IBAF Men's Baseball World RankingThe International Baseball Federation (IBAF) releases a new update of the IBAF Men’s Baseball World Rankings following the conclusion of the first two World Baseball Classic Qualifiers in Jupiter, Florida and Regensburg, Germany. Spain and Canada came out victorious beating Israel and Germany in the finals to clinch spots at the 2013 World Baseball Classic, which is scheduled to commence on March 2 next spring.
Cuba continues to be on top of the Men’s Baseball World Rankings, followed by the United States, Japan, Korea and Canada. Canada earned 50 points for winning the World Baseball Classic Qualifier, but lost 50 points from the 2008 Final Olympic Qualifier that rotated out of the rankings because it occurred more than four years ago. Canada is now only three points behind Korea in fourth, as Korea lost 40 points when the FOQT dropped off.
Canada has 130 points in 2012 - 80 for its 2nd place finish in the U18 World Championship and 50 for winning the World Baseball Classic Qualifier. The 130 points is the most by any federation in 2012. USA is second with 100 (for winning the U18) and Chinese Taipei is third with 90 points (3rd place at U15 and 3rd place at U18).
The second World Baseball Classic Qualifier winner Spain moves up into 16th place, passing Germany (17th) to be third-best European country in the rankings behind the Netherlands (drops to 6th) and Italy (moves into 11th with second straight European Championship title). The other World Baseball Classic Qualifier teams Great Britain (19th), Czech Republic (21st), South Africa (23rd), Israel (25th) and France (30th) also make up ground in the Men’s Baseball World Rankings.
Two more World Baseball Classic Qualifiers will be played in November. In Taipei City (November 15 to 18), Chinese Taipei, New Zealand, Philippines and Thailand will play for one of two open spots in the 2013 World Baseball Classic. In Panama City (November 15 to 19), Panama takes on Colombia, Brazil and Nicaragua.
IBAF Men’s Baseball World Ranking Top 30:
| Rank |
2011 |
Member Federation |
Total Pts |
| 1 |
1 |
Cuba |
766.02 |
| 2 |
2 |
United States |
733.25 |
| 3 |
4 |
Japan |
564.42 |
| 4 |
3 |
Korea |
488.20 |
| 5 |
6 |
Canada |
485.00 |
| 6 |
5 |
Netherlands |
476.76 |
| 7 |
8 |
Venezuela |
459.63 |
| 8 |
7 |
Chinese Taipei |
384.79 |
| 9 |
9 |
Puerto Rico |
241.73 |
| 10 |
10 |
Mexico |
231.48 |
| 11 |
13 |
Italy |
214.80 |
| 12 |
11 |
Australia |
211.97 |
| 13 |
12 |
Dominican Republic |
204.20 |
| 14 |
14 |
Nicaragua |
140.01 |
| 15 |
15 |
Panama |
109.74 |
| 16 |
18 |
Spain |
109.51 |
| 17 |
17 |
Germany |
96.83 |
| 18 |
16 |
China |
79.48 |
| 19 |
23 |
Great Britain |
64.69 |
| 20 |
26 |
Colombia |
58.75 |
| 21 |
20 |
Czech Republic |
48.16 |
| 22 |
19 |
Netherlands Antilles |
47.98 |
| 23 |
35 |
South Africa |
43.12 |
| 24 |
21 |
Pakistan |
43.00 |
| 25 |
48 |
Israel |
42.97 |
| 26 |
24 |
Argentina |
41.91 |
| 27 |
22 |
Thailand |
38.38 |
| 28 |
33 |
Brazil |
32.23 |
| 29 |
25 |
Croatia |
27.57 |
| 30 |
27 |
Indonesia |
27.50 |
| 30 |
41 |
France |
27.50 |
Complete IBAF Men’s Baseball World Ranking
About the IBAF Baseball Rankings
Under the current system used, points are awarded to member nations based purely on their final position in recognized international tournaments and encompasses a four-year cycle.
Points are awarded according to the following table:
|
Final position
|
Points awarded
|
|
1st
|
50
|
|
2nd
|
40
|
|
3rd
|
30
|
|
4th
|
15
|
|
5th - 2nd-last*
|
Spread evenly between 15 & 1
|
|
Last*
|
1
|
A multiplier is used in awarding points, based on the prestige of the tournament and the quality of the teams involved. The table below reflects the changes in the international baseball schedule recently approved by the IBAF. Below are the multipliers that will be used beginning in 2012.
World Baseball Classic 6x (Winner receives 50 points, multiplied by 6 for a total of 300 points)
Premier 12 6x
WBC Qualifiers * (Pool winner receives 50 points, 2nd – 40 pts, 3rd – 30 pts, 4th – 15 pts)
21U and 18U 2x
15U and 12U 1x
Continental Championships, Continental Qualifiers, and all other IBAF-sponsored events will receive a multiplier based on the number of top-10 teams from the previous year-end rankings that are entered in the tournament. (See below)
1.00× - Continental Championships/Qualifying Tournaments, where 3 or more competing teams are in the previous year-end top 10
0.75× - Continental Championships/Qualifying Tournaments, where 2 competing teams are in the previous year-end top 10
0.50× - Continental Championships/Qualifying Tournaments, where 1 competing team is in the previous year-end top 10
0.25× - Continental Championships/Qualifying Tournaments, where no competing teams are in the previous year-end top 10
Photo by Walter Keller