World Baseball Classic: Complete Projections for Pool C

Action in Pool C of the World Baseball Classic gets underway on March 7. If you are not familiar with the setup of the WBC, each pool consists of four teams. These four teams play a round-robin format, where the top two teams will advance into the next round. All games in the World Baseball Classic can be seen on MLB Network.

Here is a complete schedule of the action in Pool C, along with predictions for each game. All times are EST, and all games in Pool C will take place at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in Puerto Rico.

Schedule

March 7, 6:30 p.m. Venezuela vs Dominican Republic

March 8, 5:30 p.m. Spain vs Puerto Rico

March 9, 11:00 a.m. Dominican Republic vs Spain

March 9, 5:30 p.m. Puerto Rico vs Venezuela

March 10, 12:30 p.m. Spain vs Venezuela

March 10, 7:30 p.m. Dominican Republic vs Puerto Rico

Predictions

Dominican Republic (3-0)

Robinson Cano, Jose Reyes, Hanley Ramirez and Nelson Cruz are just some of the stars that will power the Dominicans' lineup in the World Baseball Classic.

The Dominican Republic is ripe with MLB stars throughout their entire roster, and that is also evident when you look at their pitching staff. Edison Volquez is the top starter on the team, but they also have Jose Valverde to back them up in the bullpen.

The Dominican team will face some stiff competition in Pool C, but they certainly have the talent to work their way through it and make it to the quarterfinals.

Venezuela (2-1)

Much like the Dominican Republic, Venezuela is full of MLB star power as well. American League Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera and World Series MVP Pablo Sandoval anchor a lineup that also includes star power from Elvis Andrus and Carlos Gonzalez.

The pitching is strong as well for Venezuela, but they received a major blow when Felix Hernandez decided he would not participate in the tournament. That means much more pressure will be put on the shoulders of Anibal Sanchez.

Puerto Rico (1-2)

Puerto Rico will be a very interesting team to watch this year in the World Baseball Classic. They have a good lineup led by Carlos Beltran, but the most interesting thing to watch will be their pitching.

While Puerto Rico's pitching staff is very average, the man giving them signs behind the plate is anything but average. Yadier Molina is the best catcher in baseball right now, and the way that he is able to manage the game from behind the plate and keep his pitchers calm on the mound could be essential in helping them advance to the quarterfinals.

Puerto Rico will probably come up short against Venezuela and the Dominican Republic, but do not be surprised if they make it into the quarterfinals. If they do, Molina will be a major reason why.

Spain (0-3)

Spain is one of the weaker teams in this year's World Baseball Classic, and it certainly does not help that all the teams in their pool are extremely good.

The Spanish side has some good young talent, but they are probably going to get roughed up a little bit by some of the powerful major league players from the other teams in their group.

Final Line

This should be a very entertaining group to watch. The Dominican Republic is the favorite to win, but Venezuela and Puerto Rico will both prove to be very challenging competition for the Dominican side, and it should make for some very exciting baseball.

Make sure to check back and see all the previews for each game of the 2013 World Baseball Classic.