The good news for baseball fans is that after missing out on the last three Olympics, baseball is back for the 2020 games in Tokyo next month. The bad news is that this is a one-time event as both baseball and softball are not scheduled to be part of the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
After the Americas Qualifying Event in Florida in early June, five of the six spots in the tournament have been claimed. Japan qualified as the host nation, with Israel winning the Africa/Europe Qualifying Tournament in September 2019. Mexico and South Korea qualified through the 2019 WBSC Premier12 held in Tokyo in November 2019.
The United States defeated Venezuela to win the Americas Qualifying Event on June 5 and claim the fifth spot. The final spot will come from the Qualifying Tournament held in Puebla, Mexico, June 22-26. Australia, Taiwan, and China have all withdrawn from the tournament leaving Venezuela, Dominican Republic, and the Netherlands to battle for the final spot.
Rosters In Flux
While professionals are allowed in the 2020 Olympics for baseball, Major League Baseball did not release players on the 40-man roster. So fans won’t see Shohei Ohtani for Japan, Mike Trout for the USA, Alex Verdugo for Mexico, or Hyun-jin Ryu for South Korea. Japan and South Korea have not announced formal rosters but will have professionals from their domestic leagues available.
Israel qualified with former Major Leaguers like Ian Kinsler, Ryan Lavarnway, Ty Kelly, and Danny Valencia on the roster in 2019. Mexico qualified with a roster full of Major Leaguers, so they, like the USA, will have to compose a roster of minor leaguers and former stars for their first-ever Olympics.
The US qualified in June with a roster mixing minor league prospects with former MLB players and managed by World Series champion Mike Scioscia. Todd Frazier, Matt Kemp, Jon Jay, Edwin Jackson, and Homer Bailey are the veterans with prospects like Matt Liberatore, Simeon Woods Richardson, Triston Casas, and Jarren Duran filling out the roster.
Team USA Summer Olympics Preview
Unique Six Team Format
With just six teams in the tournament, there will be an opening group round-robin with three teams in each group. This will set the seeding for the final round, with all six teams making the double-elimination bracket. The group winners will have a bye in the first round of the bracket and then play each other for a spot in the semifinals.
The group stage begins on Wednesday, July 28, and ends on Saturday, July 31. Bracket play begins on Sunday, August 1, and the Gold Medal Game is set for Saturday, August 7. Games will be played at Yokohama Stadium in Yokohama and Fukushima Azuma Stadium in Fukushima City.
History of Baseball at the Olympics
Baseball was a demonstration sport at the Olympics as far back as 1904, and an exhibition game at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne between the US and Australia drew 114,000 fans. As a demonstration sport, Japan beat the US in the 1984 final, and the Americans returned the favor four years later.
Baseball became an official sport at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, open to only amateurs. Cuba won gold in 1992 over Taiwan and again in 1996 over Japan. Professionals were allowed starting in 2000, and the US beat Cuba for the gold in Sydney. Cuba beat Australia for gold in 2004, and South Korea won the gold over Cuba in 2008.
At the five Olympics in which baseball has been considered an official sport, Cuba has three golds and two silvers. The USA has one gold and two bronze, while Japan has one silver and two bronze. South Korea has one gold and one bronze, while both Australia and Taiwan have one silver.
Team Great Britain Summer Olympics Preview
Summer Olympics Baseball Betting Odds
With the final team still unknown and the first-round group pairings not drawn, the odds have yet to be posted for this tournament. You can get Japan at +200 on DraftKings, but they are the only option as of June 14. The Japanese will be a tough out on home soil with only their fans in the ballpark, but the United States, Mexico, and South Korea will all be formidable options worth looking at when the lines come out.
Softball is also back this summer and Team USA are favored to win gold in softball.
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