Power ranking 2021 Olympic baseball teams

5. Dominican Republic

Considering the plethora of Dominican-born talent in MLB, you would think that the nation has long been in the running as one of the best teams competing in international competitions. On the contrary, however, the Dominican Republic is actually returning to the Olympics for the first time in nearly three decades, last competing in baseball back in the 1992 games in Barcelona.

Obviously, the high-end Dominican players currently starring in the big leagues aren’t eligible to play in Tokyo but there are still some former MLB players who will be in focus for the country as they try to earn a medal in their return to the games.

Jose Bautista, he of the biggest bat-flips, will be one of the stalwarts of the Dominican roster and, despite not playing in the bigs since 2018, he has still proven to be able to succeed in international competition. The Dominican side will also rely on former MLB vets Melky Cabrera and Emilio Bonifacio, among others, to help lead them. But their ace in the hole is Mariners prospect Julio Rodriguez, an outfielder who should demand the spotlight in these games.

The Dominican contingent is one of the toughest to peg. If their slew of big bats get hot, they could make a run all the way to the gold medal game. However, with somewhat suspect pitching and the propensity for the bats to go cold if they aren’t hitting it out of the park, this team could also end up disappointing.