2023 World Baseball Classic Odds: Dominican Republic, Team USA Come Packed with Power

The World Baseball Classic is finally returning to our lives. There's been a long hiatus, with the event pushed back in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now it's back and bigger than ever, with the field expanded from 16 teams to 20. The tournament runs March 7-21, and it's taking place in Japan, Taiwan, and the United States.

Unfortunately, due to injuries and personal circumstances, a handful of players have decided to sit out the WBC and focus on preparing for the 2023 MLB season instead. That most notably includes Vladimir Guererro Jr. (Dominican Republic) and Carlos Correa (Puerto Rico). As a result, the odds have been shifting.

Here are the latest odds to win the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

2023 World Baseball Classic odds

Odds courtesy of DraftKings as of March 6, 2023.

Favorites to win the World Baseball Classic

Dominican Republic (+210)

The Dominican Republic's roster took a hit when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was forced to withdraw due to knee discomfort. The injury doesn't seem serious, but Guerrero and the Toronto Blue Jays are understandably taking a cautious approach this early in the spring.

However, the team's roster remains simply terrifying. Especially its offense that's brimming with sluggers.

That includes the rapidly rising Julio Rodriguez, the impressive Seattle Mariners outfielder who's fresh off taking AL Rookie of the Year honors. He brings both power and speed after clubbing 28 homers and swiping 25 bags.

There's also Manny Machado, who finished second in MVP voting in 2022 after a campaign with a .897 OPS (third in the NL) and a hard-hit rate of 49.0 that put him in the 91st percentile, according to Baseball Savant.

Beyond two of the most gifted thumpers in baseball, there's also Juan Soto, Rafael Devers, Wander Franco, and Eloy Jimenez. Oh, and a pitching staff that can certainly carry its own weight, with 2022 NL Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara leading the way. However, Houston Astros lefty Framber Valdez will be sitting out.

USA (+250)

The American roster will also make opposing pitchers stare skyward for a very long time. Both toward the heavens for an answer, and likely also to locate soaring baseballs.

Put 2022 NL MVP Award winner Paul Goldschmidt alongside Mike Trout, Pete Alonso, Mookie Betts, and Kyle Schwarber, and there are five players on Team USA's roster who combined to hit 196 long balls in 2022 (Trout, Schwarber, and Alonso all finished with 40+ homers).

The bullpen is imposing, with flame-throwers David Bednar and Devin Williams anchoring the unit. The latter was especially dominant this past season, finishing with a K/9 of 14.2.

There's a mix of firmly established talent and ascending youth among the starters, with Adam Wainwright and Lance Lynn next to Brady Singer. But Clayton Kershaw and Nestor Cortes have withdrawn.

Japan (+275)

The two-time champions are overflowing with knee-buckling pitching.

Two-way unicorn Shohei Ohtani headlines a staff that also includes Yu Darvish. Ohtani posted an absurd 11.9 K/9 from the rubber in 2022, and an .875 OPS with 34 homers at the dish. He remains a cheat code.

Shosei Togo of the Yomiuri Giants will also be on the bump for Japan. The 22-year-old produced a shining 2.62 ERA in 2022.

In the field, St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Lars Nootbaar is among the talents to watch. He's showing promise after posting a strong second half in 2022. Nootbar finished July with a 1.030 OPS, and he hit .284 in August. However, the team's ceiling took a major hit when Chicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki needed to withdraw due to an oblique injury.

World Baseball Classic format

The 16 teams that were featured in the 2017 WBC were given automatic bids. The other four earned spots through the two qualifying tournaments.

The 20 teams are divided into pools with four squads each for round-robin play. The Top 2 teams from each pool then advance to the knockout round of eight.

Past World Baseball Classic winners

Japan has been dominating while recording two first-place finishes, and ending up on the podium in each tournament so far. Puerto Rico has also been a consistent contender while appearing in the gold-medal game of two straight tournaments.

Understanding World Baseball Classic futures

Sportsbooks release WBC futures odds a month or two before the start of the event. Picking the outright winner is the popular way to wager on World Baseball Classic futures.

Futures odds will usually look like this:

• USA +225

This means that on a $100 bet, you'll stand to profit $225 should the Americans win the event. If it's close to the end of the tournament and one team is simply that dominant, you might see a minus sign (-) ahead of their odds.

• Dominican Republic -175

This means that you would need to bet $175 to win $100 if the DR wins the WBC.

All the odds seen above are in American format. If you find decimal format or fractional format easier to read, simply convert the odds using our simple odds converter tool.

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