2026 WBC: Can a balanced Taiwan team make it out of Tokyo?

By Chao Yen-hsiang, CNA staff reporter

The World Baseball Classic (WBC) has generally followed a similar script for Taiwan: infinite fan enthusiasm met by a disappointing showing.

Taiwan has only advanced to the second round once in five WBCs, but the team's captain this year, Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲), is looking to do better.

"I hope that on March 10, we will not be seeing you back in Taiwan," Chen said Saturday before Taiwan's team departed for Japan to finalize preparations for Pool C games, which begin Thursday when Taiwan plays Australia.

Taiwan will have to finish in the top two in the five-team Pool C that also consists of the Czech Republic, South Korea, and powerhouse Japan to advance to the quarterfinals in Miami.

That goal may seem like a stretch given the team's showing, especially at the plate, in recent exhibition games.

It dropped two games to Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) franchises -- 4-0 to the defending champion Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks and 6-1 to the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters -- and also lost to and tied the Kiwoom Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), scoring only four runs in the two games.

Ahead of Taiwan's WBC opener against Australia in what is essentially a must-win game, CNA spoke with two experts to assess the team's strengths and weaknesses and prospects for advancing from Pool C.

No need for panic...yet

Veteran play-by-play man Martin Lin (林煒珽) noted that even manager Tseng Hao-jiu (曾豪駒) acknowledged that Taiwan's hitters were struggling with their timing in the warm-up games.

Lin insisted, however, that the poor results were "not the end of the world." What matters more in short tournaments, he said, is building momentum once the tournament begins.

"Once one or two players get hits and boost morale, the effect can spread quickly," Lin said. "That was the case in the 2024 WBSC Premier12, when no one expected Chen Chieh-hsien to channel his inner Shohei Ohtani."

Chen, who earned Premier12 MVP honors after batting .625 with two homers to lead Taiwan to its first major international title, admitted he had struggled before that tournament until a two-run homer against South Korea in the opener changed everything.

"I realized I could actually do it," Chen recalled.

Jacky Lee (李秉昇), an anchor for Videoland Sports, agreed Tuesday that the exhibition results mattered little.

"The priority is for players to fine-tune their games while staying healthy," Lee said. "If these results help the team identify and fix problems early, it's actually a blessing in disguise."

Key absences

Taiwan's team has recruited most of the top players it pursued, but two high-profile names -- Houston Astros right-hander Teng Kai-wei (鄧愷威) and Chicago Cubs prospect Jonathon Long -- withdrew from consideration.

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Their absences are widely regarded as the biggest voids in Taiwan's 30-man roster.

Lin believes the coaching staff was prepared for the absence of Teng, the only Taiwanese pitcher to appear in the major leagues over the past two seasons.

But he described Long's withdrawal as a "huge blow" due to his elite power.

Long, a 24-year-old infielder who hit .305/.404/.479 in Triple-A last season, was forced to withdraw after spraining his left elbow in late February.

"In a short series, power is far more impactful than a 'small ball' lineup," Lin said.

Conversely, Lee said Long's absence creates more opportunities for established sluggers like two-time CPBL home run leader Giljegiljaw Kungkuan (吉力吉撈·鞏冠) and 2023 WBC Pool A MVP Yu Chang (張育成), both of whom can play first base.

Balanced roster

Both Lin and Lee praised the 2026 team's balance.

"Our 2023 roster was strong offensively but weak on the mound," Lin said of the team that finished last in a group in which all five teams had 2-2 records because it allowed the most runs against it. "This year, they are much more balanced."

He pointed to fireballers Gu Lin Ruei-yang (古林睿煬) and Hsu Jo-hsi (徐若熙), the CPBL's top pitchers in 2024 and 2025, respectively, as the team's dual aces. Both have since moved to the NPB.

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"Their performances will dictate how far our team goes," Lin said.

As for the offense, Lin expected Lee Hao-yu (李灝宇), now with the Detroit Tigers' Triple-A affiliate, to step up and make up for Long's slugging power, though there were last-minute questions about Lee's availability.

Lee called this the most well-rounded roster in the last three editions of the WBC, and specifically highlighted 20-year-old lefty Lin Wei-en (林維恩), who rose to Double-A in the Athletics organization last year.

"If Lin Wei-en can thrive under high-level pressure," Lee said, "it will give Taiwan's pitching staff a major shot in the arm."

South Korea: The gatekeeper

With Japan favored to top the pool and Australia and the Czech Republic considered underdogs, both experts identified South Korea as Taiwan's primary obstacle to the quarterfinals.

Lin suggested Taiwan deploy its pitching staff to ensure the best arms are available for Sunday's noon (Japan time) showdown with South Korea.

Lee said Taiwan might benefit from a favorable schedule. Taiwan will play a morning game against the Czech Republic on Saturday, giving it nearly a full day of rest before Sunday's game, while South Korea must face Japan on Saturday night.

"Playing a morning game immediately after a night game takes a heavy physical toll," Lee said. "Taiwan has to capitalize on that."