WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC
What: International tournament that takes place every four years. This is the fourth edition.
When: Monday through March 22.
TV: MLB Network.
Format: Top two teams in each pool advance to play at two round-robin sites (Tokyo and San Diego). The top two at each round-robin site advance to the finals at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
Favorites: The Dominican Republic, the 2013 champion, is loaded again. Venezuela has plenty of offense but needs pitching to come through.
U.S. outlook: Jim Leyland will manage a team with a lineup full of stars such as Andrew McCutchen, Giancarlo Stanton and Buster Posey (if healthy). Starting pitching might be an issue without injured Max Scherzer and Sonny Gray.
Pool A in Seoul: Israel, Korea, Netherlands, Taiwan.
Pool B in Tokyo: Australia, China, Cuba, Japan.