This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
The World Baseball Classic continues with a three-game slate starting at 10 p.m. Eastern with Netherlands vs. Israel before continuing with a pair of early morning battles featuring Korea-Chinese Taipei and Australia-China. The first two teams have already advanced with 2-0 records, while the middle matchup features the two winless squads in that group. Both China and Australia come in at 0-1, leaving neither team with room for error. Many of the players involved in this international competition have never sniffed MLB playing time, but the best generally have.
PITCHER
Jason Marquis, ISR vs. NED ($5,300): Marquis will need a strong tournament if the 38-year-old free agent wants to latch on with any MLB team this season. He struck out three Koreans while allowing two hits without a run over three innings in his tournament debut, and following that effort with another strong performance against a Dutch team with limited major league talent shouldn't be difficult for a man with 124 MLB wins to his name.
Travis Blackley, AUS at CHN ($5,300): Blackley is the obvious choice for your other pitcher spot as the only starter besides Marquis with MLB experience. He faces a Chinese team that mustered just one hit without a run in its tournament debut, giving the skilled Australian southpaw a favorable matchup to turn in an excellent performance.
CATCHER
Ryan Lavarnway, ISR vs. NED ($3,300): Lavarnway has a real chance of making Oakland's roster out of spring training, so the 29-year-old catcher will be deeply motivated to perform well in this tournament. He's 3-for-6 with a homer through two games for a surprisingly undefeated Israeli squad and should be in for another big game against 42-year-old Dutch right-hander Rob Cordemans with first place in the group on the line.
FIRST BASE
Nate Freiman, ISR vs. NED ($3,800): Freiman started at first base and hit in the cleanup spot in each of Israel's first two games. He's likely to be back in that spot against the right-handed Cordemans after getting the nod against a righty from Chinese Taipei last game. The 6-foot-8 slugger showed some pop with 30 extra-base hits in 90 Double-A games last year and already has a homer and four RBI in 10 at-bats this tournament. While the left-handed hitting Ike Davis could also do some damage out of the DH spot, the $1,300 savings that come with playing Freiman gives him the slight edge over his teammate.
SECOND BASE
Keon Chang Seo, KOR at TWN ($4,100): Seo has driven in Korea's only run through two games, and his three hits are tied for the team lead with Ahseop Son and Byung Hun Min. The two-hole hitter has clearly been his team's most threatening bat, putting him in great position to take advantage of a pitching staff that has surrendered a tournament-high 21 runs in two games. With more than 60 RBI in two of his last three seasons with the Korean League's Nexen Heroes, Seo has more pop than you'd expect from a second baseman.
THIRD BASE
Xander Bogaerts, NED at ISR ($6,200): Bogaerts won't come cheap, but clearing up the cap flexibility to use him isn't difficult. Even with Marquis on the mound for Israel, Bogaerts shouldn't have difficulty producing after churning out a .294/.356/.446 line for the Red Sox last season. With most available alternatives not even able to sniff a major-league roster, the talent gap is greater than the price gap between Bogaerts and the field.
SHORTSTOP
James Beresford, AUS at CHN ($4,000): Beresford was one of five Australians to muster a hit in the team's opening loss to Japan and is listed as a shortstop despite playing at second base in that one. The 28-year-old infielder appeared in 10 games with the Twins last season and is set up to do damage out of the two-hole against a Chinese pitching staff that surrendered six runs on 14 hits to Cuba. As far as light-hitting middle infielders go, you could do much worse than a major-leaguer in a plus matchup.
OUTFIELD
Wladimir Balentien, NED at ISR ($4,400): Balentien is having quite the tournament out of the cleanup spot, with five hits in seven at-bats through two games. He hasn't been with an MLB team since 2009, but has made quite a name for himself with Japan's Tokyo Yakult Swallows. Balentien hit a league-record 57 home runs in 2013, so he has the pop to do damage for a Dutch team that does a decent job of getting ducks on the pond by congregating all of its major leaguers near the top of the lineup.
Chih-Hao Chang, TWN vs. KOR ($3,800): Chang is another player having a strong tournament, as he's 5-for-10 with a homer through two games. Korean pitcher Hyun-Jong Yang isn't exactly an intimidating presence on the mound, so Chang should stay hot as part of a lineup that has generated a surprisingly solid 6.0 runs per game. Just make sure you use the right C. Chang, as bench player Cheng-Wei Chang is also an outfield option on the same team at $3,600.
Ahseop Son, KOR at TWN ($4,200): This spot was a toss-up between Son and Min, who each have three hits in two games and cost $4,200. In the end, Son gets the nod because he bats fifth in the order while Min hits sixth. Koreans should find success in this favorable matchup against a weak Taiwanese staff, and Son has the power to be a difference-maker after smacking double-digit homers in six of his last seven seasons with the Korean League's Lotte Giants.
