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Chapter 1: What are the initial thoughts on the World Baseball Classic?
Yeah, there should be some passion. This doesn't have to be boring, boring, boring. You don't get bored by baseball. Okay, one thing the game needs is more people like you, you, you. Still have grown men run around tight hands. It's Mookie Betts. It's Daniel Bard. It's Steve Aoki. Here's Saltz Lamacchia. This is Brock Holtz. Hey, this is John Lester. Baseball isn't boring. Baseball isn't boring.
Welcome to Baseball Isn't Boring. Here's your host, Rob Rapp. Who's gonna win it? Who is going to win it? And you have your top tier. The clear favorite favorites, according to Sean Spradling, Japan, Dominican Republic, Team USA. By the way, can I just say, how much... Let me ask you this question first. Let me go through each one of these teams very quickly. You tell me when I'm wrong.
Absolutely. Japan seems about equally as good as they were last time, right?
Chapter 2: Who are the top favorites to win the WBC according to Shawn Spradling?
About... Right? About the same? Yep. I would say pitching is a little weaker. Hitting is a little stronger. Okay. Dominican Republic, as you point out, they've tried to improve. I think maybe their biggest improvement is just the mere wake-up call of, hey, you know, we can't let this happen again. Yep. The country will not allow it. Yep.
But Team USA, of these teams, has to be the most improved, right? If for no other reason because of the starting pitching, right? Yeah. Of these three teams, 100%. This is the most improved team. We have Paul Skeens, Tarek Skubal, Logan Webb, Joe Ryan, instead of Lance Lynn, Miles Michaelis, and Adam Wainwright. Like...
it's it's as simple as that for me of like we aren't messing around anymore on the pitching side like we have the best pitchers in in our entire player pool available so i think that that's the biggest uh step up of any of those three teams okay that said does team usa win sean spradling Well, when people listen to this, I don't know when.
At the end of January, and the day is just leading into the month where teams are going to be working out, getting ready. We're going to get excited about WPC. Your long wait finally is over. As we enter this month, who is Sean Spradling picking to win it all? I'm going to need to get your pick after this, too. Oh, yeah, I will.
Chapter 3: How does Japan's team compare to previous years?
I will say three things. One, Japan is the favorite to win until they prove that they aren't. For me, they will always be the favorite until someone dethrones them because they went a five-year stretch from like 20, I don't know, 2019 to 2024, that they didn't lose a single game in any international play. They're just, they're a different beast. That's number one.
Number two, when I put out a prediction about a year ago on a different podcast, I actually said Dominican Republic because I just saw how strong the entire roster is. Depth is insane. You have Junior Caminero and O'Neal Cruz on the bench, both able to hit 40 bombs each, not even able to get playing time. And Christopher Sanchez just committed today, which is massive.
And number three, I'm still going to pick Team USA to win. All right.
Chapter 4: What improvements has the Dominican Republic made for the WBC?
All right. That pitching is just unbelievable right now. And I think that they're also going to be hungry from 2023. Okay. I respect your opinion. I like you personally. But it's your prerogative. No, I'm not going to say you're wrong. I would... If I wanted this to say what I really feel, to be perfectly honest, I'd say Team USA for all the reasons you said. What fun is that?
It's no fun for me to say Dominican Republic, Japan. I'm trying to find an outline. I'm trying to find the team where I can play the clip when this actually happens and I can enter the MLB baseball season feeling great about myself. Hey, if we want to play that game, let's just go. Let's jump on a podcast.
I'll give you a sound bite for every one of the 20 teams as why they'll win the tournament, and then we'll just cherry pick that one. Why stop there? Why don't we just go through every single player, and if some random guy hits a home run, I predict that blah, blah, blah from the Czech Republic is going to hit a home run.
Chapter 5: Why is Team USA considered the most improved team?
Anyways, your winner. I'm going to say I'm going to go with Canada. I'm going with Canada. Let's go. I'm going with Canada. I know just enough of the players, and those players are good. Like, I am going to go with Canada. I think I can envision Canada actually making it to the final game. And, Sean, here's the thing.
We aren't going to get the Otani versus Trout moment because it's impossible to get. Like, that was a what of one. Yep. Never again. So how do we get to something that people are going to feel like this is something that everybody's going to want to watch? And it is with Canada being in the final game. It is. It is. I saw, Sean. I saw those people in Toronto. I was there.
Those poor people in Toronto. This is Canada's revenge game. This is Canada's revenge tournament. Yeah. Yeah. Of all those poor people in Toronto all throughout Canada who were leftist saying, what just happened? We didn't win the World Series. What? What? Here it is. You didn't pay off. Congratulations to Canada.
And to be able to do that, like, think about, like, let's say they make – I don't know what the bracket looks like, but let's say Canada's in the final against –
Japan they get to go up against Yoshinobu Yamamoto again or they go up against USA and they have I mean all of the stars on that team you know like it's there's no shortage of stars but that kind of like underdog story Cinderella story would be incredible and what I'm also hearing is that me including them in that second tier you agree with that you would put them at least in that second yeah I mean honestly that second tier the one I'm surprised about the most is Italy
Yeah. Because I would say that most people would put Canada in that third tier right now. Really? Okay. Because people don't know that they have Josh Naylor, Freddie Freeman maybe, probably, I mean, depending on his degree. Tyler Neal, Abraham Toro, Owen Casey, Bo Naylor, Denzel Clark. They have an entire big league lineup, which is more than what most countries can say. Yeah. It's huge. Yeah.
And who are they pitching? Tyon, I know. Tyon, Quantrill. Would love to have Jonah Tong there. I don't know if that's going to happen. But I think the only one that's not going to be there is their biggest starter, Pavetta. But I don't think that he's going to play. Matt Brash, out of the bullpen. They got enough. They got enough. They got enough. Agreed. So let it be said, let it be done.
All right. I think that we got everybody excited. I know that you're excited. I mean, sincerely, this is – I know that you're living your life and you're doing your thing and everything else, but still, you must be like, let's go. Let's get through January. Get through February. Let's get to March. I'm having a great time. I cannot wait for it to come around.
These months before, though, are honestly just as fun for me as the tournament itself because of all of the hype and the excitement around the tournament and all the people from all around the world that are engaging in the comments from Cuba and Puerto Rico and Nicaragua, but then also you go to the other side of the world. It's Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Canada.
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Chapter 6: Who does Shawn Spradling predict will win the WBC?
Everyone is just intermingling, and it's so much fun. Well, I know I've sort of asked you this before, but I find it interesting to ask now. What has been the fan base that maybe has taken it up a notch? Because you interact. You post anything, you immediately get boom. It's a flood of people. This time around, what group has maybe taken it up a notch from last time? Well...
This might be unfair because they weren't in the tournament last time, and they are now. But Brazil, I have gained a ton of followers on Instagram from Brazil because their fan base might be small, but it is. They're engaged. So anytime I post about, like, a Brazilian player on my Instagram, it gets a bunch of traction because, I mean, it's...
It's a soccer country, and so the people that love baseball love baseball there. And I think they're just so happy to be back in the WBC. They haven't been there since 2013. It's been 13 years. So I think Brazilian baseball fans are just really hungry to be back on the world stage. Nice. I like it. I like it. All right. Well, good times. Good times. Yeah, man. Thank you, man.
Thank you for getting me fired up. Always a fun time.