( LAUSANNE, Switzerland) – The United States of America moved from No. 4 to No. 2 in the International Baseball Federation’s (IBAF) latest installment of the Men’s World Rankings which were released Monday.
 
Behind first place finishes at the IBAF “AA”/16U World Youth Championships and the IBAF Baseball World Cup, the U.S. jumped ahead of Korea and Japan and put it within striking distance of Cuba, which has held the No. 1 position since the rankings debuted earlier this year.
 
With these rankings, the IBAF also introduced several tournaments from the last four years that were not originally taken into consideration for the World Rankings. These events include continental pre-qualifying tournaments and invitational events like the “Good Luck Beijing” Baseball Tournament in 2007.  The inclusion of the new events has introduced 22 national baseball teams to the IBAF World Rankings, and all of the new tournaments meet the criteria of events which the IBAF considers for rankings points.
 
Overall, tournaments and championships that have been added, replaced or removed for the 19 October IBAF World Rankings include:
 
Added: 2007 “Good Luck Beijing” Baseball Tournament, 2007 and 2009 Asian Baseball Cups (for 2007 and 2009 Asian Championships, respectively), 2006 and 2008 European Continental Qualifiers (for 2007 and 2010 European Championships)
Replaced: 2005 IBAF Baseball World Cup with the 2009 IBAF Baseball World Cup, 2005 IBAF “AA”/16U World Youth Championships with the 2009 IBAF “AA”/16U World Youth Championships
Removed: None
Next to be replaced: 2005 Southeast Asia Games (2009 Southeast Asia Games set for later this year, replacement will be reflected in year-end rankings)
 
Other notable changes in the rankings include Italy moving from No. 15 to No. 12 and Germany moving into the top-20, going from No. 23 to No. 20.  Belgium witnessed the largest jump in the rankings, going from unranked to No. 34 while both Cameroon and Samoa saw the biggest decline, falling from a tie at No. 51 to again even at No. 72.

 
The complete IBAF Men’s World Rankings are listed below:

For more information on rankings and a spanish translation of the rankings, please visit New 2009 IBAF World Rankings.
 
 
About the IBAF World Rankings

 
The IBAF debuted its World Rankings in January 2009. Developed in conjunction with Scott Goode, a sports information director from Harding University (Arkansas, USA), the rankings are based on a point total which IBAF member federations (teams) earn from IBAF-sanctioned events in a four-year window, or a period of time that encompasses two IBAF Baseball World Cups.
 
Teams earn points based on their finish in an event. A tournament winner takes home 50 points, second place, 40; third place, 30; and fourth place, 15. From there, points are divided evenly among the remaining teams in the event to ensure balance between tournaments that feature different-sized fields.
 
Once points are rewarded based on a team's finish, that amount is then multiplied by a number based on the strength of the event. Major world championships, such as an Olympic Games, IBAF Baseball World Cup or World Baseball Classic, all receive 4X multipliers. Minor world championship events (Junior, Youth or FISU University Worlds, or the Honkbol Tournament, for example) have a 1X multiplier, and all other continental championships and pre-qualifiers receive multipliers from 1X-.25X based on how many teams in the top-10 of the current IBAF World Rankings compete in the event.
 
About the International Baseball Federation (IBAF)

 
Founded in 1938, the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) is a non-governmental organisation recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as administering men’s and women’s baseball at the world level.  Located in Lausanne, Switzerland – the Olympic Capital – and counting 125 National Member Federations, the IBAF organises the IBAF Men’s and Women’s Baseball World Cup, the AAA (18U) and AA (16U) World Championships, the Olympic Games Baseball Tournament, and it sanctions the World Baseball Classic, among other international baseball tournaments.  The IBAF works to develop and grow the game of baseball around the world. For more information, please visit IBAF.org.

Story contributed by USA Baseball

Contact: Jake Fehling - ibafmedia@yahoo.com

Click the link below for a virtual tour of the World Cup in Prague:
http://www.virtualtravel.cz/sk-krc-prague-baseball-softball.html

USA DEFENDS WORLD CUP: Sunday’s 10-5 win by the USA over Cuba in Nettuno, Italy gave the USA its fourth World Cup, and their second consecutive title…they defeated Cuba 6-3 for Gold in Chinese Taipei in 2007 as well..it is the second time USA has won back-to-back World Cups, having done so in 1973-74…it was just the second time that the USA beat Cuba for Gold…Cuba now leads the finals matchups 6-2. ..The USA’s circuitous route to the title saw them play games in eight cities (Regensburg, Germany and seven different Italian cities) during the three weeks…Texas Rangers prospect Justin Smoak was named World Cup MVP, while Tampa Rays prospect Jon Weber (.412 3 HR 13 RBI)  and Philadelphia Phillies farmhand Terry Tiffee were named All-World Cup…pitchers Lucas Harrell, a Chicago White Sox prospect, and Atlanta Braves prospect Todd Redmond both went 3-0 for Team USA.

 
 
WORLD CUP SUPERLATIVES
* World Cup Record

 
 
TOP HITTER: Paco Figueroa, Spain (17-35, .500)
BEST ERA: Matt Kniginyzky Canada (2-0, 0.00 ERA in 18 innings)
MOST RBI:  Rene Reyes, Venezuela (23 RBI)
MOST HOME RUNS: Alfredo Despaigne, Cuba 11 *
MOST RUNS SCORED: Rene Tosoni, Canada (18 runs)
BEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER: Angel Sanchez, SS, Puerto Rico

ALL WORLD CUP TEAM
 
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER Justin Smoak, USA (.291 9 HR 22 RBI)

Starter: Norge Vera, Cuba
Reliever:  Trystan Magnuson, Canada
Catcher: Sydney deJong, Netherlands
1B: Justin Smoak USA
2B: Hector Olivera Cuba
3B: Shawn Bowman Canada
SS: Hainley Statia, Netherlands
OF: Alfredo Despagne, Cuba, Miguel Abreu, Puerto Rico, Jon Weber, USA 
DH:  Terry Tiffee, USA

 
 
LARGEST TELEVISION AUDIENCE EVER FOR THE WORLD CUP: Sunday’s final was broadcast on the MLB Network in the United States, Eurosport2 across Europe, ICRT in Cuba, RAI Sport in Italy and on tape delay on ESPN STAR Asia, making it the most widely broadcast final in the World Cup’s 71 year history.  In addition to the final, World Cup country-specific games were shown live or on tape delay on NOS in the Netherlands, TVES in Venezuela,  VIASAT in Sweden,  TV4 in Nicaragua, CzechTV in the Czech Republic, WIPR in Puerto Rico and on NBC Universal’s Spanish language channel in the United States, WAPA TV, giving the event its largest broadcast footprint.

 
 
WORLD CUP BRINGS RECORD TRAFFIC TO IBAF.ORG : The IBAF’s official site, Ibaf.org attracted over 750,000 visitors and over 12 million page views through the World Cup, coming from over 170 countries, an increase of over 70% from during its last heavy visit period, which was the Beijing Olympics.

 
 
ATTENDANCE MARKS:  Further evidence of baseball’s growth in Europe was seen throughout the tournament. Leading the way was Regensburg, Germany, which saw crowds in excess of 5,000 for almost all of the three days of competition in the first round, highlighted by a Friday night crowd of almost 10,000 fans for USA-Germany… at other first round sites, Sweden had a capacity crowd of over 2,100 for Saturday’s final day and strong crowds approaching 1,500 on the others…Spain had overflow crowds on both Friday and Saturday in excess of the 1,500 seating capacity for their games with Puerto Rico and Cuba…and Prague had an overflow of 2,500 for Saturday and crowds in excess of 1,500 for Friday, all positive signs of growth…the Netherlands drew crowds of over 3,000 for their home games, capped by a near-capacity of 4,000 in Rotterdam for their game with Cuba…the Gold Medal game in Nettuno, Italy drew a sellout of 4,600.  

    
 
FUTURE STARS ALIGN:  Over 120 players from 17 countries under contract with Major League teams participated in the three weeks of the World Cup, the largest professional international tournament in the history of the sport.  Also there were 25 players with Major League experience who participated in this year’s World Cup. Both the numbers of prospects and veterans were records for the event.

 
 
CUBA MEDALS AGAIN:  Despite their loss in the final. Cuba continued their consecutive run of medals in the World Cup…they have taken Gold in 25 of the 29 World Cups in which they have played, and have taken two silvers and two bronze medals in the other four…they had won all three of the World Cups held in Italy (1978, 1988, 1998) prior to Sunday’s loss

 
 
CANADA, AUSTRALIA LAND BEST-EVER FINISHES: Canada’s 6-2 win Saturday over Puerto Rico gave them the Bronze medal, their best-ever finish, while Australia’s 4-1 win over the Netherlands on Saturday gave them a fifth place finish, their best ever…Canada’s previous best was fifth on three different occasions, while Australia’s previous best was sixth in 2007… Kansas City Royals prospect Tim Smith (.414  2 HR 10 RBI), Future’s Game MVP, Eastern League All-Star and Minnesota Twins prospect Rene Tosoni (.357 3 HR 16 RBI) and  Milwaukee Brewers farmhand Adam Stern (.333 1 HR 9 RBI) led the hitting,  while pitchers Matt Kniginyzky (2-0, 0.00 ERA in 18 innings), a Kansas City Royals prospect,  Toronto Blue Jays prospect Trystan Magnuson,  and Brewers prospect Nick Bucci (0.00 ERA in 14 innings) led the pitching staff.

 
 
PUERTO RICO USES MIX OF YOUTH AND EXPERIENCE TO TAKE FOURTH: Puerto Rico used a mix of veterans and prospects to finish fourth, matching their best overall performance since 1976 (they also finished fourth in 1990). Baltimore Orioles prospect Miguel Abreu was an All-World Cup selection, leading the team in hitting at .380, while Toronto Blue Jays prospect Angel Sanchez (.333) finished second and was named top Defensive Player.  Puerto Rico had a tournament high NINE players with Major League experience on their roster in addition to their rising stars.

 
 
NETHERLANDS CONTINUES AS EUROPE’S ELITE:  The Netherlands continued their spot as Europe’s top country, finishing sixth, after taking fourth in each of the last two World Cups. San Francisco Giants prospect Sharlon Schoop hit .364, while Los Angeles Angles prospect Hainley Statia (.333) took all tournament honors, along with leading hitter and veteran Sidney deJong.

 
 
GEOGRAPHIC DOMINANCE A RARITY:  The top four finishers…USA, Cuba, Puerto Rico and Canada…all came from the same geographic region, something which had not happened in World Cup competition since 1974, when the USA, Nicaragua, Colombia and the Dominican Republic finished 1 through 4.

 
   
ASIAN NATIONS MISS OUT: With Chinese Taipei finishing eighth, it marked the first time since 1974 that no Asian team medaled at the World Cup…Korea (9) and Japan (10), two traditional baseball powers, had their lowest-ever finishes…Korea had never finished lower than eighth (1988) while Japan had never finished lower than fifth (1998 and 2005)…

 
 
RECORD BREAKERS:  The World Cup thus saw several team and overall records be tied or fall.  They include:

 
 
-Cuba’s Alfredo Despaigne set the World Cup record with 11 home runs.
-The USA’s Chris Smoak set the USA World Cup record with nine home runs.  
--Cuban pitcher Miguel Gonzalez struck out ten consecutive batters against Puerto Rico in his first start (13 overall in 6 1/3 innings), one short of the World Cup mark of 11 set by former Major Leaguer Burt Hooton (Dodgers and Cubs) of the USA in 1971.
--Australia pitcher and Milwaukee Brewers pitching prospect David Welch set an Australian record with 13 strikeouts in just seven innings Tuesday against Chinese Taipei.
--USA pitcher and California Angels prospect Trevor Reckling, had 11 K’s against China, tying the team mark of pitcher Burt Hooten, who fanned 11 consecutive batters in 1970.
--USA infielder and Pittsburgh Pirates prospect Pedro Alvarez set a team mark by hitting three home runs in a win over Chinese Taipei

 
 
 A LOOK AT THE FIELD:

 
 
CLOSE SHAVES:  Australia (2-4) and Mexico (1-2) had the most one run games.

 
 
JAPAN STRIKES EM OUT: Despite the low finish, Japanese pitchers finished with the second-highest strikeout total (122), and struck out 12.2 batters per game…Japan was also third overall in fielding (.986)…

 
 
SPAIN’S TWINS, ORIOLES PROSPECTS LED THE WAY:  Spain went 3-7 in their 10 games, but made marked progress, as three of those were narrow losses to Puerto Rico (5-3), Cuba (5-4) and South Korea (2-1)…the twin brother combination of Orioles prospects Paco Figueroa (.500 1 HR 8 RBI 10 runs, four stolen bases) and Daniel Figueroa (.278, 9 runs) led Spain’s play. Padres prospect Eric Gonzalez went 2-0 with a 2.20 ERA in his three starts.

 
 
NICARAGUA’S GONZALEZ AMONG TOP HITTERS:  Nicaragua got off to a 3-0 start before dropping five of its last seven, but veteran Jimmy Gonzalez remained among one of the event’s premier hitters, with a .410 average and 5 HR and 14 RBI…Nicaragua (5-5) was one of only two countries with a .500 record not to make the final round.
 
MEXICO JUST MISSES:  The other country at .500 that did not make the final round was Mexico, which also finished at 5-5, losing two of their final three games by one run…6-5 to Australia and 1-0 to Chinese Taipei…Mexico’s 3.68 ERA was the lowest among teams not to make the final round.

 
 
MINNESOTA TWINS PROSPECTS, DRAFTEES PLAY BIG ROLES:  Many of the MLB organization-high 14 players under contract to the Minnesota Twins played prominent roles in the World Cup. They included Puerto Rico’s Nelvin Fuentes (1.42 ERA), the USA’s  Trevor Plouffe  (.287 3 HR 7 RBI), leading Canadian hitter Rene Tosoni (.357 3 HR 16 RBI), the Netherlands top pitcher Tom Stuifbergan (1.80 ERA) , leading Australia hitter Luke Hughes (.286 4 HR 12 RBI),  and pitchers Liam Hendriks (2.57 ERA) and Matthew Williams (2-0). The Twins had 23 total players who originally signed with or currently under contract with the Twins, play in the World Cup.

 
 
NEW YORK METS PROSPECTS AND VETS ALSO MAKE AN IMPACT:  Besides the Twins prospects in the World Cup, the New York Mets organization was represented by 13 players, eight current and five former players…Canadian infielder Shawn Bowman was selected to the All-World Cup team (.275 3 HR, 15 RBI), while Team USA first baseman Ike Davis, the club’s 2008 first round pick and organization Player of the Year in 2009, hit .308 with 2 HR and 4 RBI. Canada’s Jonathan Malo hit .263, while Aussie infielder Stefan Welch hit .259 with 3 HR 11 RBI. Puerto Rico’s roster had five former Mets players not currently signed to an MLB team, including Jose Santiago, Raul Casanova, Luis Matos, Jose Valentin and Juan Padilla.  Valentin led the team with 10 RBI.

  
 
PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES SIGNEES PLAY ROLES AS WELL: Australia’s Tim Kennelly and Joel Naughton, two Phillies Prospects, were key in the Aussie’s best-ever finish. Kennelly hit for average (.273) and power (three home runs, nine RBI), while Naughton (.464, eight RBI) was key as well.  USA’s All-World Cup pick Terry Tiffee (.357 4 HR 20 RBI), who spent the season with Lehigh Valley, also had a solid tournament.

 
 
PIRATES FUTURE CHIMES IN:  A group of Pittsburgh Pirates prospects also made an impact in the World Cup, including USA’s  Pedro Alvarez, a New York native who set the record with three home runs in one game (3), and pitcher Brad Lincoln, who went 2-0 in four appearances with a 2.70 ERA.  Australia’s Christopher Snelling, who spent the season at AAA Indianapolis, also hit .240 as a key starter in their best-ever finish.  There are also six current Pittsburgh Pirates who helped USA win the Gold in 2007.

 
 
D-BACKS SIGN FIRST EUROPEAN PROSPECT:  The Arizona Diamondbacks last week signed pitcher Andrea Pizziconi of Italy, their first ever European player signing.  Pizziconi is the cousin of Cincinnati Reds prospect Matteo Pizziconi, who went 2-2 with a 1.80 ERA for the Reds Rookie League team this past summer.

 
 
MLB INTERNATIONAL OPENS CHINA ACADEMY:  Another example of baseball’s growing global footprint was announced last week, as Major League Baseball International announced the opening of a baseball development center in Wuxi , China.  The new academy will provide professional baseball training for middle school and high school-aged students within an academic setting.  This is the latest and boldest step in the development of baseball in China. An initiative which began in 2001 continued through the Beijing Olympics and will grow into the future.

 
 
RANKINGS UP NEXT:  Following the World Cup, the new country-by-country rankings will be announced in the next week.

 By ANDREW DAMPF AP Sports Writer

The United States defended its baseball World Cup title on Sunday with a 10-5 victory over Cuba that was powered by four RBIs from Lucas May, including a three-run home run.

"Other than playing in a World Series, this is as big as it gets," said May, a Los Angeles Dodgers prospect who went 2 for 4. "It feels good to wear a gold medal."

The U.S. team, consisting entirely of Triple-A and Double-A players, finished with 14 straight wins after opening the competition with a loss to Venezuela.

"It was a difficult loss and the players took it to heart and we just regrouped and did some different things and everything else is obviously indicative," U.S. manager Eddie Rodriguez said. "They persevered through a lot of things. We had some rigorous travel and they just came together."

The Americans also beat the Cubans in the 2007 final, snapping their run of nine consecutive titles.

The U.S. set up the victory by rallying for six runs off three Cuban pitchers to snap a 4-4 in the seventh inning.

U.S. starter Cory Luebke struck out seven and walked none over 4 1-3 innings and Brad Lincoln (3-0) pitched the next 4 1-3 innings for the win. He gave up six hits, striking out two and walking one.

Nate Field came on in the ninth inning after the Cubans loaded the bases with two outs. He earned the save by getting Cuban slugger Alfredo Despaigne to pop out to deep left.

The U.S. players jumped on top of each other and unfurled a giant American flag to celebrate in front of a sold-out crowd of 5,000 at the Steno Borghese stadium.

U.S. first baseman Justin Smoak, a Texas Rangers prospect, led the U.S. with nine home runs and 22 RBIs to earn the tournament's MVP award.

Cuban starter Norge Vera (3-1) struck out eight and walked one through 6 2-3 innings.

Despaigne went 3 for 5 and added to his tournament record with his 11th homer of the tournament — a solo shot in the eighth inning.

Story by John Manuel

Once again, America’s top minor leaguers succeeded where its big leaguers have failed.

Team USA won its 14th consecutive game in Europe and second over Cuba in three games to win the 2009 World Cup gold medal, beating Cuba 10-5 Sunday in Nettuno, Italy. The victory gives the U.S. its second consecutive Cup championship, defending the title won in 2007. It’s also just the fourth World Cup ever won by the United States in baseball. [Box Score]

Justin Smoak (Rangers), who hit nine home runs in the tournament, was named MVP of the event and contributed during a six-run, seventh-inning rally that broke a 4-4 tie. The U.S. beat Cuba’s best, scoring six runs (three earned) off veteran righthander Norge Vera, who took the loss, and chasing ageless Cuban closer Pedro Luis Lazo in the seventh after three hitters without an out.

The key U.S. rally started with two outs, when Tug Hulett (Royals), who also had a solo homer in the fifth inning, drew a walk off Vera. Buck Coats (Blue Jays) followed with a double, moving Hulett to third and chasing Vera in favor of Lazo. Hulett scored when Trevor Plouffe (Twins) hit a grounder to second and reached safely when the ball was booted by first baseman Ariel Borrero. Smoak’s RBI single brought home Coats, and Jon Weber (Rays) singled to score Plouffe and make it 7-4. That was it for Lazo, and the U.S. wound up stringing five singles together in the rally.

Lucas May (Dodgers), who had staked Team USA starter Cory Luebke (Padres) to a 3-0 lead with a three-run homer in the second, had one of the RBI hits and wound up 2-for-4 with a game-best four RBIs. Luebke struck out seven but lasted just 4 1/3 innings, giving up six hits and two runs.

Righthander Brad Lincoln (Pirates) wound up getting the victory, even though he squandered a 4-2 lead. He pitched 4 1/3 innings himself, giving up six hits and three runs. Nate Field (Marlins) got the last out.

The U.S. lost twice to Cuba in the Olympics in 2008, but despite that has won four of its last six meetings with Cuba, including the 2006 Olympic qualifier final, the finals of the last two World Cups in ‘07 and ‘09, and the third-round game played Friday. Cuba’s long run of domination of international baseball continued to wane, as the Cubans remain without a major international tournament championship since the 2005 World Cup.

Alfredo Despaigne was the brightest spot in the tournament for Cuba, hitting his record 11th home run off Lincoln in the eighth inning. Cuba out-hit the U.S. 12-9 but committed three errors while the U.S. was flawless defensively.

Weber wound up leading Team USA with a .421 average in the Cup. Smoak led the club with nine homers and 22 RBIs, batting .291/.418/.818. Team USA mashed 38 home runs in 15 games, leading the field.

The rest of the field finished like this:

• Canada won the bronze, its best-ever showing in World Cup play, by beating Puerto Rico 6-2. It’s Canada’s best international showing since it won bronze at the 1999 Pan American Games in Winnipeg. Jimmy Van Ostrand (Astros) put things away with a two-run homer for Canada in the eighth.

“I’m kinda speechless," former Giants farmhand Chris Begg, a veteran of Canadian national teams, told Baseball.ca. “This is pretty incredible especially with a bunch of new faces on this team, so I think baseball is looking pretty bright in Canada.”

• Australia finished fifth, beating the Netherlands 4-1. Stephen Welch (Mets) homered for the Aussies, and lefthander David Welch (Brewers) finished a brilliant tournament with a victory. Welch threw 24 innings, gave up just three earned runs and struck out 27.

• Venezuela took seventh place, beating Taiwan 6-3 as Rene Reyes singled home two more runs. The former Rockies outfielder led the tournament with 24 RBIs.

All of Saturday’s winning teams (as well as Puerto Rico and the Netherlands) had rosters heavy with minor leaguers and ex-big leaguers. The three Asian nations of Japan, South Korea and Taiwan sent either industrial leaguers (Japan) or mixes of minor leaguers and amateurs (Korea, Taiwan), and that wasn’t good enough at this World Cup.

There's a World Cup going on? Really?

It's hard to tell in the United States these days, but the world's largest international baseball tournament is winding down in Europe, and the U.S. is the leader in the clubhouse. The 2009 World Cup has spanned seven nations -- they played first-round games in baseball hotbeds such as Croatia, the Czech Republic and Sweden -- and nearly three weeks. It's not quite the soccer World Cup, and it's not even the World Baseball Classic, but it is a 22-nation event that has involved 100 players from major league organizations, not to mention Cuba's top-level national team.

"It's got to be the most expensive international tournament ever," said one scout who's a veteran of international baseball. "It's not like they had a ballpark just waiting for everyone in Zagreb or Sundbyberg [Sweden]. This is unprecedented."

Cuba has won the World Cup 25 times, while no other nation has won more than three. The last time there was a World Cup, the United States beat Cuba in the championship game. On Thursday, Team USA beat Cuba again, taking a 5-3 victory in Nettuno, Italy. It was the club's 12th straight victory after a Cup-opening loss to Venezuela. It made Team USA the favorite and was another sign of the parity that has come to international baseball.

"Our guys have persevered through a lot of irregular travel and the schedule," U.S. manager Eddie Rodriguez said in a postgame interview Thursday from Nettuno. "We've got a close-knit group, which is unusual for the length of time we've been together. We know what's at stake. We know what our mission is."

Cuba's mission is to get back on top. The island nation has to win Friday (or get losses by the Netherlands or Puerto Rico) to advance to the final, but in recent years, the Cubans have not been able to close the deal. Since winning the 2005 World Cup in the Netherlands against a fairly weak field -- Japan, South Korea and the U.S. sent less-than-stellar rosters -- Cuba has not won a major international tournament, and the landscape has changed. The Olympics are no longer the biggest tournament, as baseball was voted out of the program through 2016. In its stead, Major League Baseball has created the World Baseball Classic, with Japan's big leaguers Ichiro Suzuki and Daisuke Matsuzaka having led their nation to the first two championships, in 2006 and 2009. In the last Olympics, South Korea beat the Cubans for gold, and Cuba didn't even reach the WBC final round this past spring.

Cuba sent most of its 2009 WBC roster to Europe for the Cup, with the obvious exception of hard-throwing lefthander Aroldis Chapman. The 21-year-old phenom, whose 100-mph fastball, hard slider and lithe, athletic body send scouts' hearts racing, left the Cuban national team during the summer's World Port tournament and has been working to become a free agent. He even has established provisional residency in Andorra, a small principality in the Pyranees Mountains between Spain and France. He's likely to sign soon for an eight-figure contract that could exceed the four-year, $32 million contract Jose Contreras signed after he defected in 2002.

Cuba's national team program was grooming Chapman to become the new ace, something Cuba hasn't had since Contreras' defection to the Yankees. That hole has been fatal in recent years, and young lefty Maikel Folch proved unready Thursday, as Team USA got to him early and often. Mets prospect Ike Davis -- son of former big league pitcher Ron Davis -- crushed an RBI double to center field in the first inning. Former Twins big leaguer Terry Tiffee chased Folch in the third inning with a two-run homer.

It was Tiffee's fifth homer of the event and No. 35 of the tournament for the Americans, by far the most of any team. Team USA's power-oriented style has proven effective internationally in recent years. The U.S. has proven adept in recent years at mixing top prospects with minor league veterans such as Tiffee, who played on the '08 Olympic club and has emerged, in Rodriguez's words, as the captain of this year's club.

American minor leaguers beat Cuba in '06 (in Havana for the Olympic qualifier) and in the '07 Cup. That 2007 event featured an American team heavy on prospects who have gone on to major league success. Jayson Nix, now of the White Sox, wI as the tournament MVP, while the top players on the American roster included the Rays' Evan Longoria, the Cardinals' Colby Rasmus, and Twins left-hander Brian Duensing. This 2009 American team has similar prospect talent, including 2008 first-round picks Pedro Alvarez (Pirates), Jason Castro (Astros) and Justin Smoak (Rangers).

USA Baseball has experienced more success when it fields teams of players before they become rock stars. The U.S. won gold in 2000 in the Sydney Olympics with a club of future big leaguers, led by Ben Sheets, won in Cuba in '06 with key contributors such as Kevin Slowey (Twins) and Michael Bourn (Astros), and won bronze in 2008 in Beijing with a team that included Brett Anderson (Athletics), Dexter Fowler (Rockies) and Stephen Strasburg, the 2009 draft's No. 1 overall pick by the Nationals. America's big leaguers, meanwhile, have failed to medal in two WBC's.

On the current roster, Smoak has emerged as the team's star, with nine home runs to set a USA Baseball record. The switch-hitter out of South Carolina was a high school teammate of Orioles rookie catcher Matt Wieters and is on track to fulfill the athlete development model that USA Baseball dreams of. He played for the college national team in 2007, is on the team now as a minor leaguer and seems destined to suit up in a WBC down the line.

"He's really been carrying us," Rodriguez said. "He's shown great plate discipline and patience, and he knows what to do when he's ahead (in the count). It's not just home runs; it's big hits, in clutch situations.

Cuba's five-tool center fielder, 23-year-old Alfredo Despaigne, has matched Smoak home run-wise. He's part of the surprising reality: Contrary to its reputation, Cuba has plenty of hitting talent but not enough pitching.

The best Cubans in the big leagues are all hitters, from shortstops Alexei Ramirez (White Sox) and Yunel Escobar (Braves) to Kendry Morales (Angels). Before he defected, Morales was a two-way star for Cuba, and he out-pitched current L.A. teammate Scott Kazmir in a 2001 junior tournament in Cuba. But Morales was destined to be a hitter, not a pitcher, and most of Cuba's hyped pitchers have fallen short of expectations. Orlando (El Duque) Hernandez lived up to his billing, and his half-brother Livan Hernandez has had a long, durable career that peaked in 1997, when he was a rookie. But others, such as Danys Baez, Jose Contreras and Rolando Arrojo, have had short peaks and generally failed to dominate in the major leagues.

Sunday's final will have plenty of future big leaguers -- especially if the U.S. gets its rematch with Cuba -- but little hype. If present big leaguers aren't involved, American fans won't apy attention. But American teams have proven that the fewer big league players they have involved, the better.

Get the latest dish on the game's top prospects on Baseball America's Prospects Blog.

Read more: sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/baseball/mlb/09/25/world.cup/ Get a free NFL Team Jacket and Tee with SI Subscription

The USA exploded for six two out seventh inning runs, and got a three run home run from Los Angeles Dodger prospect Lucas May and a solo home run from Tug Hulett to defeat Cuba 10-5 and successfully defend their World Cup title before a sellout crowd of 5,600 Sunday in Nettuno, Italy.

May's three run second inning home run off Norge Vera gave the US an early 3-0 lead, and it was 4-2 in the sixth when Cuba's Ariel Borerro hit a two run home run of his own off pitcher Brad Lincoln, to tie the score.

However, the USA answered right back in the seventh. With runners on second and third and two out, Trevor Plouffe reached on an error, scoring both Hulett, son of former MLB player Tim Hulett, and Buck Coates to give the US the lead again at 6-4.

Jon Weber followed with an RBI single off pitcher Pedro Lazo, and Terry Tiffee, Josh Kroger and May came right behind with RBI singles of their own to break the game open.

Alfredo Despaigne's record 11th home run cut the margin to 10-6 in the eighth, and Cuba had the bases loaded and two out in the ninth before Nate Field entered the game and got Despaigne on a fly to left to end the game.

Lincoln, a Pittsburgh Pirates prospect, got the win for USA, while May went 4-4 in the game.

The USA successfully defended its title, defeating Cuba for the second time in four days and reeling off 13 straight wins.

Justin Smoak, who set a Team USA record with nine home runs and is a top prospect for the Texas Rangers, was named tournament Most Valuable Player.

Cuba takes the silver medal for the second straight time, after nine consecutive titles, and Canada, which defeated Puerto Rico yesterday, took the bronze for their best-ever finish.

Story provided by USA Today, www.usatoday.com

The USA exploded for six two out seventh inning runs, and got a three run home run from Lucas May and a solo home run from Tug Hulett to defeat Cuba 10-6 and successfully defend their World Cup title before a sellout crowd of 5,600 Sunday in Nettuno, Italy.  May’s three run second inning home run off Norge Vera gave the US an early 3-0 lead,  and it was 4-2 in the sixth when Cuba’s Ariel Borerro hit a two run home run of his own off pitcher Brad Lincoln to tie the score.  However, the USA answered right back in the seventh.  With runners on second and third and two out, Trevor Plouffe reached on an error, scoring both Hulett and Buck Coates to give the US the lead again at 6-4.  Jon Weber followed with an RBI single off pitcher Pedro Lazo, and Terry Tiffee, Josh Kroger and May came right behind with RBI singles of their own to break the game open.  Alfredo Despaigne’s record 11^th home run cut the margin to 10-6 in the eighth, and Cuba had the bases loaded and two out in the ninth before Nate Field entered the game and got Despaigne on a fly to left to end the game.

Lincoln got the win for USA, while May went 4-4 in the game.  The USA successfully defended its title, defeating Cuba for the second time in four days and reeling off 13 straight wins.  Cuba takes the silver medal for the second straight time, after nine consecutive titles, and Canada, which defeated Puerto Rico yesterday, took the bronze for their best-ever finish. 

For daily reports for all action throughout the tournament, make sure to go to the "Daily Reports" part of the 2009baseballworldcup.com main page.

For a daily report of all World Cup action from Saturday September 26th, click here

Also, for video highlights from games from the second round, click the link below and then follow the links for each game.

Video Highlights

CANADA 6 PUERTO RICO 2:  The Canadians completed a successful World Cup by taking their first-ever Bronze Medal, defeating Puerto Rico in Grosetto. Canada took an early 3-0 lead on a Shawn Bowman RBI double and a Jimmy Van Ostrand sacrifice fly, but Puerto Rico cut the lead to 3-2 in the second on Jose Valentin’s two run home run off of starter Jamie Richmond.  It remained a one run game until the eighth, when Jonathan Malo tripled in Adam Loewen from first, and then in the ninth Van Ostrand hit a two run home run off of Richard Rodriguez to break the game open. Four Canadian pitchers held Puerto Rico to seven hits and did not allow a runner to get as far as third after Valentin’s second inning home run

AUSTRALIA 4 NETHERLANDS 1:  David Welch and Dushan Ruzic held the Netherlands to one run and eight scattered hits, giving Australia their best finish ever, fifth place, in a 4-1 win.  Hainley Statia’s RBI single had tied the game at one in the third for the Dutch, but Australia took the lead for good on an RBI single by James Beresford and a run scoring ground out by Nicholas Kimpton in the seventh.  Stephan Welch ended the scoring with an eighth inning home run, and Ruzic ended the game by getting Daschenko Ricardo on a pop up to second with the tying run at the plate.

VENEZUELA 6 CHINESE TAIPEI 3: Venezuela took seventh place, rallying from a 2-0 deficit in the sixth to win.  Dirimo Chavez two run single tied the score at 2-2 after six, and a Jonathan Sivira sacrifice fly scored Wuilliams Vazquez to give Venezuela the lead for good in the seventh. A Rene Reyes two run single in the eighth pushed the lead to 5-3, and Yosnel Garcia’s RBI  single ended the scoring. Four different Venezuela pitchers held Chinese Taipei scoreless over the final four innings.

GOLD MEDAL PREVIEW:  USA VS. CUBA, SUNDAY AT 15:00, NETTUNO, ITALY

The United States of America and Cuba will meet in an International Baseball Federation (IBAF) Baseball World Cup final for the second time in a row, Sunday, at 15:00 (9:00 am EDT)  in Nettuno, Italy.  The U.S. enters the game at 7-0 (13-1 overall), and Cuba, 5-2 (12-2 overall) in third round play.  The USA’s only loss was their first game, 13-9 in 11 innings to Venezuela on 10 September. Cuba has lost to Puerto Rico 5-2 on 18 September and to the USA 5-3 on Thursday.

The game will be seen on the MLB Network in the United States, Eurosport2 across Europe, ICRT in Cuba, RAI Sport in Italy and on tape delay on ESPN STAR Asia, making it the most widely-broadcast final since World Cup play began in 1938.

The final game will be a rematch of the 2007 IBAF Baseball World Cup, held in Chinese Taipei.  The United States won that match-up, 6-3, ending Cuba's run of nine-straight World Cup titles. Although the USA has seen the most recent success in the event, Cuba has historically dominated World Cup play.  The current No. 1 in the world, Cuba has won a staggering 25 titles out of the 29 World Cups in which it has competed.  Of the 25 wins, three of them have come in World Cups held in Italy (1978, 1988, 1998), and in the four tournaments it has not placed first, it has never finished outside of the top-3.

Team USA – current world No. 4 – will make its 12^th appearance in a World Cup gold medal game,The USA is looking to take back-to-back titles for only the second time ever, the last time being in 1973-'74. Sunday.  The U.S. has won the World Cup three times in 1973, 1974 and 2007.  Overall, this will be the seventh time Cuba and the USA have played for World Cup gold, with Cuba holding a 6-1 lead. The last time two nations met in consecutive World Cup Finals was in 1994 and 1998, with Cuba defeating Korea both times to win the gold.

They met for the gold medal twice before in Italy, in both 1978 and 1988.  Sunday's final will take place in Nettuno, which is referred to throughout Italy as the country's foremost baseball town.  Stadio “Steno Borghese” will play host to the two world baseball powers, providing a dramatic backdrop for the IBAF's crown jewel event.

Both Cuba and the United States have seen balanced offensive and pitching performances throughout the World Cup, but it is hard to ignore the prolific power numbers put up thus far by Cuba's Alfredo Despaigne and the USA's Justin Smoak.

Despaigne homered on Friday to break the Cuban and World Cup record for home runs in one event, with 10. Not to be outdone, Smoak, a Texas Rangers (MLB) prospect, already holds the U.S. Record in this World Cup with nine home runs.  His 21 RBIs also lead the club.

Cuba continues to dominate in the pitching categories as well, leading all nations with a 1.70 ERA. It has three pitchers now at 3-0, Norge Vera, Miguel and Yulieski Gonzalez, while reliever Pedro Lazo has three saves and has yet to allow a run.

On the U.S. side, Terry Tiffee (.353 4 HR 19 RBI) sits two RBIs behind Smoak for the team lead, while Jon Weber leads the team in hitting (.435 3 HR 12 RBI).  The U.S. pitching staff, which has been key in the squad's current 13-game winning streak, boasts a 1.93 ERA and is led by 3-0 Lucas Harrell (no runs allowed in 10 innings in relief) and a five-man starting rotation which has allowed a total of 12 earned runs in 83 innings.