Today, the WBSC (World Baseball and Softball Confederation) released the new world ranking. As usual, there were some countries that rose some spots and there were countries that dropped some spots.
First of all Japan. The land of the rising sun is unchallenged with a more than eight hundred point lead over the second place team. That second place team is Korea, that despite finishing fourth during the Olympics could overtake Taiwan. Taiwan is now in third place with a little less than a three hundred point lead over the USA that stayed in the fourth spot.
Just like the USA, Mexico remained in the same spot, fifth.
The Dominican Republic climbed a spot, Australia dropped a spot and the Kingdom of the Netherlands climbed into eighth place. The win of the U18 team during the European Championship is paying off. Also the third place finish of the Dutch U15 team during the European Championship is adding some points.
With this eighth place, the Kingdom of the Netherlands is still the only European country in the top ten. The second best European country in the world ranking is the Czech Republic that remains in sixteenth place, followed by Italy that remains seventeenth. The Italians are followed by eighteenth place Germany and nineteenth place Spain, who both rose two spots. Also France (22nd) and Belgium (27th) climbed a spot.
Curaçao, that is part of the Dutch Kingdom also climbed a spot from sixty to fifty-nine. The biggest riser is Slovenia that climbed five spots and now is in sixty-ninth place.
Cuba, the once so mighty baseball nation that once was the undisputed leader of the baseball world, stays put at the eleventh place, just outside the top ten.
In the attached Instagram post, you can click on the tables and run through them to find your favorite country.
Dutch Baseball Hangout 