by Bundesliga players.
Shawn Larry is a name to watch. In 2024 in the Bundesliga, he hit .400/.533/.754 with 7 HR. He’ll provide thump in this order.
Simon Baumgardt will be another source of power. The third baseman had a .886 OPS for Notre Dame in 2024 and 10 HR.
China enters the qualifier as the biggest underdog. They will lean heavily on their pitching staff.
One name to lead their pitching staff is Red Sox prospect Jeremy Wu-Yelland. He had a 5.67 ERA with 42 strikeouts in 33.1 innings for A+ Greenville.
Alan Zhang Carter is another name to watch for the pitching staff. In 2024, he had a 0.72 ERA and 61 strikeouts in 37 2/3 innings for Lake Country of the American Association. Expect Carter and Wu-Yelland to play a significant role against Germany. China needs to find a win on day 1 to give them a chance to make the final of the qualifier.
Samuel Benjamin should lead the offense and be the only power threat. He had a 1.214 OPS and 6 HR in the 2024 MLB Draft League. He will be counted on to deliver some pop, as it is nonexistent with the rest of the lineup. China played in the California Winter League and, in 19 games, hit just 1 HR as a team. They will play a lot of small ball and try to scratch and claw runs across.
Both these teams will rely on pitching and try and get enough runs across.
Prediction:
This will be a low-scoring game, but Germany has more pitching depth and offensive punch. China makes them sweat a bit, but Germany pulls away late for a 4-1 win on day one.
