WBSC Premier12: Two days to go - Group A managers talk about their teams ahead of Opening Day

With two days to go to the beginning of the WBSC Premier12 2024 presented by RAXUS, the six Group A teams in Mexico are preparing for the start of the most important international baseball tournament of the year on Saturday. In addition to the hosts, the Netherlands, Panama, Puerto Rico, USA and Venezuela will open the event in Guadalajara and Tepic.

The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) talked with the six managers of Group A about their thoughts on the 15-day competition and the strengths of their teams. 

Host team Mexico will open the competition on Saturday in Guadalajara, facing Venezuela at 8pm local time. Manager Benjamin Gil believes that playing at home represents an opportunity for the team, not a big pressure. "In every aspect, if there is pressure, there is a good opportunity. You have the chance to achieve something special, extraordinary, something not everyone gets to experience," he said. "Playing anywhere in Mexico… it could be seen as a bit of pressure, but ultimately, it’s a great opportunity to play in front of your fans. I think any team, any country would want that. And this time, it’s our turn."

Asked about the strengths of the team, he said: "The pitching is always very strong. Mexican pitching is very strong, but I think this time, we have a great balance in offence as well. Defensively, I think we are also quite strong. So, I believe this balance will take us far."

Venezuela, Mexico's rivals on Day 1, is also a well balanced team. "This is a roster that, in terms of talent, it hasn’t been seen in previous editions of the Premier12. It's very good," said manager Omar Flores. "I believe there is balance, a balance between solid pitching and timely offence, which can create situations where we can break away in a game with speed or power. We’ll be playing in a park where the ball runs fast both on the ground and in the air, so it’s important how we balance one thing with the other."

Action in Tepic will open on Saturday at 4pm with USA taking on Puerto Rico, in a clash between two superpowers not to be missed by any baseball fan. USA will be led by World Series Champion manager Mike Scioscia, who said: "On paper, you look at our team and you get excited about some players who have got some speed, about some of the guys who can play defence, but this game is not played on paper. Until you get out there and you understand what players are like, how they’re going to react, you really don’t know. We are excited to get going."

Juan Gonzalez, Puerto Rico's skipper, also talked about his team. "Well, our strengths are pitching and defence. We have a team that runs at a good speed, which is very beneficial. We don’t have a power-heavy team, but we have players with occasional power and good speed. This allows us to create situations, which is great."

Game 1 will see Panama and Netherlands facing off in Guadalajara. Netherlands' manager Evert Jan ‘t Hoen also mentioned pitching, defence and timely hitting as the main strengths of the Orange Squad. "Our team’s strengths lie in our pitching depth, solid defence, and timely hitting. We believe that a robust pitching staff combined with dependable defence can keep us competitive in every game. Executing these strengths consistently will bring us closer to our goal."

On the other hand, Panama's manager Jose Mayorga also highlighted the balance in his team. "I believe we are going to be quite a complete team," he said. "I think our strength will be pitching and defence, but without downplaying our batting. We know we have very experienced players who will come through with the clutch hits in the big moments."