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The “WBSC Premier 12 (provisional name)” – The international tournament that determines “World’s No.1” -

1/19/2015

The right to participate in the “WBSC Premier 12 (provisional name)” to be held for the first time in November 2015 was given to countries in the top 12 positions (Japan is No.1) in the 2014 “WBSC Rankings.” A key feature of the “WBSC Rankings” is that the tournament results for all age groups, not just the top team, are included in the calculation.
*WBSC: World Baseball Softball Confederation

Japan has 785.18 points, with only 36.9% (290 points) coming from the top team. The (provisionally-named) “WBSC Premier 12” can be said to gather the top 12 countries in terms of their “overall baseball ability (baseball country strength)”, as it is not a measure of only the top team’s strength.

As a result of consistent success at not only the top team level but all age groups, Japan has earned a spot in the tournament as “No.1 Baseball Country.” The Samurai Japan players are going into this year’s tournament proud to be the “No.1 Baseball Country” and look to win the championship as representatives of all “Japanese baseball”, including the younger generations.

Japan’s Points

AgeGroupTournament NameResultBase PointsFactorPoints
2011 社会人代表 39th IBAF World Cup lost in preliminary round 5.67 4.0 22.68
2011 15U 15th AA Baseball World Championship 3rd 30 1.0 30
2012 18U 25th IBAF 18U World Cup 6th 11.5 2.0 23
2012 トップチーム Samurai Japan Match 2012 (vs. Cuba) 2 wins 25 x 2 games 1.0 50
2012 社会人代表 26th Asian Baseball Championship Champion 50 1.0 50
2013 トップチーム 3rd World Baseball Classic Best 4 30 6.0 180
2013 12U 2nd IBAF 12U World Cup 3rd 30 1.0 30
2013 18U 26th IBAF 18U World Cup Runner-up 40 2.0 80
2013 トップチーム 2013 BASEBALL CHALLENGE 3 wins 20 x 3 games 1.0 60
2013 大学代表 39th Japan-US College Championships 3 wins 20 x 3 games 1.0 60
2013 社会人代表 6th East Asian Games Champion 50 0.75 37.5
2014 21U 1st IBAF 21U World Cup Runner-up 40 2.0 80
2014 15U 2nd IBAF 15U World Cup 7th 12 1.0 12
2014 大学代表 27th Harlem Baseball Week Runner-up 40 1.0 40
2014 社会人代表 17th Asian Games 3rd 30 1.0 30
          Total 785.18

* Being 16 years old or younger was the eligibility qualification for participating in the 15th AA Baseball World Championship.

Ranking Calculation Method

Results from any WBSC-hosted or WBSC-recognized tournaments (including all age group tournaments) held in the past 4 years are tallied, with recalculations at the end of each tournament. The method for calculating points is as follows: 1st place, 50 points; 2nd place, 40 points; 3rd place, 30 points and so on for base points, which are then multiplied by a factor from 0.25 ? 6 based on the tournament scope or level. In international games, the points acquired for a win depend on the opposing team’s ranking from the previous year.

Latest WBSC Baseball Rankings

RankingTeamPoint
1位 Japan 785.18
2位 USA 766.02
3位 Cuba 662.98
4位 Chinese Taipei 605.48
5位 Netherlands 433.50
6位 Dominican Republic 379.18
7位 Canada 352.52
8位 Korea 340.90
9位 Puerto Rico 291.50
10位 Venezuela 269.00
11位 Italy 196.18
12位 Mexico 136.78
13位 Panama 132.92
14位 Australia 127.82
15位 Brazil 116.61

As of 11/26/2014

Japan’s Recent Rankings

2009: 3rd
2010: 4th
2011: 4th
2012:3rd
2013: 2nd
2014: 1st

Difference between the Premier 12 and the WBC

The “WBC (World Baseball Championship)” is a tournament to determine the best team in the world, with the top teams from each country in the world competing. The “Premier 12 (provisional name)” is a tournament that can be said to determine the best baseball country in the world. Participating countries are determined by the points accrued by all of its age groups, with the top team from each participating country entering the tournament and competing for number one as a representative of all age groups.

Event Overview WBSC Premier 12 (provisional name)

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