Juan

Soto

Caminero has been one of the driving forces behind the Dominican Republic’s relentless onslaught during the international tournament, hitting .275 (6-for-16) with two homers and six RBI through five contests. He’ll help anchor a star-studded lineup as the Dominican Republic faces Team USA ace Paul Skenes at loanDepot Park in Miami with a berth in the World Baseball Classic final at stake. Here’s the full lineup: Fernando Tatis Jr. (RF), Ketel Marte (2B), Juan Soto (LF), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (1B), Manny Machado (3B), Caminero (DH), Julio Rodríguez (CF), Austin Wells (C) and Geraldo Perdomo (SS).

The win means the D.R. will avoid a matchup against Japan and face Korea in the quarterfinals. Ketel Marte, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Fernando Tatis Jr. also homered tonight, and Austin Wells reaches three times. The game got interesting in the ninth, when Abner Uribe, working with a 7-3 lead, walked all three batters he faced, and Elvis Alvarado committed an ugly error on a comebacker after taking over on the mound. However, Salvador Perez grounded into a double play to end the game.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Junior Caminero and Austin Wells also homered for the Dominican Republic. All of the homers came with one man on base, except for Caminero’s, which came with two. The short game saw Luis Severino, Albert Abreu and Abner Uribe combine to strike out 11 over seven innings. The Dominican Republic improved to 2-0 in pool play, while The Netherlands fell to 1-2.

The D.R. seemed to have this one wrapped up, but Oscar De La Cruz and Jimmy Cordero combined to give up three runs to minor leaguers in the ninth, resulting in the tie. Soto has homered against the Tigers on back-to-back days. The Dominican Republic also got two hits from Junior Caminero today. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. reached twice.

Soto finished 2-for-4 with three RBI in the lopsided contest. While the United States and Japan enter the World Baseball Classic as the consensus favorites, overlooking the Dominican Republic would be a mistake. Their lineup isn’t just formidable — it’s the kind of relentless, star-laden construction that can tilt a short tournament in a matter of innings. In an event where momentum compounds quickly, they have more than enough firepower to be the last team standing when the hardware is handed out. Soto put the metaphorical exclamation point on a five-run fourth inning, which also included homers by Manny Machado and Junior Caminero, by taking lefty reliever Brant Hurter deep to right-center field for a gargantuan round-tripper. The Dominican Republic kicks off the international tournament on Friday in Miami with a pool play matchup against Nicaragua.

It’s way too early to draw any firm conclusions, but the social media chatter hasn’t been overly positive as Bichette transitions to the hot corner in his Mets debut. His defense will be picked apart throughout spring training but there are few reservations from an offensive standpoint, which is the primary concern for fantasy managers. New York has already confirmed that he won’t take over at shortstop temporarily while Francisco Lindor recovers from a hamate injury. The other notable developments here are fellow offseason acquisition Marcus Semien in the leadoff spot with Juan Soto heading over to left field. Here is the full lineup: Semien (2B), Soto (LF), Bichette (3B), Tyrone Taylor (CF), Ronny Mauricio (SS), MJ Melendez (RF), Austin Barnes (C), Jose Rojas (1B) and Chris Suero (DH).

With Fernando Tatis Jr. in right, Soto is already set to play left field for the Dominican Republic in the WBC, and the Mets believe it makes sense to simply keep him there. Soto came up as a left fielder and it’s been his primary position in three of his eight big-league seasons, so it’s not much of a change for him. For the Mets, it just means that Carson Benge and Brett Baty are now battling for the starting job in right, rather than left. Maybe it helps Benge a bit, since he has the stronger arm of the two.

Ohtani captures MVP honors in unanimous fashion for the fourth time in five years after another otherworldly two-way campaign with the World Series champion Dodgers. The 31-year-old generational talent launched 55 homers and recorded a 2.87 ERA across 47 innings over 14 starts in his return to the mound. He’s taken home back-to-back MVP Awards on the senior circuit since arriving in Los Angeles. Ohtani received all 30 first-place votes, finishing ahead of Kyle Schwarber — who netted 23 of 30 second-place votes — and Juan Soto in this year’s NL MVP Award balloting.

The American League winners will be announced on Friday night. Here is the complete list of winners for the senior circuit: Hunter Goodman (C), Pete Alonso (1B), Ketel Marte (2B), Manny Machado (3B), Geraldo Perdomo (SS), Juan Soto (OF), Corbin Carroll (OF), Kyle Tucker (OF), Ohtani (DH) and Alec Burleson (UTIL). Ohtani has claimed the award in back-to-back seasons since joining the Dodgers and four times overall in his career. Soto takes home the honor in his Mets debut, giving him six in eight seasons. At this rate, he might need an entire room just to display them all by the time his 15-year megadeal is through. Alonso, Perdomo, Goodman, Carroll and Burleson are all first-time winners.

Ohtani represents the overwhelming favorite to capture MVP honors for the fourth time in five years after another otherworldly two-way campaign for the World Series champion Dodgers, launching 55 home runs and posting a 2.87 ERA across 47 innings over 14 starts in his return to the mound. Schwarber did everything possible to make this a close race, blasting a career-high 56 homers and driving in 132 runs during his age-32 season with the Phillies before hitting free agency. Soto capped his first year with the Mets by leading the majors in walks (127) and on-base percentage (.396) while also setting career highs with 43 homers and 38 stolen bases. The winner will be announced on Thursday, November 13.